Presents suggestions to librarians for helping patrons who want to perform their own online searches. Background information, end user training, equipment (hardware and software), continuing help, and document delivery are discussed. Ten references are included. (EJS)

This update of 1978 bibliometric study of online retrieval literature reveals that: literature has continued to grow, reaching peak annual output (504 papers) in 1981; conference literature has become centralized in four major proceedings; online retrieval papers have appeared in 479 journals; and 31 authors have contributed 10 or more papers.…

Examines current events databases that are general in coverage--Abstrax 400, UPI News, Information Access Corporation's databases. Documentation and personal name searching, basic database structure, retrieval of personal names as subjects, precision, improving recall, and do's and don'ts are covered. Summary of retrieval methods and sample…

Review of office filing facility filing and retrieval mechanisms for unstructured and mixed media information focuses on free text methods. Also discussed are the state of the art in handling voice and image data, problems with searching text surrogates to implement free text content retrieval, and work of Project Minstrel. (Author/MBR)

Current Mitre Corporation projects focusing on applications of videodisc technology for both civilian and military use include using analog videodisc technology in association with an office work station on a local area network and storing individual map feature separation plates for a digital map display system. (Author/EJS)

Review of research on online public access catalogs sponsored by Council on Library Resources notes the scope and method (questionnaires administered to catalog users and nonusers in 29 participating institutions) and findings and applications (including organizational setting and computer system, catalog use and satisfaction, and implications).…

Arguing that inadequacy of subject access in online catalogs lies with the database used as a foundation, this essay discusses the weaknesses of Library of Congress subject cataloging and MARC records, electronic card catalogs, enhancement of data, publisher warnings, Boolean search strategy inadequacies, and changes in the national standard. (EJS)

This paper outlines the history and purpose of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), which insures the right to access the voluminous files of U.S. government agencies, and explains FOIA implementation procedures for reference librarians assisting patrons. Recent attempts to amend the FOIA are discussed. Thirty-four references are cited. (EJS)

Describes the creation of Bibliographic Retrieval Services/TERM, a vocabulary database providing controlled vocabulary descriptors and natural language synonyms for thousands of concepts related to behavioral and social sciences. Inspiration behind TERM, basic decisions, integrating vocabularies, database design, and production are highlighted.…

This essay addresses factors that influence a customer's perception of the value of online information delivery services: evident costs, uncertain return, long-term return, not directly productive, overhead expense, and differential use. Roles assumed in acquiring and using information services (purchasers, searchers, consumers), price, and…

The Research Libraries group (headquartered at Stanford University) has a computer terminal that can be used to create and retrieve bibliographic information in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean vernacular scripts as well as in roman alphabet languages. The development, operation, and future of the system is described. (JN)

This paper explores contemporaneous and intergenerational relationships among various scientific endeavors and military activity. Using European historical data from 1500 to 1900 A.D., generational (or 25-yr) fluctuations were examined for nine categories of scientific discovery and invention and for two aspects of military activity. Findings are…

Calculations of storage requirements for retrieval systems using inverted files. Problem of minimal storage requirements for inverted file is solved for different index term distributions. (Author/KP)

This book takes a detailed look at the nature and extent of the Invisible Web, and offers pathfinders for accessing the valuable information it contains. It is designed to fit the needs of both novice and advanced Web searchers. Chapter One traces the development of the Internet and many of the early tools used to locate and share information via…

This study tracks the increasing use of the term "information broker" in the professional library literature, and looks at the extent to which the professional literature reflects the increasing trend of information commodification. The content of three online databases was analyzed: LIBRARY LITERATURE, LISA, and ABI/INFORM. Four terms…