This Federal Library and Information Center Committee (FLICC) Forum on Federal Information Policies focused on the impact of OMB (Office of Management and Budget) Circular A-130, which revises administration policy on information dissemination and the use of automated systems by federal agencies. Introductory remarks by James P. Riley, Kent A.…

The objective of this data user guide is to introduce the potential user to the Academic Science and Engineering Statistics Survey Data Base and to provide detailed information on the data structures and formats of the archival and public-use tapes derived from that data base. Data producers and services and order forms are provided. Major…

The availability of appropriate software for library applications is a continuing problem, and this directory is designed to reduce the frustration of librarians in their search for library software for a microcomputer by providing profiles of software packages designed specifically for libraries. Each profile describes the purpose of the program,…

The Bibliographic Service Development Program of the Council on Library Resources convened a meeting of experts in March 1984 to consider the advisability of applying standards in the development and operation of online public access catalog systems in libraries. Following presentations from three invited participants, working groups were formed…

The situational and personal factors affecting the usage of a computer based information service by health care professionals are described. Of 166 health care professionals who were identified as potential users of MEDLINE at the University of Connecticut, 126 carried out one or more online searches. Pre-use and post-use questionnaires were…

This ERIC Digest examines the uses of databases in the social studies, including what a database is and how to use it, types of databases available for social studies classroom use, and the role this educational tool can play in achieving the goals and objectives of the social studies. A distinction between print and computerized database files…

This study evolved from a survey of all academic libraries in Georgia, designed to identify current online activities in the state's academic libraries, and to predict future directions and trends. The information was gathered to provide a pool of data for comparison, planning, management, and administration of online services, and to serve as a…

An integrated student information system (ISIS) at Trinity University (Texas) is described with attention to how data are entered and how data are extracted for purposes of institutional research. The structure of the original ISIS files, the extract files, and the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) files is examined. An outline is…

This paper describes how four classes of high school students were introduced over a 2-year period to the concepts and terminology of online bibliographic searching, instructed to formulate their own search strategies, and received the opportunity to observe their strategies executed by a skilled searcher on various selected databases. It also…

This publication highlights 48 recent ERIC listings which help to explain the variety of emerging technologies for the delivery of information in educational settings. Specific technologies addressed include cable television, electronic mail, satellite communication, teleconferencing, videodisc, and videotex. Entries were selected for inclusion…

This paper describes the development of an online public access catalog from a limited-purpose online circulation system at Ohio State University (OSU) and the negative and positive aspects of this transition. It is noted that the online system, known as the Library Control System (LCS), was designed to be fully operational in July 1982. Steps in…

The Wisconsin Machine-Readable Records Project was conducted by the State Historical Society of Wisconsin between August 1981 and July 1983 as a follow-up to the Wisconsin Survey of Machine-Readable Public Records. Both projects assessed the impact of computer technology on record keeping by state government agencies and addressed the implications…

This document serves as the final report to the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) of the work of the Midwest State Archives Guide Project. The project involved the state archives in Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin, and was expected to contribute to a projected national guide project database, though when…

This paper describes the characteristics of lexicographic software programs used in a module on Alexander Pope's "The Rape of the Lock," a major component of a course on computer-assisted learning (CAL) at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. Two of the databases are specific to that school and are small, individualized, and…

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…