Presents findings of project aimed at improving subject access in online library catalogs by generating records with augmented subject descriptions, termed BOOKS records, and comparing them with MARC records. Procedures involved in the selection of subject descriptions to generate a BOOKS record are described and illustrated. Six references cited.…

Discusses the developments that have positively or adversely affected abstracting and indexing services over the past several decades, addressing such topics as the impact of computers and the migration from print-on-paper to online information provision. Forecasts for the near and long-term future are made and a reference list is included. (JL)

Presents background information on DOBIS (an online library system) evaluation, software acquisition, and development, and describes the status and plans for DOBIS in the Canadian government. Appendices provide an overview of the Canadian government version of the system from a librarian's and a systems analyst's perspective. (CWM)

Discusses indexing and retrieval for effective searches of digitized images. Reports on an empirical study about criteria for analysis and indexing digitized images, and the different types of user queries done in newspaper image archives in Denmark. Concludes that it is necessary that the indexing represent both a factual and an expressional…

Based on the results of a two-year study conducted by the Getty Art History Information Program of online searching by humanities scholars, implications are drawn for the design of information products. Topics include characteristics of humanities scholars; design and content of databases; indexing vocabulary; and interfaces and command languages.…

Examines the developing state of subject access on the Web. Topics include new scholarly research methods; authority control; cataloging and metadata; interoperability and thesauri development; extensibility, including XML and RDF (resource description framework); indexing and information retrieval; flexibility in subject classification; and…

Presents a set-oriented view of information retrieval and defines a precise model to capture this approach. A number of consequences of the model, such as the limitations implied by a finite index vocabulary, are examined, and the various ways in which the set orientation can influence thinking about information retrieval is discussed. (14…

Describes surveys of catalogers, geo-science faculty, and graduate students that explored the provision and use of subject access through geologic or geographic names. Strategies for improving such access through cataloging techniques, user education, and the use of advanced technologies are discussed. (21 references) (CLB)

This introduction to the characteristics of software for CD-ROM describes programs used to format and create data stored on the disk, as well as retrieval programs. Criteria that need to be considered when evaluating CD-ROM software are discussed, including retrieval strategies (browsing vs. keyword searching), interfaces, index and file…

Describes the creation of a prototype CD-ROM disc at the Earth Science Information Center (ESIC) that contained information on aerial photographs formerly held on computer output microfiche. Specifications are discussed, fields of information that were indexed are described, search and retrieval display capabilities are explained, and the results…

Discusses use of the MARC format for cataloging Internet resources. The benefits of MARC, importance of integrated information resources, and the guarantee of public access are cited as major reasons for using traditional cataloging and library OPACs. Suggests Internet resource collection criteria and the roles of various groups of people needed…

Surveys the field and literature of geographic information systems (GIS) and spatial data representation as it relates to GIS. Highlights include GIS terms, data types, and operations; vector representations and raster, or grid, representations; spatial indexing; elevation data representations; large spatial databases; and problem areas and future…

Describes a database-filtering approach that combines citation, indexing, and productivity analyses as an effective tool for identifying journals that support multidisciplinary research and development, based on a study of biotechnology research and development. Cocitation analysis, including cocitation maps; subject heading profile analysis; and…

The Latent Semantic Indexing and MatchPlus systems examine similar contexts in which words appear and create representational models that capture the similarity of meaning of terms and then use the representation for retrieval. Text Retrieval Conference experiments using these systems demonstrate the computational feasibility of using…

Presents a study by Texas A&M University to find steps to improve access to engineering society technical papers. Steps include: consolidating indexes, creating finding guides, changing shelving procedures, and utilizing gopher-client servers. A table displays indexing results via an online system and appendixes offer an example of a gopher…