Discusses need for retrospective conversion of library catalogs in terms of user-problems related to split catalogs in various formats. Difficulties to be overcome in retrospective conversion projects (ownership of records, costs, non-Roman script languages, standards and inhospitability of MARC for variety of manuscript and pictorial material)…

Discusses the need of developing countries to set up local databases and exchange information; outlines Unesco General Information Programme's role in this context; describes a specific Unesco program to help member states acquire and use microcomputer software; reviews criteria for software selection; and describes the program's implementation…

The relations of the National Program for Library and Information Services to information literacy and the information industry are discussed. Private sector information resources are identified in several categories. The traditional relations of libraries and with the information industry are described, and examples are given of situations where…

The Michigan Library Consortium (MLC) is studying the problems and possibilities of networking, with the Ohio College Library Center (OCLC) as a model and possible data base for the MLC. Standards on an international scale must be developed, and the need for constantly improving technology, particularly computers, must be recognized. Since the…

The use, history, and role of machine-readable data base technology is discussed. First the development of data base technology is traced from its beginnings as a special resource for science and technology to its broader use in universities, with descriptions of some specific services. Next the current status of mechanized information services in…

In its second year of activity, the Northeast Academic Science Information Center (NASIC) program of the New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) has assisted 18 universities and colleges in the Northeast in the implementation of local capabilities to provide computer-based reference services. Working through the libraries at these…

Descriptions and appraisals of significant recent trends and developments in the field of information science are presented. The individual chapters deal with the following topics: (1) information needs and uses, (2) design and evaluation of information systems, (3) an economist's view of information, (4) document description and representation,…

Three papers on system requirements for on-line and batch retrieval presented at the American Society for Information Science (ASIS) annual meeting are included here. At G.D. Searle, data for records related to pharmacology screening are used in a batch system, and an on-line system is used to search information on mutagenic, carcinogenic, and…

The 16 papers in this collection explore the microcomputer revolution as it affects library information systems: (1) "HyperMedia/Multimedia Technology and New Opportunities for Libraries in the 1990s" (Ching-chih Chen); (2) "Use of CD-ROMs in West German Libraries" (David I. Raitt and Ching-chih Chen); (3) "Purposes of Interactive Optical Discs…

This last article in a series which reported results of a software evaluation project done by the Netherlands Association of Users of Online Information Systems (VOGIN) focuses on how to select appropriate software. Topics discussed include price considerations; user needs; and types and quality of information. (Contains 11 references.) (LRW)

Discussion of synthesized speech and voice recognition focuses on a forum that addressed the potential for speech technologies in libraries. Topics discussed by three contributors include possible library applications in technical processing, book receipt, circulation control, and database access; use by disabled and illiterate users; and problems…

Discusses the need to include communication skills as a component of training sessions for library staff who will be serving patrons using online catalogs and databases. Specific points that should be covered in training sessions are identified and training methods are suggested. (eight references) (CLB)

Libraries are moving into an era that incorporates improvements of a library's existing databases, embraces the research results of the information-seeking process, and makes fundamental improvements by adding new databases such as WordFocus. These new systems should convert the frustrated user of today's online public access catalog (OPAC) into…

Discusses "technolust" (i.e., obsession with computer technology) in librarians. Topics addressed include library automation, the concept of the virtual library, and recruitment of readers as the primary role of the public library. It is predicted that books and libraries will continue to be a vital part of the community. (EA)

Describes the networking of CD-ROM drives in libraries to accommodate users' simultaneous access to the same CD-ROM. Highlights include costs; vendors who supply local area network hardware and software; licensing practices; and a sidebar that describes the use of CD-ROM networks at Vanderbilt University and the University of Kansas. (LRW)