This last article in a series which reported results of a software evaluation project done by the Netherlands Association of Users of Online Information Systems (VOGIN) focuses on how to select appropriate software. Topics discussed include price considerations; user needs; and types and quality of information. (Contains 11 references.) (LRW)

Looks at the future socioeconomic situation of countries in the absence of a means of transporting, acquiring, manipulating, and storing information and demonstrates the essential nature of information and knowledge. The International Telecommunications Union can foster the development of telecommunications infrastructures in developing countries…

Discusses two mathematical ideas that come from the Incan and Mayan cultures: (1) the quipus, an Incan recordkeeping tool that encoded data via a logical-numerical system on spatial arrays of colored, knotted cords; and (2) the link between recording time and counting in the Mayan culture. (MDH)

Describes a microcomputer-based microfilm management system that has been developed in a medium-sized manufacturing firm's library in Hong Kong. The system configuration is explained, a design and selection plan for a microfilm format is discussed, a selection plan for hardware is described, and an indexing system is explained. (nine references)…

Important characteristics of lexical databases and their applications in information retrieval and natural language processing are explained. An ongoing project using various machine-readable sources to build a lexical database is described, and detailed designs of individual entries with examples are included. (Contains 66 references.) (EAM)

Describes the incorporation of textile images into the University of Maryland Historic Textile Database by a computer user rather than a computer expert. Selection of a database management system is discussed, and PICTUREPOWER, a system that integrates photographic quality images with text and numeric information in databases, is described. (three…

Presents an overview of projects aimed at identifying the impact and value of digital and networking technologies on the British Library's collection and services. Examines the way in which the issues of preparation, scanning, and storage have been dealt with, as well as general principles that can be drawn from these experiences. (AEF)

Discusses electronic-document preservation and argues that digital tablets, storing both the documents and the software to use them, should be developed as a more permanent alternative to migration, currently the primary preservation strategy. Discusses technology that could be used to produce a digital tablet, lists life expectancy of digital…

Discusses the main features of hypermedia and its significance in the application to education. Highlights include multimedia teaching materials; interaction; convenience in storing and using information; problem solving and critical thinking; individuality in study; and the design of nodes and links in hypermedia. (Author/LRW)

Defines and discusses strategies for digital preservation. Describes the United Kingdom's CURL (Consortium of University Research Libraries) exemplars in digital archives project "Cedars" led by the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge, and Leeds to address strategic, methodological, and practical issues, and to provide guidance in best…

Discusses why digitization is not the solution to libraries' storage problems. Describes Harvard University's first off-site storage model and the creation of book storage facilities by several other universities, also noting collaborative storage arrangements. (AEF)

States that the maintenance and storage of paper documents has many inherent weaknesses, including hidden costs and attached risks. Asserts that document imaging is a viable, up-to-date technology that could eliminate many of these costs and risks. Describes the system benefits, scope, requirements, and costs and the legality of optically stored…

Shares ideas for effectively and efficiently gaining control over the volumes of paper generated in a reading/writing classroom. Suggests that organizing the flow of paper in a class, through such items as file boxes and hanging folders, is essential for an effective class. Provides 10 sample categories for filed materials. (MAB)

Reviews advantages and disadvantages of off-campus library materials shelving in the context of Yale University Library's planning for its new Off-Campus High Efficiency Shelving Facility. Discusses issues raised by the task of deciding what materials go in, who makes the decisions, how to identify what goes on, and how faculty are consulted in…

Describes research aimed at investigating dynamically evolving database environments and corresponding schemata that allow storage and manipulation of variable length data, a variable number of fields per record, variable length records and fields, and dynamically defined objects. Proposes a new framework for dynamic database environments.…