Long-awaited rulings in the copyright infringement lawsuit provide the most specific guidance available to date on the fair use of certain types of materials in e-reserves systems and online course management systems. Unless successfully appealed or otherwise overturned, this case represents a significant victory for Georgia State University…

A description is given of Magazine Index (MI) which is now available on-line through the Dialog system. Features of MI include wide coverage of 372 general interest periodicals, cover to cover indexing, several access methods, and two name authority files. (JPF)

Descriptions and evaluations of 13 databases devoted to computer information are presented by type under four headings: bibliographic databases; daily news services; online computer magazines; and specialized computer industry databases. Information on database producers, starting date of file, update frequency, vendors, and prices is summarized…

Outlines practical searching techniques in seven core behavioral science databases accessing psychological literature: Psychological Abstracts, Social Science Citation Index, Biosis, Medline, Excerpta Medica, Sociological Abstracts, ERIC. Use of individual files is discussed and their relative strengths/weaknesses are compared. Appended is a list…

Reviews the Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals, an online special database of the Research Libraries Information Network that analyzes the contents of journals, listing only those articles dealing with architecture. Access and fees, access points, browsing, and search strategies are covered and examples are given. (EJS)

In-house library databases or "private files" (online catalog, library-created indexes, citations to journal literature) are discussed, focusing on computer software directories, periodicals, general directories, and online directories as sources for information on computer software. (EJS)

Describes a method for identifying frequently cited business- and management-related journals using the DIALOG Information Service and discusses the relevance of this method to the selection of publications for a basic collection on business and management. Tables listing the frequently cited periodicals and the databases consulted in the study…

Discusses the rise of drug information centers in hospitals and medical centers, highlighting staffing, functions, typical categories of questions received by centers, and sources used. An appendix of drug information sources included in texts, updated services, journals, and computer databases is provided. Thirteen references are listed. (EJS)

Reviews the Hispanic American Periodicals Index (HAPI Online), which covers information about Central and South America, Mexico, the Caribbean Basin, the U.S. Mexican border, and Hispanics in the United States. There is little coverage of science in the index but much attention to literary subjects, politics, government, and social issues. (SLD)

An explanation is provided of the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC), a national information system that collects, processes, and makes available a wide range of educational documents. Contents of the guide include an explanation of the major components of the ERIC system; searching by subject, author, or institution in the ERIC…

Describes an automated system for cataloging nonprint media received by the Copyright Office for registration. Problems in disseminating this unique data base through national networks are considered. The system features automatic inversion of personal names and the use of one entry as a model for the next. (Author/VT)

Designed to characterize journals as part of the selection process for journals to be included in an information retrieval database, two studies used bibliometric techniques to examine patterns of publishing and topic patterns and coverage, and a third developed a rule-based system to evaluate the qualities of a journal. (CLB)

Three online databases that provide information on regional, state, and local business news are compared in terms of publications indexed, indexing guidelines, record structure, span of coverage, currency, and availability. (CLB)

Introduces search technique that professional searchers often use to start tracking down information regardless of topic. This technique involves using set of large databases that cover material because of format rather than subject. Databases reviewed include books/monographs, journals/magazines, reports, expertise, and full-text and Public…

This comparison of bibliographies/online databases regarding their classification schemes, periodicals list, coverage of articles, indexing, and overlap reveals that only five bibliographies cover whole of subject area, and differences exist between number of periodicals scanned (73 to 2,771) and percentage of articles included from six…