Computer based information services available to the Australian community as of June 1977 are listed and described in this directory. The main section is a subject list providing information on 81 data bases, 26 of which are presently operating in Australia. The list is divided into 19 broad subject categories with a brief description, name, year…

A listing of 42 operational and experimental online agricultural information systems in the United States is provided, noting system name, sponsoring organization, location, information and services provided, and key contact person and phone number. (EJS)

Provides a systematic guide for evaluation and selection of an online service vendor. Topics briefly considered include the availability of selection aids, cost, online services, system search capabilities, training services, file documentation, and complimentary services. A selective listing of database directories is provided. (Author/JD)

Describes the Energy Information Administration (EIA) and the Technical Information Center (TIC), and lists databases accessible online to the Department of Energy and its contractors through DOE/RECON. (RAA)

Files of machine-readable social science data are not yet under adequate bibliographic control. Two possible innovations to make these files more widely known--library cataloging resulting in a national union catalog, and a national service combining indexing and abstracting, on-line search capability, and documents delivery--are discussed.…

Discusses political questions raised by the existence and growth potential of the online retrieval industry because it is privately owned and profit oriented. The user fee debate, information ownership, danger of manipulation, libraries as marketers, library action, and a library database consortium are highlighted. Seventeen references are cited.…

A new cable television system, called the Subscriber Response System (SRS), is being tested prior to a trial installation in El Segundo, California. The components include two bidirectional cables, a computer for processing subscribers' requests, and subscriber terminals to be located in homes or offices. The home terminal includes a three-digit…

This is the first update of the bibliography on online information retrieval that was published as a supplement to Vol. 1 of this journal. Entries are divided into seven sections; within each section, they are listed alphabetically by author. Permuted titled (KWIC) and author indexes are included. (Author/JPF)

The Bio-Medical Library at the University of Minnesota has access to two on-line computer systems: the MEDLINE system (MEDLARS ON-LINE) of the National Library of Medicine and the State University of New York (SUNY) Biomedical Communication Network. MEDLINE consists of two files which provide coverage of the "Index Medicus" from 1970 to…

The last installment in a three part series compares commands and features for accessing and manipulating the results obtained from the DIALOG and QUESTEL information systems. Highlights include enhancements to syntax and defaults, options for output arrangement and retrieval, reformatting of selected data, memory, unique features, and examples.…

The virtues of interactive systems are speed, intimacy, and - if time-sharing is involved - economy. The major problems are the cost of the large computers and files necessary for bibliographic data, the still-high cost of communications, and the generally poor design of the user-system interfaces. (Author)

This study examines (1) subject content, (2) file size, (3) types of documents indexed, (4) range of years spanned, and (5) level of indexing and abstracting in five databases which collectively provide extensive coverage of the forestry and forest products industries: AGRICOLA, CAB ABSTRACTS, FOREST PRODUCTS (AIDS), PAPERCHEM, and PIRA. The…

Based on a series of studies performed by ERIC/Information Resources staff and consultants which focused on the activities of over 40 experienced online searchers, this report offers the following suggestions for enhancing certain online retrieval system features and making improvements in ERIC vocabulary: (1) the implementation of an online…

Reviews the conception and services of ALANET, American Library Association's (ALA) electronic information service designed to create an electronic mail system and develop a wide-ranging information service to improve access to information resources of ALA. External databases, professional information services, communications networks, assisting…

Describes microcomputer based search system that provides access to selected portions of the ERIC database using a simplified and guided format and serves as inexpensive tool to teach concepts of online searching and information retrieval. Getting started, decision and command lines, help instructions, and availability of database disks are…