Reprints of 20 articles pertaining to the topics of end-users and public access appear in this volume, which is one in a series of volumes of reprints from "ONLINE" and "DATABASE" magazines. Edited for information professionals who use electronically distributed databases, these articles address such topics as: (1) managing a…

Discussion of electronic information products for the humanities focuses on users in Italy. Databases are discussed; a user survey of La Sapienza University Arts Faculty is described; an example of research using two databases, FRANCIS and Philosopher's Index, is given; and Italian products and projects for the humanities are reviewed. (15…

Evaluates usefulness of LegalTrac Database at University of Florida College of Law for information coverage; indexing; ease in locating information compared to online and manual searching; and user reactions. Problems encountered with the system's software and equipment and practical suggestions for its use are included. (CDD)

Compares WILSONDISC's Index to Legal Periodicals with LEGALTRAC's Legal Resources Index in terms of: contents; searching (including comparison of several identical searches run on both databases); and costs. (MES)

Reviews the development of technological innovations in information delivery, including microforms, electronic processing, online distribution, full-text abstracts online, floppy disks, downloading, vertical integration, electronic publishing, and optical disks. The impact of technology on the information industry and the need to use technology…

Seven experts in system planning offer their views on how optical disk systems will affect library participation in online networks, and discuss opportunities presented by these new products. (CLB)

Survey of currently available CD-ROM products discusses: (1) subject orientation; (2) database type; (3) update frequency; (4) price structure; (5) hardware configuration; (6) retrieval software; and (7) publisher/marketer. Several graphs depict data in these areas. (five references) (MES)

Discusses online database searching and electronic information sources in Australia. Highlights include CD-ROM technology, the Internet, searching software, and content. A sidebar provides a list of 28 Australian and New Zealand electronic information sources. (AEF)

The current president of the American Society for Information Science shares his observations about the information industry, identifying positive and negative trends, and discusses the role ASIS can play in the continuing growth of the industry. (Author/CLB)

Discusses online search techniques that can be used to identify inaccuracies and inconsistencies in records of online and CD-ROM databases. Methods that can be used to sample a database for errors in descriptor, name, or coded fields are described, including browsing, matching, looking up cross-references, and searching for implausible record…

This text is intended as a guide for searching ERIC using the SilverPlatter CD-ROM database. The text describes the content and function of the ERIC database and demonstrates fundamental search techniques by following an example of a successful ERIC computer search. The search begins with the choice of a topic, the formulation of a search…

The last three decades have shown a marked development in new technologies for storing and retrieving information: microform in the 1960s; online database in the 1970s, and CD-ROM in the 1980s. While microform lacks volatility and multiple access points, preservation programs find it to be ideal storage media: it has a longer life expectancy than…

This two-page paper is an instructional guide for the use of the DIALOG OnDisc version of ERIC on CD-ROM in a university library. It is noted that the computer with which the guide is to be used provides access to citations of documents and journal articles in the ERIC database from 1980 to the present. Instructions are provided in a sequential,…

Describes the Reference by GammaFax Project, which joined nine area libraries to provide cooperative reference access to optical disk databases. The configuration of disk players, microcomputers, and facsimile equipment used by the libraries is explained, and the improvements in cost effectiveness, provision of service, and librarian expertise are…

Predicts that online searching in the 1990s will be characterized by end users discovering faster and easier ways to access information. Predicted trends that are discussed include databases designed for end users, pricing innovations, increased use of CD-ROM products, improved computer graphics, and the expansion of database products into the…