This detailed report states that information and documentation services in Eastern and Southern African countries are expected to: (1) increase the efficiency of research, development, and training; (2) improve the efficiency and competitiveness of industry and technology, particularly of medium-sized and small concerns, by assisting professional…

Using a case study approach, the General Accounting Office (GAO) reviewed the results of 12 projects funded under the Urban Development Action Grant (UDAG) Program, which provided $3 billion in grants to distressed communities for economic revitalization and neighborhood reclamation projects. GAO found that the projects exceeded investment…

This collection of essays discusses some of the general concerns and issues related to tracking the flow of community college students through higher education. The chapters in the volume include: (1) "Tracking Systems and Student Flow," by Trudy H. Bers; (2) "Beyond the College: State Policy Impact on Student Tracking…

This brief summarizes research-based implementation factors to improve the selection and use of career information systems in schools, community agencies, and other employment and training settings. Thirteen factors to consider when selecting career information systems are identified: theoretical assumptions upon which the system is based,…

Arguing that relevance judgments are fundamental to the design and evaluation of all information retrieval systems, and that a consensus on the definition of the central concept of relevance has not been reached, this paper begins by critically reviewing four approaches to the problem of defining relevance: (1) the system-oriented approach…

Changes in several technologies that handle, manipulate, and transmit information and ways in which these technologies are affecting businesses and homes are discussed in this paper, which also addresses the potential impact of these changes on public education. The first of four sections provides a very brief history of the computer revolution,…

This study assesses research findings and practical field experiences emerging from electronic text trials and services with emphasis on applications of electronic text that have served the needs of higher education. However, research findings and case studies from commercial applications, as well as secondary and K-8 electronic text projects, are…

This study was conducted at a midwestern university to determine whether a commercial firm can serve as a viable alternative to the conventional library source for academic interlibrary loan document delivery service. One hundred twenty-four identical article requests were ordered electronically and almost simultaneously from both the University…

This procedure manual is designed to assist cataloging staff members at a university library through the 10-step process of barcoding and linking books classified by the Library of Congress system to the library's GEAC online computer system. A brief introduction provides background information on the project. The procedures involved in each…

This report comprises edited versions of the presentations from the 17 participants in a conference under the sponsoreship of the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory. The conference was designed to enable policy-makers, educators, and business people to share perspectives on the most effective methods for identifying and collecting data that…

The use of an integrated student information system (ISIS) to conduct institutional research at Trinity University is discussed. The types of data contained in the system, which has 59 files, include: student characteristics, recruitment, financial aid, registration, faculty load, and class scheduling. The data for students, faculty, departments,…

Transborder data flow has become a topic of much discussion and concern among the governments of the industrialized world, developing countries, international organizations, and many multinational corporations. Of late, the implications to the library community have been acknowledged. In 1983, the International Federation of Library Associations…

A broad range of well-structured problems--embracing forms of diagnosis, catalog selection, and skeletal planning--are solved in expert computer systems by the method of heuristic classification. These programs have a characteristic inference structure that systematically relates data to a pre-enumerated set of solutions by abstraction, heuristic…

This collection of 12 essays on bibliographic services in Australia has been published as part of the National Library of Australia's effort to encourage a voluntary national information system. An introduction and overview of bibliography in Australia are followed by brief surveys of the major desiderata for Australian subject bibliography in…

Papers on the application of statistics to library research and library administration which were presented at the 1982 International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) conference include: (1) "Price Indexes for Library Materials: Steps toward International Standardization" by Frederick C. Lynden (United States); (2)…