An overview is provided of a computer based reference course at the State University of New York at Albany which uses the ERIC file on BRS to teach online searching techniques. Course highlights include question negotiation, Venn diagramming, explanation of STAIRS file structure and Boolean logic, and management of services. (J PF)

Describes two BASIC computer programs to elicit and analyze grids easily and clearly. FOCUS uses a two-way cluster analytic method to re-order the constructs and the elements, and to highlight similarities and differences in the grid. PEGASUS is an interactive program which conversationally elicits a grid, and processes and offers real-time…

Data bases in the social sciences are briefly surveyed with emphasis on content, coverage, and currency. Coverage of certain topics are quantitatively compared among several social science and more general files. Techniques for on line thesaurus utilization and a systematic application of the same search strategies across multiple files are…

The role of the coauthor relationship in the structure of informal communications networks within disciplines is explored, and the validity of coauthor graphs used to map these relationships is tested for both small and large databases. (CLB)

Outlines steps in establishment of ALANET (electronic mail and information service of American Library Association): setting program goals; analyzing internal and external environments; choosing vendor; covering operational and service aspects; keeping up, keeping ahead. Support features (bulletin boards, electronic newsletters) and flexibility in…

This annual review of the library automation marketplace presents profiles of 15 major library automation firms and looks at emerging trends. Seventeen charts and tables provide data on market shares, number and size of installations, hardware availability, operating systems, and interfaces. A directory of 49 automation sources is included. (MES)

The first of two articles provides an overview of four revolutions in publishing--the movable-type printing press, mechanization, the computer, and optical disc technology. The first phases of CD-ROM development--demonstration of feasibility and testing of replacement functions--are described and compared with earlier technologies. (3 references)…

Describes H. W. Wilson's information retrieval system which provides access to such familiar printed indexes as "Social Sciences Index,""Humanities Index,""Education Index," and "Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature." Use of this flexible system is explained and illustrated. (CDD)

Describes the OCLC electronic publishing project EIDOS, the Electronic Information Delivery Online System. EIDOS will contain a central database of book texts in machine-readable form and local libraries will hold files which provide keys to access books in specific subject areas. EIDOS is expected to be field-tested in 1988. (EM)

Describes storing of "hedges"--lists of terms on specific subjects--for use in responding to repeated search requests which cannot be retrieved via existing controlled vocabulary. Use of hedges at National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health Library, frequently used examples, and Excerpta Medica hedges are highlighted.…

Discusses video teleconferencing as a training medium. Provides examples of major companies using this medium for training and discusses their experiences. Defines technical terms and briefly mentions production cost factors. (CH)

Addresses problems encountered by self-taught "talented amateurs" doing microcomputer systems work for libraries: not maintaining design control, not maintaining operational control, attempting to use someone else's database, having variety of diverse systems activity converging on common database, attempting to run whole show, and…

Reviews the conception and services of ALANET, American Library Association's (ALA) electronic information service designed to create an electronic mail system and develop a wide-ranging information service to improve access to information resources of ALA. External databases, professional information services, communications networks, assisting…

Describes microcomputer based search system that provides access to selected portions of the ERIC database using a simplified and guided format and serves as inexpensive tool to teach concepts of online searching and information retrieval. Getting started, decision and command lines, help instructions, and availability of database disks are…

Discusses downloading of data from databases using microcomputers and mass storage technologies as it relates to copyright laws and legal implications. Topics covered include a definition of copyright; original works; collective works and compilations; fair use; downloading by libraries; court bases; and resolution of uncertainty surrounding…