Discusses methods for designing search strategies for maximum recall, including minimizing the number of concepts intersected, isolating key subtopics, adapting the strategy to the database, and minimizing problems with search words and codes. (Author/RAA)

Identifies various facets of the use of consultants in library automation, including kinds of consultants, their roles, contexts in which they may be used, functional areas in which their values may differ, and equipment alternatives. A bibliography is provided. (FM)

Considers a study of two models of name/title-derived search keys in a large online library network. Results predicted by the models are compared with results obtained from actual retrieval behavior of keys entered by users of the system. (FM)

Explains search commands for SERIDU, an online bibliographic search system developed at Brussels Free University. These commands and output formats are compared with Euronet commands (from which they were derived), with existing INFODOC storage system commands, and with the planned BIDULE system commands. An evaluation of SERIDU is included. (SW)

Discusses the benefits to patrons and librarians of integrating online database searching with traditional reference services, and makes recommendations for maximizing those benefits. (Author/JD)

Examines the potential benefits and problems for libraries using a fully automated short record circulation system, one that consists of a number designating the item, enough bibliographic information to identify it, information on its location, and information on the borrower. (FM)

An on-line document retrieval system is described which combines a data base management system with automatic processing of natural language queries and abstracts. (Author)

With reference to the "BIOSIS Previews" magnetic tape service of BioSciences Information Service (BIOSIS), marketing patterns of on-line bibliographic products are examined and future possibilities are discussed, with emphasis on geographic distribution of usage, organizations and institutions employing on-line service, and their…

Addresses the problem of overlap between the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) and Psychological Abstracts data bases, especially in areas of educational psychology. The article compares costs and article selection and offers guidelines for searchers based on duplication from test searches. (JD)

The obstacles faced by the online subscription library, Questia, illustrate the pitfalls of designing an online library for college students without winning over librarians and faculty. A major problem is the small size of Questia's collections. (SLD)

The MetaScholar Initiative is a collaborative endeavor to explore the feasibility and utility of scholarly portal services developed in conjunction with Open Archives Initiative metadata harvesting technologies. This article describes two projects that the MetaScholar Initiative comprises, as well as accomplishments and findings to date. (AEF)

Describes the Chemical Integrated Information Service Network (ChI2Net), a comprehensive online information service system which includes chemical, technical, economic, market, news, and management information based on computer and modern communication technology that was built by the China National Chemical Information Centre. (Author/LRW)

States that, like anthropology 100 years ago, studying online environments is a relatively new endeavor today. Discusses elements of an online version of ethnography, including triangulation, ethics, reflexivity, and the importance of linking online environments to real-world contexts. Describes parallels among the three stages of development of…

Discusses mobile access via wireless application protocol (WAP) to online services that is offered in Sweden through InfoTorg. Topics include the Swedish online market; filtering HTML data from an Internet/Web server into WML (wireless markup language); mobile phone technology; microbrowsers; WAP protocol; and future possibilities. (LRW)

Today's college students may be the "digital generation," but many have less regard for electronic recruitment tools than staffing professionals might believe. This article illustrates the gap between conventional wisdom regarding the use of high-tech recruitment tools and the stated preferences and perceptions of surveyed members of the Class of…