Survey of recent developments in microcomputer technology, mass-storage technology, and telecommunications technology shows how these new technologies are driving the development of a new generation of information systems. Major changes in the information industry precipitated by arrival of new information systems and telecommunication…

Summary of the findings of a critical overview of more than 200 microcomputer programs using PC-DOS/MS-DOS for online information management discusses software for telecommunications, conversion/reformatting, storage and retrieval of text information, and word processing. (6 references) (MES)

Describes InfoStation, an information system which integrates a microcomputer with a videotape recorder and facsimile machine, to provide backup storage and selective retrieval of both analog and digital information. The features and applications of the system are described in detail and compared with other computer storage methods. (CLB)

Offers suggestions for avoiding common errors in online microcomputer use. Areas discussed include learning the basics; hardware protection; backup options; hard disk organization; software selection; file security; and the use of dedicated communications lines. (CLB)

This discussion of the Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) telecommunications system compares it to existing telephone networks and describes international efforts at standardization, proposed services to business and residential customers, technological developments, and cost considerations. The effects of ISDN developments on the role of…

Describes new microcomputer software and hardware which simplify data communications between computer systems. "Dumb" terminal software, programs which enhance a computer's data communications flexibility by means of character translation and data buffering, stand-alone versus integrated systems, and "smart" modems are…

Survey of the history and current development of information technology covers hardware (economies of scale, communications technology, magnetic and optical forms of storage), and the evolution of systems software ("tool" software, applications software, and nonprocedural languages). The effect of new computer technologies on human…

Describes applications of new technology to information handling on the basis of two trends--the miniaturization of electronic circuits and the shift from analog to digital modes of communication. Information technologies discussed are microcomputers, word processors, telecommunications, storage technologies, databases, videotex, and teletext.…

The use of microcomputers with online catalogs is a partnership that is gaining wide acceptance and leading to dramatic changes in how we think about online catalogs. There are two major ways in which microcomputers are used in an online catalog system: (1) the microcomputer provides all the computer support for the entire system, i.e., the…

This report provides information on the background, methodology, and findings of the Videodisc-Microcomputer (ViM) Network project, which brought together over 40 schools in 15 states to explore the potential of a new technology for basic skills instruction. Initiated in 1981 and completed at the end of 1983, the project involved a wide variety of…

This paper is primarily an annotated listing of criteria for selection of a microcomputer to be used for online information retrieval. The paper was used by the University Library of the Technische Universitat Wien (Vienna, Austria) while preparing to contact computer dealers and to inform them about the library's needs in this specialized area of…

Advancements in computer technology are making great changes in the way scholars go about their research, affecting access to information, control over information, the nature of inputs and outputs, costs, library staffing and services, and aspects of the character of the research itself. (MSE)

Predicting that a large component of the library of the not so distant future will be an electronic network of file servers where information is stored for access by personal computer workstations in remote locations as well as the library, this paper discusses innovative computer technologies--particularly CD-ROM (Compact Disk-Read Only Memory)…

Reviews database management software options for academic applications of pedagogy and research offering practical suggestions on choosing software. Software reviewed includes dBase III, Reflex, FYI 3000, Notebook II, AskSAM, Electra-Find, and Practicase. Program advantages, disadvantages, features, flexibility, and costs are discussed. A…

Description of high density data storage (HDDS) devices focuses on CD-ROMs and explores their impact on libraries, publishing, education, and library communications. Highlights include costs; technical standards; reading devices; authoring systems; robotics; the influence of new technology on the role of libraries; and royalty and copyright issues…