The Information Retrieval Research Laboratory of the University of Illinois regularly calculates certain statistics associated with the MARC II data base. Statistics pertaining to data element occurrence, data element length, and distribution of records by Dewey Decimal division and Library of Congress class code are given. (Author)

Provides a directory of online databases available as of October 1979. Scope, vendor, update frequency, and user charges are included. (RAA)

Criteria for selection of data bases and data base services such as searching features, logical capacity, document delivery, output format and medium, and costs are examined. (Author)

Presents a study of journal title elements as represented in eight databases, and describes four measures developed to show the extent of standardization within a database and some of its implications for searching. (FM)

Provides statistical summaries of database development and growth for 1979, based on the "Database of Databases" file at the University of Illinois Information Retrieval Research Laboratory. Bibliographic, bibliographic-related, and natural language databases are analyzed in four subject categories: scientific/technical, humanities,…

The users of online retrieval systems can and should provide feedback to the system operators or vendors to influence them to make changes and further improvements, or to reinforce operator's decisions to make changes in the systems. All members of the database chain--database producers, processors, search service brokers, searchers, and end users…

Espouses two causes reflecting author's involvement with information science over past decade: design of transparent systems to allow potential of automated retrieval systems to be realized by end users; promotion of information science as respected field of endeavor and area worthy of research. Information retrieval and systems research are…

The major objective of the IITRI Computer Search Center is to educate and link industry, academia, and government institutions to chemical and other scientific information systems and sources. The Center was developed to meet this objective and is in full operation providing services to users from a variety of machine-readable data bases with…

Examines current needs and uses of on-line retrieval systems and discusses future possibilities which are dependent on: (1) technological developments; (2) progress in the documentation of information from scientific research; (3) availability and use of funds for employing and coupling available technology and the useful results of research; and…

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)

The Information Sciences section at Illinois Institute of Technology Research Institute (IITRI) is now operating a Computer Search Center (CSC) for handling numerous machine-readable data bases. The computer programs are generalized in the sense that they will handle any incoming data base. This is accomplished by means of a preprocessor system…

The Association of Information Dissemination Centers (ASIDIC) formed the Cooperative Data Management Committee to address the problems of information center operators and data base suppliers. The number of operating centers in the U.S. is limited and their future expansion in numbers and in type of services, will depend on the education of users.…

Presents examples of bibliographic, full-text, and numeric databases. Also discusses how to access these databases online, aids to online retrieval, and several issues and trends (including copyright and downloading, transborder data flow, use of optical disc/videodisc technology, and changing roles in database generation and processing). (JN)