Identifies factors that reduce the effectiveness of computers as intermediaries and discusses possible negative effects on user satisfaction and the interaction between users and librarians. A set of guidelines for the improvement of online catalogs, based on user needs and abilities, is presented. (41 references) (CLB)

Describes World Wide Web (WWW), a client/server system for use with electronic information. Topics discussed include HyperText Markup Language; Wide Area Information Servers (WAIS); Gopher; Uniform Resource Locator; creating a hypertext version of an electronic journal; and developing a library information system. (Contains six references.) (LRW)

Describes recent progress in China in the publication of scientific and technical journals and the computerization of information services; assesses the output of scientific and technical papers and the extent to which they are indexed by foreign bibliographical sources; and describes plans for computer-based library and information systems.…

Describes a study comparing information retrieval from print and CD-ROM versions of Compton's Encyclopedia. Forty-eight sixth-grade students searched four questions in both versions. The results showed that the searches took the same amount of time in both. The novice searchers were able to use an information retrieval system with minimal…

Discusses changes in higher education that are resulting from the use of hypermedia. Topics addressed include the structure of traditional texts; a distributed model for academic communication; independent learning as a model for higher education; skills for hypermedia literacy; database searching; information retrieval; authoring skills; design…

Describes the development of OhioLINK, a statewide integrated information access network linking library collections at state schools, community colleges, two-year technical colleges, and the state library in Ohio. Discussion includes aspects of OhioLINK such as document delivery service; regional depositories; plans for extensive online access to…

Discusses a conference centering around the added value of technologies in language learning. Topics include the necessity of networks, added value analysis for "a priori" specification and "a posteriori" assessment, funding, textbooks, user expectation, assessment methods, integration into other learning systems, and an action plan. (CK)

Addresses an article written by Nicholson Baker in 1994 that lamented the demise of the paper card catalog, and points out important aspects of online catalogs and library computerization not discussed by Baker: authority control, collection preservation, collection costs, and access to materials. (JKP)

Describes multimedia computing and the characteristics of multimedia information. Trends in information technology are reviewed; distributed multimedia computing is explained; media types are described, including digital media; and multimedia applications are examined, including office systems, documents, information storage and retrieval,…

Reports a study that analyzed natural language search statements constructed by 22 Getty Visiting Scholars as they researched humanities topics on DIALOG. Results show a greater use of names, geographical areas, chronological periods, and discipline terms than scientists use, with implications for the design of humanities online systems and…

Discussion of graphical user interfaces for online public access catalogs (OPACs) covers the history of OPACs; OPAC front-end design, including examples from Indiana University and the University of Illinois; and planning and implementation of a user interface. (10 references) (EA)

Describes the design of a prototype adaptive online catalog that was implemented as a transparent workstation-based front end system to MELVYL, the online catalog for the University of California libraries. Problems with searching bibliographic retrieval systems are reviewed, including irrelevant retrievals and the inexperience of most users.…

The three articles in this special section on document image files discuss intelligent character recognition, including comparison with optical character recognition; selection of displays for document image processing, focusing on paperlike displays; and imaging hardware, software, and vendors, including guidelines for system selection. (MES)

Discussion of search strategy formulation focuses on a study at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill that analyzed how medical students developed and revised search strategies for microbiology database searches. Implications for future research on search behavior, for system interface design, and for end user training are suggested. (16…

Describes an information search process based on Kuhlthau's model that was used to teach bibliographic research to ninth grade students. A research test to ensure that students are familiar with basic library skills is presented, forms for helping students narrow the topic and evaluate materials are provided, and a research process checklist is…