There is a growing interest in making available and making sense of the data on the Web and trapped in databases. Rather than a web of unstructured documents, full of information understandable only to humans, there is a movement whose intention is to make these data structured, reusable, machine-readable, and interrelated. This approach to Web…

How to access and search using the Online Library System (OLS) is described. The OLS is a computerized list of bibliographic citations compiled by the library network of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It consists of several related databases and can be used by anyone to search for books, documents, journals, and other materials. In…

The Intergovernmental Records Project (IRP) was established by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to facilitate the exchange of information about federal records. This report focuses on six categories of intergovernmental records targeted by the IRP for description in the Research Libraries Information Network (RLIN) national…

Reviews the creation and evolution of ERIC, and describes changes being implemented in the system as a result of a recently concluded redesign study. Areas of change discussed include clearinghouse contract procedures, ACCESS ERIC, ERIC partners, and adjunct clearinghouses. Conclusions about the future of ERIC are offered. (five references) (CLB)

Marking the 25th anniversary (August 26, 1996) of WorldCat (the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) Online Union Catalog) OCLC and the U.S. regional networks sponsored an essay contest for librarians and library users to write essays describing their impressions of the OCLC Online Union Catalog. Four prize-winning essays from Michigan, Kentucky,…

This report provides the specifications for a bibliographic format which is a detailed and structured method for recording a number of mandatory and optional data elements in a computer-readable bibliographic record for exchange purposes between two or more computer-based systems. The specifications are designed to permit local designers to devise…

Discusses the usability and content of the following table of contents (TOC) databases selected by science and engineering librarians at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities: Current Contents on Diskette (CCoD), CARL Uncover2, Inside Information, and Contents1st. (AEF)

Description of the ERIC database covers suggested uses for teachers, students, parents, and researchers; information available in ERIC; how to access ERIC, including through the Internet; the AskERIC service that is available through the Internet; and steps for searching the database. A directory of ERIC clearinghouses is also included. (LRW)

Describes Janet (the Joint Academic Network), a wide area network linking computers and users in the British academic community. Topics discussed include interactive working; file transfer; electronic mail; job transfer; and online access to library catalogs, bibliographic and numeric databases, and commercial online hosts in Great Britain or…

This followup to a 1981 study presents descriptions of automated projects or activities in academic, public, and special libraries or information centers in the Greater Sao Paulo region that developed from 1981 through 1987. It is noted that an overall increase in the level of automation since 1981 has been observed. (four references) (Author/MAB)

The ERIC system's commitment to reaching diverse user audiences, coupled with the rapid advancement of information technologies, has resulted in a larger-than-ever selection of access points to ERIC. This digest discusses the original and newer means of accessing the ERIC bibliographic database of education-related materials. The access points…

A survey to discover what academic libraries were doing in the area of CD-ROM networking found that (1) all responding libraries utilized CD-ROM technology; (2) great diversity existed in the number of databases and workstation owned; (3) different staffing patterns exist between networked and nonnetworked libraries; and (4) 21 institutions had…

Describes how the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) and several other databases were added to the online public access catalog at Indiana State University, and explores impacts of enhancing access in this manner at several academic libraries. Telecommunications and software design consideration are also discussed, together with…