Describes current features of the Research Libraries Information Network and ongoing research to enhance the system. Features discussed include access to the central bibliographic database, authority control, nonroman character set support, special databases for search only use, thesauri, videodisk interfaces, and file clustering. (CLB)

Defines corporate family searching as the act of using computerized databases to identify a parent company and all of its related companies. Business databases available on Dialog that can be searched to trace a corporate family are identified and appropriate search strategies are described. (CLB)

Designed for use in the reading room of the ERIC Clearinghouse on Information Resources, this set of three self-instructional guides provides step-by-step instructions for locating information in the ERIC system. The first instruction sheet explains how to use the Thesaurus of ERIC Descriptors to identify appropriate subject headings, or…

This guide to the Educational Resources Information Center system provides descriptions of ERIC products--i.e., the two indexes, Resources in Education (RIE) and Current Index to Journals in Education (CIJE), and the Thesaurus of ERIC Descriptors--and illustrates their use with examples based on gender equity. Practice exercises using ERIC tools…

This brief review of the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) system is intended to make users more aware of (1) the system as a whole, (2) the process of indexing educational literature for the database, and (3) the role of the Thesaurus of ERIC Descriptors in the overall information dissemination process. An overview of the ERIC…

Describes MARS (Museum Archive Retrieval System), a research tool which enables organizations to exchange digital images and documents by means of a common thesaurus structure, and merge the descriptive data and metadata of their collections. Highlights include theoretical basis; searching the MARS database; and examples in European museums.…

In order to permit systematic searching of multiple data bases to satisfy requests in interdisciplinary areas, a mapping of a portion of "Medical Subject Headings" to three other controlled vocabularies has been constructed. (Author)

This report describes recent efforts to modify, test, and evaluate an experimental online database consisting of 15 vendor-supplied, controlled subject vocabularies or thesauri. The experimental database, called the Vocabulary Switching System (VSS), is designed to enhance search strategies and ultimately retrieval performance for users of online…

This paper discusses examples of searching vocabularies, i.e., lists of terms which have been prepared with the online searcher, rather than the indexer, in mind. These lists are categorized as: enhanced thesauri or subject heading lists, synonym listings, index term listings, and merged vocabularies. Eight references are provided. (EJS)

This study discusses the problems of conceptual and bibliographic access to the literature of the social sciences. The study is intended to assist both professionals and students who are conducting social science research. Part I examines conceptual access and search strategies. It traces the flow of social science information from original…

Describes the organization of the descriptors used in the ERIC database to indicate age, educational, and student levels, and suggests appropriate search strategies for the retrieval of information on specific age groups. (CLB)

This report details the various search methods applicable to the ERIC database through the use of manual indexes available in paper and microfiche form. It provides examples of searches for both documents and journal articles, illustrating the use of ERIC thesaurus terms, subject descriptor/identifier indexes on microfiche, paper indexes, the…

Data bases in the social sciences are briefly surveyed with emphasis on content, coverage, and currency. Coverage of certain topics are quantitatively compared among several social science and more general files. Techniques for on line thesaurus utilization and a systematic application of the same search strategies across multiple files are…

Designed for educators requesting information from ERIC and for the search intermediary who channels educators' requests to a search service, this updated guide explains in non-technical language the steps involved in preparing a computer search for the ERIC database. A beginning section on how to initiate a search discusses the choice of a…

Intended for novice searchers, this review of available materials comments on availability and cost, as well as the relationship between the search materials and the topic area of the file or the organizational type of the producer. An extensive bibliography is provided. (SW)