The Retrieval of information by means of freely-chosen descriptors may be handled efficiently by creating an inverted file organization in an adaptive manner, entries in this file being generated by sequential searching of the master file, when required. (Author)

Describes the "Toronto Globe and Mail" database-the first example of the entire text of a major daily newspaper online, and notes the file elements and possible search strategies. (RAA)

Discusses the basic principles of the application of microfilm (analog) and electronic (digital) technologies for data storage. Image quality is examined, searching and retrieval capabilities are considered, and hardcopy output resolution is described. It is concluded that microfilm is still the preferred archival medium. (5 references) (LRW)

Advantages of the Berkeley Mass Storage System (MSS) for information retrieval other than its size are: high serial-read rate, archival data storage; and random-access capability. By use of this device, the search cost in an SDI system based on the Nuclear Science Abstracts" data base was reduced by 20 percent. (6 references) (Author/NH)

Northwestern University's Remote Information Query System (RIQS), an information storage and retrieval system characterized by a mixture of data structures for the internal record organization, is discussed. On-line and batch mode search capabilities handle both textual and quantitative information. Other system characteristics, capabilities and…

This handbook examines sources of information useful to educators and educational consultants who wish to learn about innovative practices and/or solutions to educational problems in other schools. A discussion of information storage describes the access to information in reports, periodicals, unpublished reports, and other materials through such…

This collection of search formulations was assembled to assist in Dialog Searching of the ERIC data base. The formulations represent modular building blocks or concepts that occur frequently when searching this file. They have been formulated and described in such a way that they can be used as given, or they can be modified to suit specific…

The results of personal interviews with 18 of the more experienced online searchers in Washington State are presented. A profile of respondents determines the experience of each in searching in years, number of searches per month, vendors used, and most used data bases. This information is used to analyze the answers given to questions about the…

Modeled on public databases such as Lockheed and SDC, the information system described in this report was utilized in the creation of in-house databases in the Mobay Chemical Corporation's special library in Pittsburgh. Using IBM's Storage and Information Retrieval System (STAIRS), Mobay created two databases: one to hold product information, the…

Reviews and compares "Sci-Mate,""Reference Manager," and "BIBLIOPHILE" software packages used for storage and retrieval tasks involving bibliographic data. Each program handles search tasks well; major differences are in the amount of flexibility in customizing the database structure, their import and export…

The Inverted File Information Retrieval System (INFIRS), is a document search system which offers a comprehensive range of search facilities. It has been developed at the United Kingdom Chemical Information Service (UKCIS) as a general purpose retrieval tool, suitable for handling a wide variety of data-bases (both free-text and controlled…

Reviews the special requirements of a bibliographic database, and shows how they are met in the DOBIS-LIBIS (Dortmund Library System-Leuven Library System) system. Full authority file control over the indexes to the database is discussed, and the DOBIS-LIBIS system is described in detail. References are included. (Author/BK)

The indexing and online searching of data bases have both conflicting and complementary structures, determined in part by the choice of indexing language. In the planning of a machine readable system, the Foundation Center, administrator of two data bases, initially chose a natural language for the lower cost, more rapid implementation, and…

Review of office filing facility filing and retrieval mechanisms for unstructured and mixed media information focuses on free text methods. Also discussed are the state of the art in handling voice and image data, problems with searching text surrogates to implement free text content retrieval, and work of Project Minstrel. (Author/MBR)

This digest provides information and advice for accessing information from the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) database, a federally funded information network designed to provide users with ready access to education literature. It describes the database, the best ways to access ERIC, the thesaurus of ERIC descriptors, and the use…