Alert services are a great way of keeping abreast of topics that interest you. Rather than searching the Web regularly to find new content about your areas of interest, an alert service keeps you informed by sending you notices when new material is added to the Web that matches your registered search criteria. Alert services are examples of push…

Surveys the literature of the field. Includes a 152-item bibliography. (PF)

An automated SDI service based on tapes supplied by DDC, Science Abstracts, and Engineering Index is evaluated as a component element of the entire HDL information system. Current studies for improving the efficiency are briefly described,--in particular, the establishment of a parameter reference service that should shorten the lead-time for the…

The Current Awareness Bulletin" is discussed and the details of the mechanics of its preparation are described. (Author)

Examines the assumptions which underlie the design of SDI systems with respect to context of use, activities supported by SDI, and characteristics which make documents useful. Relates these assumptions to the failure of SDI to gain widespread acceptance among scientific information users. A 43-item reference list is included. (JL)

The Information Sciences section of ITT Research Institute (IITRI) has developed a Computer Search Center and is currently conducting a research project to explore computer searching of a variety of machine-readable data bases. The Center provides Selective Dissemination of Information services to academic, industrial and research organizations…

NASA interviewed users of its scientific and technical information system in order to assess the usefulness of the present system and to find ways to make it more effective. Emphasis was on announcement and current awareness services, the publication program, and the interactive retrieval system. (Author/LS)

User needs studies often present figures indicating that documentation services systems which rely on the mails are inherently incapable of effectively supporting more than half of all research and development tasks. In addition to investigating faster ways of transmitting information, DDC has also been developing and testing systems based on…

Presents list of sources providing information about reference uses of databases emphasizing those which are commercially available and issues and developments in online database searching. Citations to introductory textbooks, other useful monographs, journal articles, bibliographies, periodicals, directories, professional groups, conferences,…

An environment is described in which interdisciplinary scholars at a university are able to utilize for various purposes machine-readable bibliographic and other descriptive text files. The information files include abstracts of social science and computer and information science journal literature, descriptions of research activities in…

This paper provides timesaving tips for information gathering. Part 1 presents the following tips for use of bibliographic databases: (1) read the help screens for the specific database you are using; (2) make use of the different access points and the limit features for the specific database you are using in order to focus your results; (3) learn…

A selective dissemination of information service based on computer scanning of Nuclear Science Abstracts tapes has operated at the Atomic Energy Research Establishment, Harwell, England since October, 1968. The performance of the mechanized SDI service has been compared with that of the pre-existing current awareness service which is based on…

The activities of the Information and Documentation Center (IDC) at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden are presented in this annual report for the fiscal year 1972-1973. The IDC is a research project on computer-based information retrieval funded by the Swedish Council for Scientific Information and Documentation and the Office…

Compares features of selective dissemination of information service in information retrieval systems Quest and Orbit with those of smaller noncommercial system, George 3. Construction of profiles, editing during construction, and editing of stored profiles are noted. Examples of method of constructing and editing a profile in George 3 are…