Reports results of a comparison of the Academic Index on CD-ROM and four indexes on the OPAC (online public access catalog) at Brooklyn College (New York): General Science Index, Humanities Index, Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature, and Social Science Index. Coverage of the "New York Times" was found to be important. (LRW)

This final installment of a four-part series on the National Library Service (NLS) examines recently implemented and future projects, with a focus on alternative formats for patrons with disabilities. Discusses LOCIS, the Library of Congress online public access catalog; MARVEL, the Library of Congress gopher; the NLS Web site; and computer disk…

Describes the development of a Web-based union catalog for the New England Law Library Consortium (NELLCO) called DOM (Dom's Online Catalogs). Discusses early use of CD-ROMs; problems with using MARC records; search strategies; code samples; response time; and cost effectiveness. (LRW)

This study compares the cost effectiveness of using a CD-ROM (compact disk read-only memory) system known as Bibliofile and the currently used OCLC (Online Computer Library Center)-based method to convert a university library's shelflist into a machine-readable database in the MARC (Machine-Readable Cataloging) format. The cost of each method of…

Describes internal databases available at the Bulgarian Central Institute for Scientific and Technical Information (CINTI) and discusses trends and possibilities for their use in other library and information centers in Bulgaria. The online catalog at CINTI's Central Scientific and Technical Library (CSTL) is described, and potential uses of…

Presents highlights of research that used industrywide surveys, focus groups, personal interviews, and industry-published data to explore the future of electronic information delivery in libraries. Topics discussed include CD-ROMs; prices; full-text products; magnetic tape leasing; engineering and technical literature; connections between online…

Describes an inservice teacher training program developed to teach secondary school teachers how to search CD-ROMs, laser disks, and automated catalogs. Training sessions held during faculty meetings are described, computer activities are explained, a sample worksheet for searching an electronic encyclopedia is included, and sources for CD-ROMs…

Describes the Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC) and the inclusion of abstracting and indexing industry databases in OPACs. Topics addressed include the implications of including abstracting and indexing tape and CD-ROM products in OPACs; the need for standards allowing library systems to communicate with dissimilar CD-ROM products; and computer,…

Discusses results of interviews with reference librarians that were conducted to investigate the effects of electronic reference options such as CD-ROM and OPACs (Online Public Access Catalogs). The work environment is described; changes in library instruction are considered; and the changing nature of reference work is discussed, including users'…

Reports results of a material-availability study in which library users were surveyed to determine their success in obtaining materials. Both OPAC users and CD-ROM journal-index users were studied and transaction logs verified their self reports. Recommendations for reducing search failures are discussed. (Author)

Discusses developments in electronic reference sources for the history of art and considers their use by librarians and researchers. The traditional literature of art history is described, and current projects and databases are reviewed that include art, architecture, auction sales catalogs, preservation, library catalogs, thesauri, authority…

Presents results of a survey of ARL (Association of Research Libraries) members in the United States and Canada that was conducted to discover which electronic reference options are offered and their impact on library services. Online mediated searching, CD-ROM, end-user searching, and local databases are investigated. (nine references) (LRW)

Reviews changes in online database searching in academic libraries. Topics include librarians conducting all searches; the advent of end-user searching and the need for user instruction; compact disk technology; online public catalogs; the Internet; full text databases; electronic information literacy; user education and the remote library user;…

Discusses advances in microcomputer and optical technologies and how these technologies are being integrated into library reference work. Topics discussed include training of library reference staff; library bibliographic instruction; CD-ROMs; videodiscs; hypertext; bibliographies; library catalogs, including online catalogs; indexing and…

Considers the increase in the variety of electronic reference options in academic libraries based on surveys of ARL (Association of Research Libraries) members. Discusses online catalogs; CD-ROM databases; World Wide Web access; and changes in library instruction, including formal instruction, point-of-use instruction, and Internet instruction.…