Presents an historical overview of Vannevar Bush's efforts to develop a machine for free-form indexing and computerized information retrieval. Descriptions of the Memex concept and two related machines--the Rapid Selector and the Comparator--are provided; and the shift in emphasis to a device for business or cryptanalytic purposes is discussed.…

Describes use of a database management system (dBASE II, produced by Ashton-Tate), noting best features and disadvantages. Highlights include data entry, multiple access points available, training requirements, use of dBASE for a bibliographic application, auxiliary software, and dBASE updates. Sample searches, auxiliary programs, and requirements…

Describes applications in variety of settings of videodiscs as tools of information retrieval with online databases, identifies underlying technical capabilities, and discusses five operations required to implement any application: coordinating diverse formats; indexing; physically arranging items on disc; designing input, search, and output;…

Recent work on the development of Synthesized User Based Terminology Index Languages (SUBTIL), i.e., index and query languages for information systems which employ vocabulary elicited from potential users of the system, is described in this paper. Following a brief review of the literature on thesaurus construction and index languages is a…

Computerization seems to offer some solutions to the inadequacies of the card catalog. However, vocabulary obstacles must be overcome before the history, art history, and art students alike can enter libraries all over the world and quickly satisfy their various needs. (10 references) (Author/NH)

A set of twenty five questions was processed against a computer-stored file of 9159 document references in the field of ferrous metallurgy, representing the 1965 coverage of the Iron and Steel Institute (London) information service. A basis for evaluation of system performance characteristics and analysis of system failures was provided by using…

Computer vision offers a variety of techniques for searching for pictures in large collections of images. Appearance methods compare images based on the overall content of the image using certain criteria. Finding methods concentrate on matching subparts of images, defined in a variety of ways, in hope of finding particular objects. These ideas…

This book is the final report of a two year research project. It offers a thorough discussion of the potentialities and limitations of computers for library application. A general treatment is presented of the whole library as it may be in the future. Emphasis is given to the usefulness of the computer as a device for ease of transmission of…

The newly-computerized WIRS bibliography includes over 1,100 indexed citations of mental health research published in journals, government documents, reports, papers presented to professional organizations; and doctoral dissertation abstracts. Journal availability: see RC 503 481. (DS)

Discusses an online bibliographic control program written using the Statistical Analysis System (SAS) and its use at the Denver Wildlife Research Center to organize and provide access to reprints of publications. The program listing, sample input and output, and programs for searching by one and two keywords are appended. (EJS)

This second LARC (Library Automation Research and Consulting Association) automation survey presents a number of significant improvements over the first survey. Although the number of survey reports has not increased greatly, all of them have been updated and reflect, as nearly as it is possible to do, the current status of automation operations…

Describes technique for automatic book indexing requiring dictionary of terms with text strings that count as instances of term and text in form suitable for processing by text formatter. Results of experimental application to portion of book text are presented, including measures of precision and recall. Ten references are noted. (EJS)

The purpose of this project was to provide guidance to ERIC on how to facilitate product information retrieval. Information on practitioner needs, on the use of descriptors and abstracting procedures, and on alternatives for improving the system was gathered and circulated to NIE staff members. The resulting document described three alternative…

This paper discusses several of the trends in information handling for text-based storage and retrieval systems that are prevalent in the United States. The paper considers, in particular, specialized information products, cooperative and networking activities, and work on standards. Information products include current awareness abstract…

This 22-paper collection addresses a variety of issues related to representation and transfer of knowledge. Individual papers include an explanation of the usefulness of general scientific models versus case-specific approaches and a discussion of different empirical approaches to the general problem of knowledge representation for information…