Examines how informetric characteristics of information retrieval (IR) system databases can be used to help system designers decide what type of file structures would provide the best performance. The development of appropriate models describing database contents is highlighted in this first part of a two-part study. (30 references) (LRW)

This second report on a two-part study on the application of informetrics to information retrieval (IR) system design used models of database contents in a factorial simulation study at the University of Western Ontario. The study explored whether different file structures were better suited for different informetric environments. (32 references)…

A new electronic bibliography, the Eighteenth Century Short Title Catalog, currently contains title and location information for 315,000 English-language books, monographs, and ephemera printed during the eighteenth century. The database is available to scholars on the Research Libraries Information Network and the British Library Automated…

Presents the results of a survey of small and medium-sized academic libraries conducted to determine the features of an online catalog considered most important by academic librarians. The major requirements of an online catalog most commonly cited by the librarians are discussed and a ranked list of desirable features is included.

Discussion of aggregator databases focuses on a project at the Hong Kong Baptist University library to integrate full-text electronic journal titles from three unstable aggregator databases into its online public access catalog (OPAC). Explains the development of the electronic journal computer program (EJCOP) to generate MARC records for…

Summarizes the steps in introducing CD-ROM in an academic library and lists producer/distributor, system requirements, price, and description/comments for CD-ROM products in the categories of educational research; library catalog support; curriculum development aids; reference sources; and administrative aids. A sidebar discusses CD-ROM use at the…

Describes the procedures followed in inventorying, cataloging, and barcoding government documents records from Government Printing Office (GPO) tapes as part of an integrated online system with Bryn Mawr, Haverford, and Swarthmore College libraries. The use of a vendor to help with retrospective cataloging is also described. (nine references) (LRW)

Describes the University of California at Berkeley's participation in the TREC (Text Retrieval Conference) interactive track experiments. Highlights include results of searches on two systems, Cheshire II and ZPRISE; system design goals and implementation; precision and recall results; search questions by topic and system; and results of…

Discusses the effect of online library catalogs on when, how, and by whom authority control work is done, focusing on experiences at Ohio State University Libraries. Shifts include removal of authority work from automated cataloging procedures, separation of mechanical and intellectual tasks, unique headings and references, and original…

Discusses implementation of online Library Circulation System (later known as Library Computer System) at University of Illinois which links campus libraries and provides circulation information to numerous public libraries. Conversion of shelflist into machine-readable form in house and by vendor, input problems, proofreading, vendor…

Provides an overview of the University of California MELVYL online catalog and database system, describes the Z39.50 information retrieval protocol, and discusses the implementation of the Z39.50 protocol into the MELVYL system. Implementor organizations are described, and future possibilities are suggested. (eight references) (LRW)

Considers some of the major technical and organizational issues involved in virtual-catalog production, contrasting them with the traditional union catalog approach exemplified by COPAC, an online public-access catalog composed of academic libraries in the United Kingdom. Suggest a method of integrating these two models of the union catalog.…

The 3-year retrospective catalog conversion project described involved the conversion of 446,913 selected monographic records of six major New York State research libraries into machine readable format. The records were searched against the OCLC, Inc., data file. If a match or an identical record was found, the corresponding OCLC record was…

Describes development of an online catalog for Dartmouth College Libraries by Dartmouth and Bibliographic Retrieval Services (BRS). Highlights include Dartmouth parameters; capability of creating a fully inverted file for entire bibliographic citation provided by BRS software; features of BRS/Dartmouth user interface; telecommunications links; and…

This paper describes a project that is a joint effort sponsored by the Ameritech company involving the Akron Art Museum (Ohio), the University of Akron (its libraries, New Media Center, and education faculty), and the state-wide library and multimedia consortium, OhioLink. The project combines the machine-readable cataloging of the museum's…