The silo is a well-worn metaphor in information systems used to illustrate separateness, isolation, and lack of connectivity. Through the many iterations of system development, libraries, archives, and museums (LAMs) have sought to avoid silos and find the sweet spot between interface design and metadata interoperability. This effort is being…

This article attempts to offer an overview of the current changes that are being experienced in the management of audio-visual documentation and those that can be forecast in the future as a result of the migration from analogue to digital information. For this purpose the documentary chain will be used as a basis to analyse individually the tasks…

Over the past several decades, millions of digital objects of significant scientific, economic, cultural, and historic value have been published and distributed to libraries and archives on removable media. Providing long-term access to these documents, media files, and software executables is an increasingly complex task because of dependencies…

The on-line acquisition program (LOLITA) in use at the Oregon State University Library is described in terms of development costs, equipment requirements, and overall design philosophy. (Author)

Suggests means for keeping costs low for organization of input, input keyboarding, and checking input accuracy in computer-based information systems. (Author/PF)

In 1961 the University of California at San Diego library began design of a computerized serials system with 700 entries. From this a sophisticated system has evolved (through three computers) with 30,810 serial entries in 1973. Using batch processing, the computer generates copies of a union list of university serials holdings, copies of serials…

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)

This study of the computer/user interface investigated the role of the computer in performing information tasks that users now perform without computer assistance. Users' perceptual/cognitive processes are to be accelerated or augmented by the computer; a long term goal is to delegate information tasks entirely to the computer. Cybernetic and…

Information needs are growing more rapidly than the abilities of research libraries and information centers to meet them. Two reasons and their influence on information systems are discussed: a shift in scientific endeavor from basic science to applied, leading to the emergence of programmatic research; and the technology of science itself. (16…

The main objectives of Project BALLOTS (Bibliographic Automation of Large Library Operations Using a Time-Sharing System) are to control rising technical processing costs and, at the same time, to provide improved levels of service. This report on BALLOTS Phase II is concerned with the development and implementation of the production library…

Eight papers cover: optical storage technology; cross-cultural videodisc design; optical disk technology use at the Library of Congress Research Service and National Library of Medicine; Internal Revenue Service image storage and retrieval system; solving business problems with CD-ROM; a laser disk operating system; and an optical disk for…

This comparative study of three major online bibliographic systems is designed to provide assistance to library administrators in the assessment of the potential impact of such systems upon the operations of their libraries. A side by side arrangement of the text allows an overview of any specific characteristic under consideration. These…

This bulletin contains several articles on various topics concerning information science. The first article is a report on the November 1971 Seminar on Documentation and Pedagogical Information in Latin America held in Panama. The second article, entitled "Informatica," provides a discussion of information science by three Soviet writers;…

This study assesses the application of both minicomputers and microcomputers to information-handling procedures and makes recommendations for automating such procedures, particularly in developing nations. The report is based on a survey of existing uses of small computing equipment in libraries, archives, and information centers which was…

In a program sponsored by the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), the Library of Congress (LC) Processing Department reports on progress in development of the National Bibliographic Service. The first paper deals with past, present, and future cooperation between LC and the ARL. The second paper provides an overview of the automation…