Sixteen articles discuss the library/subscription agency relationship and changes brought about by automation in the United States. The work of the agency as publisher and in other exceptional areas is also described, and relevant activities in Great Britain, the Middle East, and Nigeria are considered. A selected bibliography on automated…

Describes the use of a database management system (DBMS)--dBaseII--to create an enriched title-based keyword index for a collection of news items at the Renewable Energy Resources Information Center of the Asian Institute of Technology. The use of DBMSs in libraries in developing countries is emphasized. (Author/LRW)

Describes development and implementation of microcomputer system for request handling, recordkeeping, and invoicing at the Centre for Scientific and Technical Information (CSTI) Document Delivery Service of the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. Unforeseen advantages of the system are reviewed, including electronic…

Presents 1992 sales of microcomputer systems by vendor. Customer support services, a new interchange format for MARC records, vendor market share and other statistics, foreign sales, and large and small systems are discussed. Profiles of 14 vendors, a chart of compatible system interfaces by vendor, and a directory of microcomputers sources are…

Describes the use of dBase II at the Centre of Studies in Resources Engineering of India to develop a microcomputer based database. The effectiveness of the system in bibliographic data storage and management, data selection and retrieval, and report preparation is discussed. (7 references) (CLB)

Provides a detailed description of the microcomputer hardware and software used by the Euronet-Diane Launch Team for automating a number of functions associated with online searching. Background, login procedures, program architecture, maintenance problems, comments on lessons learned, and suggestions for avoiding difficulties with this type of…

Discussion of automation in the Oxford College Libraries (England) begins with background on the university library system, which consists of numerous independent libraries. Centralized and decentralized automation activities are described, and hardware and software for the microcomputer-based system at the University College Library are…

Describes problems encountered during early attempts at library automation in China, including the slow development of telecommunications systems and the high cost of international online retrieval. The successful use of imported databases on CD-ROM to overcome these problems is discussed, focusing on applications in library technical services and…

The 16 papers in this collection explore the microcomputer revolution as it affects library information systems: (1) "HyperMedia/Multimedia Technology and New Opportunities for Libraries in the 1990s" (Ching-chih Chen); (2) "Use of CD-ROMs in West German Libraries" (David I. Raitt and Ching-chih Chen); (3) "Purposes of Interactive Optical Discs…

Reports the results of a survey of the Canadian integrated library systems market. The analysis includes comparisons of large versus microcomputer-based installations by type of library and across all libraries, foreign sales by Canadian vendors, and trends in the library systems market. (CLB)

Describes a project at Chorleywood College (England) which examined the possibility of automating the transcription of braille examination responses for marking by examination boards. Discussion covers the braille code, requirements of the transcription system, an analysis of mock examination papers which led to system modification, and the final…

Describes how microcomputers, together with an in-house developed expert system, are assisting Sweden's Linkoping University library staff, who possess beginning programing skills and computer expertise, in improving library performance. An example illustrating how the dimensional flowcharting improved the interlibrary loan operation is presented.…

Discusses use of microcomputer hardware and software, telecommunications methods, and advanced library methods to create a specialized information center's database of literature relating to farm machinery and food processing. Systems and services (electronic messaging, serials control, database creation, cataloging, collections, circulation,…

Five articles discuss information technology in libraries: (1) "Software for Libraries" (Katharine Phenix); (2) "Online Update: European Online Services" (Martin Kesselman); (3) "Connect Time: Online Pricing Breakthroughs" (Barbara Quint); (4) "Microcomputing: Micro Biology Computer Viruses" (James LaRue);…

Describes how the Swift-Current Comprehensive High School (Saskatchewan) library computerized to create an online catalog, provide access to remote databases, and acquire CD-ROM reference systems. Objectives, hardware and software selection and costs, implementation, and evaluation are discussed. Seven references are listed, and a directory of…