The ERIC Data Access System (EDAS) is an information retrieval system developed at Eastern Illinois University to access the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) database and make it available to Eastern faculty and students in a convenient and timely fashion. This paper describes briefly why and how Eastern developed and implemented…

This examination of abstracting-indexing services for the field of history focuses on Historical Abstracts (HA) and America--History and Life (AHL), and their relationship to the American Bibliographical Center's Subject Profile Index (ABC-SPIndex). The history, scope, selection criteria, and classification arrangements of the two databases are…

WISE is an on-line, interactive information retrieval system designed to operate on key-word-oriented data bases. The WISE user searches a data base by entering and combining key-words that are appropriate to the data base and the subject matter. The user also enters certain command statements to enhance the results of the search and to control…

Describes an online library catalog in which bibliographic references have been compiled by simply transcribing the descriptive data found on the title page and elsewhere on the documents, and discusses the wider implications of the use of natural language descriptions without modifications. Eleven references are listed. (FM)

The three documents contained in this report describe an interactive retrieval language implemented for the IBM 360/67 of the Campus Faculty at Stanford University, between October 1969 and May 1970. The three reports are: (1) DIRAC--An Interactive Retrieval Language with Computational Interface, (2) DIRAC--An Overview of an Interactive Retrieval…

Speculates on unanticipated effects brought about by the application of online sytems and databases to library services. Concern is voiced about the development of a technological library elite, the growth of research dependency, the limiting of the availability of books and journals, and the narrowing of serendipity in research. (RAA)

WISE is an on-line interactive information retrieval system designed to operate on keyword oriented data bases. The system was designed particularly with bibliographic data bases in mind, but it is potentially useful for any keyword oriented data base. The WISE user searches a data base by entering and combining keywords that are appropriate to…

Reviews the economic importance of applying computer technology to Chemical Abstracts Service database production from 1973 to 1983. Database building, technological applications for editorial processing (online editing, Author Index Manufacturing System), and benefits (increased staff productivity, reduced rate of increase of cost of services,…

This review of research and development work deals with activities specifically related to digital legal deposit. An overview of research activity in the various stages of the deposit process-particularly in digital preservation-follows. Building the infrastructure and pilot depositories are discussed. Issues that are not currently being addressed…

In terms of examples drawn from clinical and research data files, one of the objectives of this study is to illustrate several factors that have combined to delay the implementation of medical data bases. A primary factor has been inherent in the design of computer software. The languages currently on the market are procedural in nature: they…

This paper considers the processing of digital library queries, consisting of a text component and a structured component in distributed environments. The paper concentrates on the processing of the structured component of a distributed query. A method is proposed to identify the databases that are likely to be useful for processing any given…

Reviews problem areas identified in the processing of OCLC MARC Subscription Service tapes, commonly known as the archive tapes, and explains the Yale University methods for processing these tapes through their editing project and notation system. (CWM)

Presents MARC database statistics for use in planning and processing files, selection of subsets, and estimating file growth rates. Statistics are provided on record length, field tag occurrence, data element length per field tag, and distribution of records by Dewey Decimal Division and Library of Congress class code. (Author/RAA)

Discusses conversion projects that move information from one format to another. Planning considerations are discussed; types of conversion processes are described, including conversion between computers using software, cables, or networks; special conversions are examined, including CD-ROMs and online databases; and companies that specialize in…

This manual, intended for the librarian or information specialist beginning with online systems, introduces the National Agricultural Library's (NAL) Cataloging and Indexing System (CAIN) and presents the search techniques required for retrieving information on agriculture and its many related fields. The manual, which concentrates on the online…