Describes the development of a prototype Intelligent Reference Information System (IRIS) at the University of Houston library which integrated a CD-ROM local area network (LAN) and expert system technologies. Evaluations of the CD-ROM LAN performance and user reactions are reported, and possible future developments are discussed. (13 references)…

Presents a conceptual framework and a coherent method for information-technology design in an organizational context within the participatory-design tradition. The MUST method, developed through projects in Danish and American organizations, is based on thorough participation with users and managers and combines the use of ethnographic techniques…

U.K.'s Teaching and Learning Technology Programme (TLTP) developed a General-Purpose Integrated Learning Support (G-PILS) tool-kit and shell. G-PILS creates course/module specific learning support systems to manage the integration of courseware in a range of knowledge media (e.g., games, tutorial packages, simulations, electronic documents,…

Reports on an experiment in which detailed logging of the use of experimental information systems was used to determine the optimal configuration of the systems for users. Results suggest that systems can be created for users by analysis of the interaction of design features with personal characteristics such as cognitive abilities. (Author/LRW)

Discusses individual differences between users of information systems that can influence search performance, and describes two experiments that addressed user-centered design of information systems. Highlights include interaction between cognitive abilities and design features; compensation and capitalization perspectives; recall and precision;…

Proposes a useful concept of relevance as a relationship and an effect on the movement of a user through the iterative stages of their information seeking process, and that users' relevance judgments can be plotted on a Three-Dimensional Spatial Model of Relevance Level, Degree and Time. Discusses implications for the development of information…

Examines expectations about a computerized student management-information system (SMIS) and how these perceptions influence effective use. Investigates relationships between design, use and effects in developing a model for understanding strategies for effective implementation and use. Focuses on a public school district in Texas. (AEF)

Presents an overview of "Q&A," a Web-based question-answering system that mediates interactions between an expert and a question-asking user. Discusses the system's components and features; details of the implementation; evaluation; and future work. (AEF)

Focuses on instructional and learning systems in distance education. Highlights include: learner-centeredness of distance education; instructor's role; relevant content to individual needs; balancing roles of instructors and learners; personalizing instruction; ramifications for instructional and learning system design; and architecture of dynamic…

The World Wide Web has been regarded as the most important information technology revolution of the 1990s. It not only has drastically changed the nature of information technology in business and education, but has also imposed a great challenge to developers of information systems (IS) curricula worldwide. To provide IS students with an education…

On April 6, 1998, the Digital Library Federation (DLF) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) sponsored a one-day workshop on ways to improve systems of managing access to digital information. The workshop was convened to provide input from research libraries with a focus on requirements for access management systems that can be designed and…

This publication discusses optical storage, a term encompassing technologies that use laser-produced light to record and store information in digital form. The booklet also discusses how optical storage systems relate to records management, in particular to the management of local government records in New York State. It describes components of…

The SAGRES system is an educational environment built on the World Wide Web that facilitates the presentation of the information bases of a museum in a way that is adapted to the individual characteristics of each visitor. The interaction with the system may occur individually or in groups of students. The system also offers resources to support…

A Web-Based Learning Portfolio (WBLP) was evaluated through practical teaching process to understand if the WBLP system helps students to grasp the learning process and enhances learning outcomes. The evaluation results reveal that this WBLP system has been more useful for students to obtain the feedback from other students than from their…

Discusses the interlibrary loan (ILL) protocol, a standard based on the principles of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) Reference Model. Benefits derived from protocol use are described, the status of the protocol as an international standard is reviewed, and steps taken by the National Library of Canada to facilitate migration to an ILL…