An overview is provided for librarians of the types of statistical or numeric data bases offered by Data Resources, Inc., General Electric Information Division, Predicasts, and Interactive Data Corporation. Tables list the types of data or statistical information available from each. (JPF)

SIRC began developing its sport library by building a basic periodical subscription list, indexing the publications, and publishing an index, Sports Articles. The center now has a computerized information storage and retrieval system with more than 20,000 citations including books and articles, and provides a variety of services. (MBR)

A new method for concentrating keywords of a thesaurus, based on a mathematical study of the distribution of characters in a defined natural language. (Author/KP)

This paper discusses vehicles for education and training, tools and techniques for promotion, and details the information requirements of the processors, service managers, searchers, and end users of on-line data bases. (Author/KP)

This article explores the growth, origins, technological development, and current activities of bibliographic data bases, and examines the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science national program relative to these aspects. (Author)

Proposes that the development of document-retrieval systems can benefit from the incorporation of conceptual modeling techniques, specifically classification, aggregation, and generalization. An array model is presented which has been designed especially for document retrieval. (Author/EM)

Compares four full text periodical databases to one another and to traditional online databases in terms of the types of information available, the number of titles available, coverage of periodical contents, timeliness, and search features. (CLB)

Considers the issue of information as a freely shared resource or a commodity for sale, and discusses a disagreement between OCLC and the State of Wisconsin, which recently adopted resolutions supporting free access to data in all forms if they are provided by publicly supported bodies. (MES)

Intended primarily for use by authors, these guidelines are designed to serve as a model for the preparation of manuals and workbooks applicable to databases. They may also be used in reviewing and/or evaluating databases. A definition of a database search guide and a glossary are also provided. (CLB)

This description of the types of linguistic information obtainable from online databases generally used to acquire technical information includes examples of equivalent words, English usage, and statistical linguistic data. The implications of online databases as substitutes for dictionaries and as corpora for linguistic survey are considered.…

Discusses current optical data disk databases, their uses, and factors that will affect database copyrights. The factors discussed include hardware and software developments, multimedia applications, multiuser capabilities, and downloading capacities. (7 references) (CLB)

Introduces and defines the concept of online information databases and discusses how these information sources have been marketed in the past. Argues that their wealth is underused by managers and identifies databases that provide valuable management information. Identifies new trends in the industry that will help managers exploit this tool. (CH)

Examines efforts of the Research Libraries Group to use RLIN (Research Libraries Information Network) to support cooperative and individual member library preservation activities. Areas covered include enhancements to make item-specific microform information available and efforts to code information on the physical condition of materials. (30…

The first of three articles describes the results of a survey that examined characteristics and responsibilities of help-desk personnel at major database and online services. The second provides guidelines to using such customer services, and the third lists help-desk numbers for online databases and systems. (CLB)

Describes process by which a multiple-level collaborative database system was designed. Notes that by clearly elaborating the various design goals, it was possible to build a system through which ongoing program evaluation efforts could be easily managed without disrupting the service delivery process. (Author)