The Compact Disc-Read Only Memory (CD-ROM) data format is explained and illustrated, noting current and potential applications. The "5-inch" compact laserdisc is described and photographs of an IBM PC/Hitachi CD-ROM system adopted by Library Corporation to support its MARC database--BiblioFile--are presented. Screen displays for…

Briefly reviews the origins of the hypermedia concept, comments on its use in higher education, and describes a project at Dartmouth College that developed a training process to introduce a hypermedia authoring environment to the academic community. (CLB)

Describes applications in variety of settings of videodiscs as tools of information retrieval with online databases, identifies underlying technical capabilities, and discusses five operations required to implement any application: coordinating diverse formats; indexing; physically arranging items on disc; designing input, search, and output;…

Describes a videodisc-based information display system in which a computer terminal is used to search the online PATSEARCH database from a remote host with local microcomputer control to select and display drawings from the retrieved records. System features and system components are discussed and criteria for system evaluation are presented.…

Availability of low-cost digital optical disks will revolutionize storage and retrieval systems over next decade. Three major factors will effect this change: availability of disks and controllers at low-cost and in plentiful supply; availability of low-cost and better output means for system users; and more flexible, less expensive communication…

This article reports on portion of Non-Print Project in which still image disks from Prints and Photographs division are being linked to microcomputer database with results that hold promise for preservation, access, collections management, and security. Bibliographies on videodiscs (6 items) and cataloging of graphic materials (10 items) are…