Explains steps in process of tranforming data from current form to one ready for publication on CD-ROM, i.e., disc layout, file format, building the master tape, and input to mastering facility. The conversion of a product currently existing in book form into a computer-based searchable database is described. (MBR)

Examines the differences between terms used in four major computerized information retrieval systems in education--British National Bibliography (PRECIS); ERIC; European Documentation and Information System for Education (EUDISED); and the International Bureau of Education (IBE) thesaurus. The possibility of standardizing terminology across all…

This examination of online subject searching of personal names in four databases--PAIS, PsycINFO, Sociological Abstracts, and Social SciSearch--covers documentation and searching for personal names as descriptors, free-text and controlled vocabulary searching, recall and precision, identifier field, and online versus manual retrieval. Search…

Shows how to use electronic spreadsheets and databases as a part of social studies instruction aimed at analyzing issues and trends in data. Provides a lesson plan which has students use a database to compile their own government handbook. (JDH)

Provides information regarding hardware and software requirements for using geocoded databases in urban historical geography. Reviews 11 IBM and Apple Macintosh database programs and describes the pen plotter and digitizing table interface used with the databases. (JDH)

Acquaints information professionals with Digital Equipment Corporation's compact optical disk read-only-memory (CDROM) search and retrieval software and growing library of CDROM database publications (COMPENDEX, Chemical Abstracts Services). Highlights include MicroBASIS, boolean operators, range operators, word and phrase searching, proximity…

Describes Expert 4, a knowledge-base management system which develops student performance predictors based on routinely collected student data. When exploited, these predictors serve to improve recruitment and selection processes. Tabulations of data on library and business information technology students, produced by Expert 4, are presented to…

The author argues that publication of unsolicited papers in ERIC's Resources in Education should be assigned at least as much weight by institutions evaluating faculty contributions as papers for recognized national and state conferences. Acceptance rates, qualifications of evaluators, and criteria used by the ERIC clearinghouses are described.…

Describes basic strategy for cocitation searching, i.e., searching for any document citing at least two other specified documents, usually on same topic. Search terms, using combinations for retrieving cocited papers, boundary spanning, retrieving review articles, adding new cited sources to modify strategy, and cited sources/free-text terms are…

Presents survey of two groups of databases covering patent literature: patent literature only and general literature that includes patents relevant to subject area of database. Description of databases and comparison tables for patent and general databases (cost, country coverage, years covered, update frequency, file size, and searchable data…

Eleven free or low-cost databases are described. Services, current costs, and (when applicable) address and telephone number are provided for Data-Net, GTE Telenet, General Videotex's Delphi Service, National Aeronautics and Space Administration Awareness database, Alternative Fuels Data Bank, Searchmart's software library, National Meteorological…

Outlines traditional and nontraditional information services developed at a large, highly diversified firm to exploit power and value of online databases and support goals of the Independent Searching Program. Highlights include awareness, set-up and vendor selection; training and continuing support; local database building; electronic search…

Discusses Magazine Index's practice of assigning letter grades (sometimes inaccurate) to book, restaurant, and movie reviews, thus allowing patrons to get the point of the review from the index rather than the article itself, and argues that this situation is indicative of the larger problem of reliability of abstracts. (MBR)

Discusses properties of multiple attribute tree (MAT) and inverted file structures; establishes suitability of MAT data structure for bibliographic files using worst-case performance measures; provides arguments to establish MAT average case superiority; and proposes an efficient adaptation of MAT data structure to exploit special features of MAT…

Developed by the Sperry Corporation, MAPPER is an interactive report processing system that uses simple English-language commands. The system is used by departments at the State University of New York at Albany to access institutional data. (MLF)