Recent emphasis on stricter educational accountability measures has resulted in a profusion of educational and psychological tests available in today's market. This ERIC Digest has been prepared to meet educators' needs to find information about tests quickly and easily. Three resources discussed are the Test Collection database, the Mental…

This paper is concerned with providing automatically generated online explanations to the user of a user interface or "tool" about what the interface can and cannot do, and what parameters or options are available or required with a given command. The COUSIN interface system, developed at Carnegie-Mellon, supplies a cooperative…

Computerized literature searching allows the educator to become familiar with resources that help develop individual teaching styles and methods, enhance awareness of pupil needs, explain educational research and evaluation, and describe curriculum materials. This document introduces the fundamentals of computerized literature searching. The…

A project at the ERIC Clearinghouse on Information Resources has resulted in the extension of the ERIC database to microcomputer. Small subject-related files for current-awareness purposes are downloaded from the ERIC tapes and are made available for searching with Apple II Plus microcomputers. Since the target audience for this system is…

This workbook is the third in a series of three that has been integrated into the chemistry curriculum for majors at the University of Vermont. The workbook consists of readings and exercises designed to provide undergraduate students with foundation skills in the use of professional literature. The major emphasis is on searching the literature…

Through utilization of effective sampling procedures, libraries may obtain substantial savings in terms of data collection costs. (Author)

An experiment in manipulating machine-readable library records for use in subject searching indicated that such programs would be useful to extend service outside a single library location. (Author/PF)

Based on existing literature and user experience, the systematic approach to data base evaluation presented here provides a method by which data processing administrators can optimize the probability of selecting the data base management system best suited for their institution. (Author/WM)

Discusses how data systems can be designed to serve not only operations but also higher-level management and planning with observations about information as a political as well as an administrative tool. (Editor/PG)

A look at Moraine Valley Community College's data bank for systematically gathering, reporting and updating community socioeconomic data for occupational program planning and counseling. (Author)

This paper analyzes: (1) the bibliographic access to publications in urban studies via printed secondary sources; (2) development and scope of classification systems and of vocabulary control for urban studies; and (3) currently accessible automated collections of bibliographic citations. Urban studies is defined as "an agglomeration of…

Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) indexes and microfiche have earned a position as major sources of information for educational researchers and practitioners in Canada. Their widespread use has been facilitated by the development of computerized search services, first using batch systems and more recently on-line interactive…

Programs at the University of Miami are used to illustrate what needs to be done in order to assure that the admissions function is working well enough to meet both the fiscal and qualitative levels desired in order to achieve one's institutional goals. (Author/KE)

Discusses the new languages and software packages that make up data base management systems, outlines the characteristics of the systems, and examines the benefits claimed for them. (IRT)