Describes how to use e-mail, file transfer protocol, and gophers in the conduct of educational research. Special attention is paid to the lists and to the gopher of the American Educational Research Association. Educational researchers are using the Internet in a variety of ways. (SLD)

Discusses the 1995 OCLC/NCSA Metadata Workshop that met to define a standard set of data elements for describing network-accessible information resources. These document data elements had to be simple enough for authors and publishers to use, to facilitate discovery and retrieval, and to be useful as a basis for descriptive cataloging. (JKP)

A review of literature from 1983 to 1992 suggests that a more complete understanding is now possible of the information needs, uses, and information-seeking behavior of the humanities scholar. A current portrait of humanities scholars suggests that this client group is more diverse than previously assumed. (Author/JKP)

Examines context as a factor in personal information management systems to suggest how it may influence classification decisions and ultimately retrieval. A study of seven managers is described that explored the factors that influence the way individuals manage electronic documents, and results are compared with an earlier study of physical…

Discusses suffix stripping algorithms used in information retrieval to cluster words derived from a common root under the same stem, and proposes a suffixing algorithm for French which uses grammatical categories to enhance the stemming process. An evaluation of the algorithm is discussed, and an analysis of errors is described. (17 references)…

Describes a study of the MEDLINE and SCISEARCH databases conducted in health sciences libraries that investigated the efficacy of searching by terms and by citations. Recall and precision are examined, relevance odds and search modes are discussed, and overlap retrieval from the two databases is studied. (26 references) (LRW)

Describes Archie, an online catalog of electronic holdings of anonymous FTP (File Transfer Protocol) archive sites on the Internet. Accessing Archie through e-mail and using it in a telnet session are discussed. The Internet Gopher and Whatis, which can be used with Archie, are also explained, and search examples are included. (four references)…

Discussion of problems with retrieval of records in library online public access catalogs (OPACs) focuses on an ongoing research project at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) that has been trying to improve subject retrieval vocabulary control using natural and thesaural language and on the design of a good graphical user interface.…

Describes the development and implementation of a full-text image retrieval system at the Boeing Commercial Airplane Group. The conversion of card formats to a microcomputer-based system using HyperCard is described; the online system architecture is explained; and future plans are discussed, including conversion to digital images. (LRW)

Describes the development of the Course Advising Tool (CAT), a microcomputer-based information retrieval program that uses hypermedia and visual programing tools to help students develop their course schedules. The use of graphical cues and nonsequential navigation is discussed, and possible extensions to the system are described. (19 references)…

Outlines the process of a CD-ROM desktop publishing project at Simmons College Graduate School of Library and Information Science. Highlights include the planning process; data generation and database development; data preparation, including data conversion and indexing; full text retrieval; assembly and production; and distribution. (three…

Describes OASIS, a prototype adaptive online catalog implemented as a front end to the University of California MELVYL catalog. Topics addressed include the concept of adaptive retrieval systems, strategic search commands, feedback, prototyping using a front-end, the problem of excessive retrieval, commands to limit or increase search results, and…

Discussion of the use of telecommunications in the social studies curriculum focuses on three main areas: (1) searching and reading information in databases, including the appropriate use of commercial database services; (2) electronic mail and bulletin boards; and (3) the role of the telecomputing teacher. (five references) (LRW)

In February 1991, OCLC tested its newly developed product--the FirstSearch Catalog. Designed distinctly for the end user, FirstSearch is an online computer system providing access to a variety of databases. By October 1991, the system was made commercially available to all OCLC member libraries. The Ohio State University served as a test site for…

Describes the files contained in the Cystic Fibrosis (CF) database and discusses educational and research opportunities using this database. Topics discussed include queries, evaluating the relevance of items retrieved, and use of the database in an online searching course in the School of Information and Library Science at the University of North…