Discusses the contemporary antagonism between the information seeker and the highly technological information storage systems. Arguments are concerned with the price, availability, and response time of various retrieval methods, ranging from the card catalog to the computer, in addition to the user's problems with the more complex systems. (JVP)

In order for these systems to be effective, attention must be paid to data sources, methodology used in collecting them, the value judgments they represent, and any conditions that might make data peculiar to a given situation and unusable in another. (Author/MBR)

The Symphonie Experiment Study Group reports on the experimental use of the Symphonie Satellite to link UNESCO headquarters in Paris with the Conference Centre in Nairobi, Kenya, during the nineteenth session of the General Conference. Evaluations are reported for the use of the satellite for telephone, telex, and facsimile communications. (JMF)

Recommends that Medical School libraries be equipped to organize and provide biomedical information services in their respective states or areas, as a basis for the development of a national library-based biomedical information network to support Nigeria's programs of medical education, research, and health care delivery at all levels. (VT)

Discusses the developments that have made the Public Documents Department Microfiche Information Retrieval System, commonly known as the Publications Reference File (PRF), an essential tool for purchase and bibliographic information on government documents. The PRF is produced only on microfiche and updated frequently. (Author/CMV)

Organizational theorists alternatively hypothesized that computerized information systems (CIS) will produce no necessary changes, centralization, or decentralization in juvenile courts. This hypothesis is supported by the results of a four year study on the phenomenon. Suggestions are offered for improving the juvenile judicial system through…

From the findings of his survey of a sample of computerized personnel management information systems currently in use, the author presents the advantages and disadvantages of such systems and recommends a model for data input and report output based on users' experiences. (MF)

Describes a pilot project for providing information support in phases that are coordinated with the academic administrator's increasing sophistication as a manager of resources. (Author/IRT)

Information relating to health care and services for the consumer, how this information has been disseminated, and more efficient means of dissemination of accurate health care and services information for the future are discussed. Consumer health information are also outlined. (MB R)

The process for completing four national questionnaires was analyzed following site visits and detailed documentation at each of six representative medical schools. A number of problems with the process were found that inhibited the provision of reliable data. Corrective action for institutions and sponsoring agencies are suggested. (Editor/LBH)

As part of a larger five-year analysis of the behavioral impact of modern management procedures on private liberal arts colleges, data were collected from administrators at 22 institutions of various enrollment size, admissions selectivity, and religious affiliation. With the exception of student dropout rates, most administrators are reasonably…

Discusses expert systems and their value as components of information retrieval systems related to semantic inference, and describes IOTA, a model of an intelligent information retrieval system which emphasizes natural language query processing. Experimental results are discussed and current and future developments are highlighted. (Author/LRW)

Presents an overview of the IR-NLI II system, an expert interface that allows users to access online information retrieval systems and that encompasses user modeling capabilities. Highlights include the design of the system, the structure and content of stereotypes that represent typical classes of users, and construction of user models.…

The original goal of an information center was to create an environment wherein end users could generate their own analyses and management reports from institutional data without the direct aid of information systems staff. It is suggested, however, that real productivity gains are not being achieved. (MLW)

This description of the activities of the Office of Scientific Information in the 1950s and 1960s covers the development of techniques in the content analysis of information, methods for processing index entries, and information retrieval devices. (CLB)