Describes a study that compared the "Video Source Book,""Variety's Complete Home Video Directory," and OCLC in order to judge their comprehensiveness, currency, uniqueness, and redundancy in cataloging videos. The strengths and weaknesses of each source are discussed and suggestions for further research into the bibliographic…

Investigates methods of compressing headings identified by MARC subfield codes to reduce the size of browsable displays. An argument is made for sorting subdivisions by a conceptual, rather than an alphabetical, approach to present efficient browsable displays and relieve the user of the burden of data organization. (14 references) (Author/CLB)

Describes the development and implementation of software that provides a global change capability by allowing correction of a single heading in a large file of bibliographic records through programatic identification and replacement. Specific change processes are described, including name headings, geographic headings, and topical subject…

Describes an automated library network system designed by the Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries that offers traditional serials control functions and access to the actual article content of journals. The design of the database and plans for a document delivery system are discussed. (CLB)

Describes the basic concepts of Lotka's law of scientific productivity, Bradford's law of scatter, and Zipf's law of word occurrence. The discussion covers the validity of these laws and useful applications of each law to specific library applications. (13 references) (CLB)

Review of the 1987 literature on library technical services covers research on: (1) cataloging; (2) subject analysis; (3) authority control; (4) use of the online catalog; (5) acquisitions; and (6) library preservation. The review is limited to studies with a clearly defined research methodology, primarily field studies or survey research. (38…

Describes Microlif (Microcomputer Library Interchange Format), a standard data interchange format for bibliographic information on microcomputers. Discussion includes reasons for Microlif development, differences from full MARC format, and development of the new USMARC (Microlif protocol). Members of the Microlif community are listed, and the…

Discussion of sampling methods used in information science research focuses on Fussler's method for sampling catalog cards and on sampling by length. Highlights include simple random sampling, sampling with probability equal to size without replacement, sampling with replacement, and examples of estimating the number of books on shelves in certain…

Discusses the patterns of growth of literature concerning online public access catalogs (OPACs) in the field of library and information science for the years 1970-85. The least squares method and the May procedure, which were used in the study, are explained, and application of the logistic model is described. (16 references) (LRW)

Analysis of tables of contents of 648 English-language publications with Library of Congress cataloging revealed: 92.75% were suitable for inclusion in catalog records; most contained one or two levels of hierarchy; 25.62% were author/title based; 1.12% of the bibliographic records currently produced by the Library of Congress include contents…

Presents the theoretical basis and findings of a 1990 study that examined the admission materials and documents of four universities from 1975 to 1985 and beyond through 1990. Examines how the criteria for excellence presented in U.S. News and World Report "Best Colleges" rankings affect institutional repositioning. (MKA)

In contrast to technological predecessors, the Internet affords a prospective student with unlimited and uncontrolled access to formal and informal information about any institution. Article provides four vignettes that illustrate what a prospective student can find on the Internet. Discusses the implications of the Internet on the college…

Discusses the use of OCLC to improve library service in Illinois and emphasizes library cooperation through LVIS (Libraries Very Interested in Sharing) and Group Access Capability (GAC) groups. Topics include interlibrary loan; union lists; resource sharing agreements; and the role of the Illinois State Library. (LRW)

This catalog of resources entails, by definition, an incomplete listing of available materials in the Rutgers University Department of Economics, Alexander Library at Rutgers, data centers throughout Rutgers, and the Internet. Because of the changing nature of the field, this scrapbook is constantly being revised. This scrapbook contains seven…

Over the last decade, studies of online catalogs have revealed that they frequently discourage users. Subject queries often fail to produce retrievals or produce retrieval sets that are too large and unwieldy to be easily scanned. Research shows that users are seeking alternative approaches to those that manipulate the subject headings in catalog…