Describes a study that compared retrieval obtained by searching hardcopy and online indexes. Measures of comparison were recall and precision, user preferences, and the amount of effort required to complete the search. The findings indicate that neither method offers an overall advantage and suggest that both search modes should be maintained. (12…

In cases of trauma, medical indexes are used by paramedics to report the condition of the patient to the hospital. Presents a scenario in which students act as paramedics at the scene of an earthquake and use the index called capillary refill to report the severity of the trauma and predict probable survival. (MDH)

Identifies and discusses some reasons why using periodical index subject categories as indicators can produce misleading results. Discusses methodological difficulties arising from historical and idiosyncratic changes in index subject category headings and subheadings. Argues that researchers using an index's subject categories should test not…

Considers advocates and opponents of citation analysis use in the management of academic journal collections and describes the compilation of a relational database file to model an academic journal collection. The use of citation analysis is recommended for collection management based on cost figures presented. (LRW)

Addresses the hypothesis that a shift toward more widely-available, less comprehensive workstation indexes is changing the nature of academic library research (based on statistical data from the chemistry library at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign). Topics include an explanation of Zipf's "Principle of Least Effort" and…

Guides librarians on how to assist users studying environmental public policy, and discusses sources under three main headings: environmental interest groups, business and labor, and government. Also examines social science indexes relevant to environmental public policy. A list of sources is appended. (Author/LRW)

Two articles discuss the clustering of composite representations in the Cystic Fibrosis Document Collection from the National Library of Medicine's MEDLINE file. Clustering is evaluated as a function of the exhaustivity of composite representations based on Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and citation indexes, and evaluation of retrieval…

Discussion of indexing focuses on the possibilities of fully automated indexing. Topics discussed include controlled indexing languages such as subject heading lists and thesauri, free indexing languages, natural indexing languages, computer-aided indexing, expert systems, and the need for greater creativity to further advance automated indexing.…

A study examined the economic relationship between growth in dentistry and supply/demand factors. Output, or real per capita dental expenditures, is seen as a function of consumer income, dental insurance, and dentist supply. Analysis indicates a significant relationship between dental sector growth and economic market factors, including growth in…

Introduces the multicharacter trie as an index structure that can improve the time needed for retrieving full-text materials stored on CD-ROMs. The advantages of this structure compared to other structures are described, and experimental results comparing it to the widely used B+ tree and other structures used for full-text retrieval are…

Evaluates the coverage provided by eight indexing and abstracting services in the interdisciplinary field of women's studies. Content pages for 17 women's studies journals were checked against appropriate indexes to determine the comprehensiveness of coverage, and "Women Studies Abstract" was found to provide the best coverage. (15…

Presents the annual survey of U.S. periodicals prices for 1991, based on subscription price information supplied by the Faxon Company. Data include subject categories ranked by current subscription price and by percent increases; average prices by Library of Congress Classification codes; and comparative pricing information from 1977-91. (four…

Presents the annual survey of prices for U.S. serial services for 1991 which was compiled in conjunction with the Faxon Company. Comparative data for 1977-91 are included for the areas of business, humanities, law, science and technology, social science, and documents, as well as serial services from the H.W. Wilson Company. (LRW)

Describes a multimedia approach to solving image retrieval problems. Presents the idea of a media agent, which can automatically collect semantic descriptions of multimedia data into a personal media database on behalf of a particular user whenever and wherever he/she accesses these multimedia data. Discusses implementation and applications of the…

Developed a "Fostering a Love of Nature Index" to provide "best practice" guidelines for planning, implementing, and evaluating environmental education programs for young children. Research used in developing this index was drawn from both the early-childhood education literature and the environmental education literature.…