Describes imaging technology, which allows huge numbers of words and illustrations to be reduced to tiny fraction of space required by originals and discusses current applications. Highlights include image processing system at National Archives; use by banks for high-speed check processing; engineering document management systems (EDMS); folder…

Discusses the current status and potential for automated library reference services in the areas of community information systems, online catalogs, remote online reference services, and telephone reference services. Several models of the reference procedure which might be used in developing expert systems are examined. (19 references) (CLB)

Reviews concerns of scholars and librarians in the area of electronic information. The function and importance of integrated scholarly information systems are discussed with examples of ways scholars are likely to acquire and integrate electronic information in the future. The impact of electronic research systems on the nature of academic…

Outlines a systematic approach for evaluating the needs and potential problems involved when school districts seek to update their current information systems. Considers the following components: financial, technical, computer literacy, and information system management infrastructure. (MLF)

Hearing-impaired clients of vocational rehabilitation center used computer-based guidance system CHOICES with the assistance of interpreters. Evaluators found guidebook and software were not usable with deaf without significant modifications; CHOICES channels hearing-impaired users into unskilled, low-paying occupations; and complexity of…

Describes the implementation of a project that provides dial-up access to MEDLINE on remote optical data disk (CD-ROM) using software that enables callers to use programs like Wordstar, Lotus, and dBase. Highlights include networking CD-ROM databases, hardware considerations, advantages and disadvantages of remote access, and future plans. A…

Describes the development of a machine readable reference information file at the University of California at Los Angeles. The discussion covers factors affecting the database structure, the use of a sophisticated text management system to enter data onto microcomputers, and possible future implementations of the reference information system. (16…

Describes hypertext as software that improves the learner's control over a knowledge base, and discusses the role hypertext could play in compact disc technologies. Digital multimedia learning materials are discussed; relationships among data, information, knowledge, and expertise are explored; and examples of applications of compact disc media…

Discusses the need to reassess the objectives of online public access catalogs and how those objectives might be met before costly investments are made in electronic versions of "other data" for online catalogs. Several objectives are outlined and their feasibility in the modern telecommunications environment is examined. (two references) (CLB)

Provides information designed to assist administrators in utilizing the advanced information technologies available on the Internet. Describes the uses of such elements of the Internet as "e-mail,""ftp (file transfer protocol),""gopher," and "telnet." Indicates that administrators can use the internet to…

An experimental program at the University of Woollongong (Australia) identified a quality management framework, developed indicators of institutional performance, created a database for user-defined information needs, and provided access to information at all institutional levels. The project explored use of performance indicators and demonstrated…

A program designed by the National Library of Medicine and the Association of American Medical Colleges to help academic medical centers develop appropriate information systems is described. The characteristics of such an integrated information environment, technical and organizational structures necessary for creating it, and the librarian's role…

Presents criteria for an effective syntagmatic relator system and describes how conceptual syntagmatic relationships are expressed in natural language, commenting on the adequacy of such expressions for document retrieval systems. Only one type of expression, a gestalt structure, represented as a frame, conforms to the criteria. (Author/JKP)

Discussion of information democracy focuses on information technologies and society and on social equity in the distribution and use of information resources. Highlights include relationships between society and technology; concepts of democracy; concepts of social justice and social equity; information needs, sources, and uses; and mass…

This paper addresses the problem of data management techniques for efficiently retrieving requested subsets of large data sets from mass storage devices. Describes the development of algorithms and software that facilitate the partitioning of a large data set into multiple "clusters" that reflect their expected access. (Author/JKP)