Describes a study that was conducted to determine the types of records found in OCLC and WLN (Washington Library Network) for new monographs being cataloged at the Central Washington University library. Highlights include a summary of pertinent literature; hit rates; classification numbers; duplicate records; and serial and monograph records.…

Discussion of the selection of search terms during an online search involving users and intermediaries focuses on a study that investigated at what stage of the search process search terms from different sources were selected, how terms were connected with retrieval of relevant answers, and the sequences in which terms were selected. (Contains 16…

Describes the Z39.50 information protocol standard and how it will simplify the ability to acquire electronic information. The role of the Z39.50 standard in facilitating communication between computers, its significance to librarians, and the potential of the protocol are discussed. How the standard works is discussed in terms of client/server…

Discusses the need for education programs for competitive intelligence professionals. Highlights include definitions of intelligence functions, focusing on business intelligence; information utilization by decision makers; information sources; competencies for intelligence professionals; and the development of formal education programs. (38…

Discussion of indexing needs for film and video images focuses on appropriate access points for the storage and retrieval of individual shots which have not yet been included in a production. A study at the National Film Board of Canada is described that investigated ways to index non-art images. (18 references) (LRW)

The development of a computerized national database of 66 institutions' pharmacy curricula is described. Data available include address and curriculum contact person, comments, courses offered, year, hours and credits, and course titles. The database interfaces with Pharmline, and online searching became possible when Pharmline merged with…

Describes a study funded by the Commission of the European Community that applied document retrieval algorithms to the "Excerpta Medica" database using the EMTREE thesaurus. Nonhierarchical relations were added to enrich the thesaurus, and document ranking is discussed in terms of the conceptual distance between the documents and the…

Two experiments with 129 college undergraduates tested the conjoint retention model by having subjects learn an intact map and text and then see the map as a retrieval cue in its original or reorganized form. Subjects remember more when cued by the original, supporting the conjoint retention theory. (SLD)

Investigation of retrieval performance of controlled vocabulary derived from natural language terms in tables of contents and book indexes assumed that controlled vocabulary representative of users' queries should adequately represent documents' contents. Queries were indexed using Library of Congress Subject Headings (LSCH), Dewey Decimal…

A hypertext-based thesaurus is proposed as a navigational aid to the subject domain of a bibliographic database. Implementation of a hypertext version of the "Thesaurus of ERIC Descriptors" with database linking strategies is discussed. (44 references) (EA)

Presents an information systems navigation approach using a combination of functionalities encountered in classification processes, Hypertext systems, and information retrieval systems. The first version of the SYRIUS system is described, with emphasis on the user's graphic interface which integrates these functionalities. (26 references) (EA)

Describes how an interactive text retrieval system with natural language queries is used in information studies education. The benefits of programing methods involving encapsulation and inheritance are explained in terms of reusability and extendibility, and future plans to produce a library of reusable objects for information retrieval are…

Shows how to automatically construct a classification of users and a clustering of documents and cross-references among clusters based on users' information needs. Feedback in the construction of this classification and clustering that allows for the classification to be changed to reflect changing needs of users is also described. (22 references)…

Describes the EDGAR (Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval) system developed for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for SEC disclosure filings. Ownership and control of the database, hardware, and software is considered; the Information Industry Association position is described; and the need for greater public access to…

Explores the use of analog optical disks as a practical, cost effective means of building picture databases. Questions that should be asked to determine whether optical disk is a suitable picture storage alternative for a particular application are identified and three implementation issues--imaging, indexing, and integrating--are discussed. (CLB)