Describes the compilation of a quick reference chart of the main searching and printing commands and support features for the following command languages--Basis, Bibliographic Retrieval Service, Dialog, Elhill, Eurolanguage, Grips/Dirs, Orbit, Quest, Questel. Differences between command languages are discussed and a copy of the chart is appended.…

WISE is an on-line, interactive information retrieval system designed to operate on key-word-oriented data bases. The WISE user searches a data base by entering and combining key-words that are appropriate to the data base and the subject matter. The user also enters certain command statements to enhance the results of the search and to control…

The File Organization Project has made available a set of programs which are designed to operate on large files of machine readable bibliographic records. These programs are designed as an instrument for understanding and refining the techniques of bibliographic search. This document discusses four aspects of the system: (1) The retrieval program,…

A straightforward procedure for performing weighted-term searches can be programmed quickly and easily, and the same general algorithm can be used for either on-line or batch mode searching. The method can be used to do whole text searches as well as conventional searches for index terms or other descriptors. (5 references) (Author/NH)

This article shows how MAGIC, a computer language formulated by a major supplier of business-oriented numeric data which works in conjunction with the APL programing language, provides an effective management tool for analysis and presentation of business-oriented data (private or public) by nonprogrammers. Illustrative material is presented. (EJS)

Describes the requirements, data elements, functions and systems design for an online search log which maintains records of search services provided. (CWM)

WISE is an on-line interactive information retrieval system designed to operate on keyword oriented data bases. The system was designed particularly with bibliographic data bases in mind, but it is potentially useful for any keyword oriented data base. The WISE user searches a data base by entering and combining keywords that are appropriate to…

These quarterly reports for June and September 1979 are two in a series concerned with describing a research project to design, test, and evaluate a machine intermediary which teaches and assists users of the DIALOG system. Report No. 5 explains in detail the instructional aspect of the Individualized Instruction for Data Access (IIDA) project and…

SOLAR is an interactive Storage and On-Line Automatic Retrieval system which is operational at Washington State University. It can run continuously with virtually any mix of tasks in a general purpose computing environment. (22 references) (Author)

Describes an indexing technique based on overlapping word fragments as reference strings that are linked in a directed graph structure which makes possible exact match-, partial match-, and masked-partial match-retrieval and indicates search strategies for each case. Eight figures, two tables, and nine references are provided. (RBF)

Modeled on public databases such as Lockheed and SDC, the information system described in this report was utilized in the creation of in-house databases in the Mobay Chemical Corporation's special library in Pittsburgh. Using IBM's Storage and Information Retrieval System (STAIRS), Mobay created two databases: one to hold product information, the…

This workbook is designed primarily for graduate library school students in a supervised laboratory setting as an adjunct to a formal course on computer based reference services. The DIALOG system has the capability to search several large on line files, and the workbook is designed to be used in conjunction with the Lockheed DIALOG Manual. Eight…

Examines usage patterns of ELHILL retrieval program of National Library of Medicine's MEDLARS system. Based on sample of 6,759 searches, the study analyzes frequency of various commands, classifies messages issued by system, and investigates searcher error rates. Suggestions for redesigning program and query language are noted. Seven references…

FRED (a Front End for Databases) was conceived to alleviate data access difficulties posed by the heterogeneous nature of online databases. A hardware/software layer interposed between users and databases, it consists of three subsystems: user-interface, database-interface, and knowledge base. Architectural alternatives for this database machine…

Describes a technique being developed for online instruction and assistance for bibliographic database searchers called Individualized Instruction for Data Access (IIDA). The objectives of the project are discussed, as well as the use modes and flow of control of the system, and seven references are included. (Author/BK)