This staffing survey of 34 Geac minicomputer-based circulation system installations (public, academic, state, and special libraries, library consortia) was designed to identify the variables which affect staffing needs. Discussion covers differences in responses, types of staff positions, core and ancillary job duties, application training,…

Special librarians are in unique position to become directly involved in the design, development, and management of automated in-house databases. Software packages called application generators enable the librarian/information scientist to develop database applications without programmer intervention and with very little or no knowledge of…

Discusses several concerns about nature of online public access catalogs (OPAC) that have particular import to reference librarians: user passivity and loss of control growing out of "human-machine interface" and the larger social context; and the tendency of computerized bibliographic systems to obfuscate human origins of library…

The library's role in helping the social or behavioral scientist find bibliographic material is explained, and methods for the retrieval of bibliographic information are given. A table giving titles of relevant abstracts and indexes also provides time spans covered, frequencies of publication, disciplines for which each is useful. (Author/MLW)

Describes study of manual and experimental automated circulation systems in a university library in Nigeria. Data were collected for eight circulation activities in order to calculate the direct labor costs of circulating a book on each system. Automated system's book circulation costs were higher although direct labor costs were less. (MBR)

Evaluates and compares two recently proposed automatic methods for relevance feedback of Boolean queries (Dillon method, which uses probabilistic approach as basis, and disjunctive normal form method). Conclusions are drawn concerning the use of effective feedback methods in a Boolean query environment. Nineteen references are included. (EJS)

Describes objectives of a museum information system: to capture photographic, lineal, and textual documents in high resolution digital images; to convert digital images of text to standard computer code; and to retrieve appropriate code automatically through keyword searching of full text. System assembly and planned and potential applications are…

Argues that the increasing importance of database management systems (DBMS) and recognition of the information dependency of business planning are creating new job opportunities for librarians/information technicians. Highlights include development and functions of DBMSs, data and database administration, potential for librarians, and implications…

Discusses development of a library information system by Georgetown University Medical Center's Dahlgren Memorial Library; describes its components, including online catalog and OCLC interface, circulation, serials control, acquisitions, networking/interlibrary loans, word processing and mini-Medline system; and discusses user reaction, staff…

Discusses need to consider political context of decision-making process and describes how cost data were presented to obtain management approval for implementation planning for integrated online acquisitions and fund accounting system involving Simon Fraser University, University of British Columbia, and University of Victoria. Cost, budget, and…

The interactive videodisc has two advantages for foreign language teaching: it captures the nonverbal element of communication and allows alternatives to written testing. However, there are no French-produced versions yet available, and there is the danger that the technique will go largely unused, as did language laboratories and educational…

The main purpose of this qualitative research is to find out online workers' intentions toward Interactive Communication Networks (ICNs) that they redesign and revolutionize their new roles in these new interactive milieus carefully. In this study, the online workers' intentions are indications of their readiness and immediate antecedent of…

As part of the continuing efforts to improve the quality of online learning in the course and program offerings of a state-wide consortium of higher education institutions, the Connecticut Distance Learning Consortium has undertaken a 3-year research project to better understand how online students first approach Web-based learning and how that…

The purpose of this paper is to draw a distinction between the use of group work and subgroup work in the delivery of online courses, and along the way to pose the question "What should be the objective of the instructor?" To do this, four different models of online course delivery used in the teaching of information technology (IT) and…

This document outlines the steps necessary to develop computer-based student service programs that will improve service quality and alleviate the problems associated with staff shortages and heavy case loads. The analysis phase of the process entails that the project manager complete the following steps: (1) define the problem; (2) conduct a…