bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A comparative evaluation of online databases in relation to welfare and corrective services, and community development
Authors: Sharma V.S.
Published: January 2008

Ten online databases were evaluated for their scope, extent of literature coverage within that scope, timelines, and degree of relevance and overlap in retrieval for welfare, corrections and community development. The databases evaluated were: Eric, NTIS, Social Scisearch, Psychological Abstracts, National Criminal Justice Reference Service, Sociological Abstracts, PAIS International, Child Abuse and Neglect, Family Resources, and National Rehabilitation Information Centre. These were evaluated by choosing three test cases and by conducting searches on fifty well known concepts. All databases yielded relevant documents. The specialized databases did not prove to be more comprehensive in their respective fields than larger databases. The databases were also ranked for their useful‐ness and cost‐effectiveness.
Business information systems used by corporate planning in the food industry
Authors: Sze Melanie C.
Published: January 2008

The principal files and systems used to provide data to corporate planners in the food industry are surveyed, and useful features on each described. The files considered most useful are: CDA Spectrum, CDC‐EBIS, DRI, Disclosure, Standard and Poor's News, ABI‐Inform, Foods Adlibra and PTS Promt. The features of files and systems not available on Dialog are considered in particular depth.
Online information handling — the user perspective
Authors: Haygarth Jackson Angela R.
Published: January 2008

It has been said that a week in politics is a very long time, and equally I suggest that with the changes and developments that take place in online interactive searching, a week in online is also a very long time.
SDI (Selective Dissemination of Information) — a need for special facilities in commercial systems
Authors: Mathur V.
Published: January 2008

A number of commercial online search services are now offering sdi to their customers on an increasing proportion of their databases. The present software in these systems, however, is geared more to bibliographic searches. As there is a fundamental difference between the bibliographic and sdi types of searches, a more sympathetic software, based on the experience of a smaller operating system, to construct and amend an sdi profile is suggested.
A staffing profile of U.S. online database producers: a model and discussion of educational implications
Authors: Lowry Glenn R.
Published: January 2008

This paper reports preliminary results of a study aimed at ascertaining the size and composition of U.S. online database production organizations. All U.S. online database producers were surveyed in order to determine the number of personnel employed in the intellectual production of their databases. The data gathered provided a basis for the generation of people employed in frequently recurring staff categories within the organizations. Implications for education based on needs suggested by staffing patterns are examined.
A methodology for categorizing international business literature through online bibliographic searching
Authors: Popovich Charles J.
Published: January 2008

Online bibliographic searching is offered as a solution for classifying the proliferating and diverse research prevalent in the field of international business. Introductory comments discuss the rationale for such action while guidelines are set forth that describe the methodological elements such as the categories of terminology, database selection and search strategy. Included too are suggestions for alternative methods of conducting a bibliographic search on the topic.
Possibility for intelligent feedback in online searching
Authors: Pietiläinen Pirkko
Published: January 2008

Number of references containing the input term (set size) is the only feedback the searcher generally receives in most online information retrieval systems. There exist however, methods by which more intelligent feedback could be provided to the searcher. If the retrieved set of documents is not a very large one, computers could easily be made to select from this set the most informative features and feed them back to the terminal. These features can be indexing terms, classification codes, free‐text words, etc. A solution as to how these most informative features can be selected algorithmically in a database is presented here. The method is based on weighting terms properly: the weight depending on term frequency in the retrieved set and in the whole database. The selecting procedure can also be seen as a search for local semantic associations of search terms. What kind of feedback could be received by using this algorithm is simulated by sample searches from Inspec, Compendex, NTIS and Pascal databases. These examples show that useful synonyms for search strategy reformulation can automatically be found by this method.
Why secondary services will survive and thrive
Authors: Dunn Ronald G.
Published: January 2008

The information industry operates today in a rapidly changing environment. In the space of only a few years, technological developments have led to fundamental and probably permanent changes in the ways many information services are produced and used. And the technology keeps marching on, with advanced developments such as broadcast satellites, electronic publishing, and video publishing now gaining prominence. Yesterday's research curiosities have become today's commercial realities. Information consumers may choose from an increasing diverse menu of intelligent hardware devices, sophisticated software packages, and factual and full‐text databases.
Evolution of a secondary service to an information supermarket
Authors: Landau Herbert B.
Published: January 2008

Engineering Information, Inc. (Ei) was established in 1884 and remained a relatively traditional print‐based abstracting and indexing (A&I) service for over half a century. Together with many other A&I services, Ei began to develop digital versions of its print products in the early 1960s and today finds that the use of the digital versions has begun to outstrip use of the print versions. Faced with rapidly advancing information technology, increasingly sophisticated and demanding customers and an increasing variety and volume of engineering information files, formats and media, Ei perceives a need to grow beyond the role of the traditional secondary service. To continue in its mission as the world's primary transdisciplinary engineering information service and to satisfy the evolving needs of both traditional and new customers, Ei believes it must evolve into a new type of information service — a one‐stop ‘information supermarket.’
Analytical methods for online searching
Authors: Vigil Peter J.
Published: January 2008

Analytical methods are presented to facilitate the comparison of multiple sets during an online search. The basic concept is the utilization of discrete displays of unique citations from successive formulations. The discrete displays are formulated by using Boolean NOT to remove citations from previously designated good sets. The method is explained, demonstrated, and applied in the context of a procedure for ranging groups of citations based on relevancy.
Experiences with online literature searching in a water‐related subject field: Aqualine, Biosis, CA Search and Pascal, compared using the ESA/lnformation Retrieval System
Authors: de Jong‐Hofman M.W. , Siebers H.H.
Published: January 2008

In support of an environmental research program in the field of water quality management at the Delft University of Technology, an exhaustive literature search was carried out, both online and manually. For online searching, information was retrieved from the databases Aqualine, Biosis, CA Search and Pascal, using the ESA/lnformation Retrieval System. For manual searching, professional journals and current awareness services were carefully studied.
Online Information Retrieval Bibliography Seventh Update Part II
Authors: Hawkins Donald T.
Published: January 2008

This is the seventh annual update of the bibliography that was published as a supplement to the first issue of Online Review. It is also the first update to the recently published concatenated bibliography containing the original issue plus the first six updates. This update covers the approximate time period late 1982 through early 1984. It contains 931 references.
Usage and revenue data for the online database industry
Authors: Williams Martha E.
Published: January 2008

As the online database industry expands and matures, competition increases and the need for data to assist in strategic planning increases. Database producers, online vendors, telecommunications carriers, publishers, and venture capitalists are looking closely at the progress, trends, and changes in the online industry as a whole in addition to monitoring specific markets, specific competitors, and fast‐moving components of the industry. The Information Market Indicators (IMI) survey provides a service by monitoring online vendors, database producers and specific databases in terms of the revenues generated and in terms of the number of connect hours of usage. In addition, IMI data permits one to observe markets and competition relative to database subject classes, user classes and geographic regions.
Developments at Dialog
Authors: Hoskinson Camp Joyce
Published: January 2008

The roots of Dialog Information Services are traced with a description of the origins and past activities. Discussion describes the organizational groupings which have responsibility for all the services and products offered. The hardware, software and telecommunications resources of the company are also considered. Information about the Dialog customer is mentioned. There have been a number of recent developments such as Dialog Version 2, Dialnet enhancements, ‘Report’ feature, gateway services and menu‐driven files. Dialog also expects future developments to include access to our electronic mail service, more full‐text files, repackaging of the service for use by professionals, personal computer software packages for telecommunications, and more new databases to round out the current offerings.
Integration of menu retrieval and Boolean retrieval from a full‐text database
Authors: Watters C.R. , Shepherd M.A. , Grundke E.W. , Bodorik P.
Published: January 2008

Although the Boolean combination of keywords and/or subject codes is the predominant access method for the retrieval of passages from full‐text databases, menu access is an attractive alternative. The selection of an access method and the ensuing satisfaction with the results is based on the type of query and on the experience and knowledge of the user. This paper describes a prototype system which has integrated Boolean, menu, and direct access methods for the retrieval of passages from full‐text databases. The integration is based on the hierarchical structure inherent in such databases as legal statutes and regulations and engineering standards. The user may switch freely among access methods in order to develop the most appropriate search strategy. The retrieved passages are presented to the user within the context of the hierarchical structure.
The departmental information professional: a role of increasing importance
Authors: Sze Melanie C.
Published: January 2008

Neither end‐user searching nor centralized information services seem able to fully meet the information needs of scientists in industries like pharmaceuticals and chemicals. To fill the gap, a more specialized role, that of the departmental information professional, has been developing. These professionals, holding both scientific degrees and an ALA‐approved MLS, function within company departments, performing online searches, and developing departmental libraries and databases.
A prototype mouse‐based interface to drug related information
Authors: Crawford R.G. , Edwards Mary‐Ellen
Published: January 2008

This paper presents the design of a prototype system that provides a simple interface between the Dialog Information Retrieval Service and the end user, via an Apple Macintosh. This Drug‐Interface automatically connects to the Dialog Information Retrieval Service via available networks, aids the user in formulating and/or revising a search strategy, sends the query to Dialog, displays the results of the search and downloads the relevant pieces into a Macintosh data file named by the user. The user can accomplish all of these tasks without any keystrokes, through the use of a mouse. The prototype system was built specifically to facilitate retrieval of drug related information, involving access to three different databases on Dialog.
Search ware: for online access by novice users
Authors: Reneau Fred W.
Published: January 2008

The Searchware package aids personal computer users in formulating search strategies for online databases. Novice users can fill out a simplified screen‐displayed worksheet and the package will produce search commands, syntax and search logic. It handles user errors with ease, comes with clear instructions, and is offered by a helpful vendor.
Online in academia: a survey of online searching in US colleges and universities
Authors: McKinney Gayle , Page Mosby Anne
Published: January 2008

Although online searching has been available to libraries since the late 1960s, it is only in very recent years that a significant number of academic institutions have begun offering information retrieval through commercial vendors such as Dialog, BRS (Bibliographic Retrieval Service), and SDC's (System Development Corporation's) Orbit. Because online searching is so new compared with traditional library services, it is still developing as a standard offering in most academic libraries.
The development of online information retrieval services in the People's Republic of China
Authors: Xiaocun Lu
Published: January 2008

During the 1980s online information retrieval became popular in many countries but its use in China was rare. In recent years, however, China has taken a leap forward in the development of online retrieval services.
The impact of database searching on interlibrary loan — ‘eliminating the negative’
Authors: Connolly Bruce , LaGuardia Cheryl M.
Published: January 2008

These methods are proposed for use by database searchers in structuring online search sessions. The goal is to minimize the negative effects on interlibrary loan operations of online services. Strategies discussed include: forms management, management of printed search results, and the instruction of patrons.
First Netherlands Online Information Conference
Authors: Citroen Charles
Published: January 2008

On 22 and 23 October, the first Netherlands Online Information Conference was organised under the auspices of the Association of Librarians, Documentalists and Information Scientists (NVB), the Association of Public Libraries (NBLC) and the Association of Users of Online Information Systems (VOGIN).
Marketing Electronic Information
Authors: Davenport Lizzie , Cronin Blaise
Published: January 2008

In an earlier article we surveyed the convergence and integration of major players in the information industry. The trend towards vertical integration, which can be observed in the macromarket, is also evident in the operations of individual online hosts — the micromarket. In this article we look at the vending of online business data, a sector in which commercial bias is strong and where market patterns mimic those of the larger theatre.
Expert systems and their applications in LIS
Authors: Vickery Alina , Brooks Helen
Published: January 2008

1. Introduction Probably the “hottest” topic in the LISA (Library and Information Systems) world in recent times is the idea of developing systems which can act “intelligently” by using the knowledge of a human expert (within our context, that of an intermediary or a librarian). Such knowledge‐based systems are popularly known as “expert systems”.
A user interface for multiple retrieval systems
Authors: Teskey Niall , Henry Malcolm , Christopher Sue
Published: January 2008

In this paper we present the results of an experiment to help professional scientists and engineers undertake their own literature searches using a number of the major online bibliographic databases. The end‐users, or experimental subjects, are already familiar with Deco, the text storage and retrieval system used by Unilever, but have little or no knowledge of the major online database systems, such as Orbit, Dialog, BRS, etc. The paper describes the design and development of a front‐end system which simplifies the ‘logon’ procedure and converts Deco format commands into any of the other required languages. The users can thus search any of the major online databases just as if they were searching their own files on their local system. Many of the existing front‐end systems restrict the user by either providing only a limited menu of functions, removing the interactive nature of searching or supporting only a single host, or sometimes all three. We believe that the results of this experiment show that, in this particular environment, the new interface allows users to make more effective use of major online databases. This is a revised version of a paper which was presented to the 10th Cranfield Conference on Mechanised Information Transfer in July 1986.
TopDOS: Aid for hard disk navigation
Authors: Roberts Justine
Published: January 2008

TopDOS can be a useful improvement to standard DOS software, providing many significant aids for navigating among hard disk files. For some novice personal computer users TopDOS may be well worth learning and using. However, users who have access to public domain utility programs will find that TopDOS adds few new facilities, no greater ease of use, and may conflict with other RAM‐resident programs.
Using Dialindex for the identification of online databases relevant to urban and regional planning
Authors: Meyer Byler Anne , Ravenhall Mary
Published: January 2008

Urban and regional planning is a multidisciplinary field. It encompasses issues such as growth management, transportation planning, housing, zoning, historic preservation, community development, fiscal policies, taxation and environmental impact.
Mexican health sciences research 1982–1986
Authors: Licea de Arenas Judith , Cronin Blaise
Published: January 2008

The use of bibliometric techniques to assess the scientific activity of Third World countries is not new. Cross‐national comparisons using publications and citation counts may point up relative strengths and weaknesses at the macro level, but there is also a need to evaluate specific fields in particular countries.
Detrimental effects of searching with precoordinated terms
Authors: Harter Stephen P.
Published: January 2008

A ‘precoordinated’ term in a controlled vocabulary is a term that combines two concepts with Boolean AND prior to the act of indexing or searching. For example, the term Library Automation combines the concept of ‘libraries’ with the concept of ‘automation’. By using Library Automation as a search term, one may avoid having to create and intersect separate facets.
DIALOG Ondisc ERIC
Authors: Gerrard Sarah E.
Published: January 2008

CD‐ROM Review. DIALOG Ondisc ERIC corresponds to two printed indexes: Resources in Education (RIE) which covers significant educational documents, and Current Index to Journals in Education (CIJE), an index of more than 700 periodicals on educational topics.
Medline on CD‐ROM: a comparison
Authors: Bakker Suzanne , Bleeker Ans , van der Burg Jan , Dijkman Joop , Hogenaar Arjan , van Ramshorst Gijsbert
Published: January 2008

Recently, several versions of Medline on CD‐ROM have become available — Bibliomed, BRS, Compact Cambridge, Dialog, Ebsco and SilverPlalter. They have been tested by the Biomedical Working Group of VOGIN (the Dutch Association of Users of Online Information Systems). An extensive list of items that have been tested is presented.
‘Or else they're lovely liars’: online searchers in Australia
Authors: Byrne Alex
Published: January 2008

Online searchers in Australia were studied via a mailed questionnaire examining six sets of variables: backgrounds, experience, attitudes, behaviours, styles and satisfaction. They appeared to support preplanning, online interaction and relevance checks. In similar vein, they were mildly cost conscious and believed that their requesters were most satisfied with their performance. Those with greater experience tended to fit this description belter, as did those in special libraries.
Dialog business databases: an informal survey of prices
Authors: Robinson Mark L.
Published: January 2008

The formulae used to price online databases have traditionally been comprised of three components: database connect time, per record charges and communications costs. Business databases available through Dialog make use of these three basic cost factors with the addition of user‐defined formats, report and special report formats, full text, and current awareness profiles. An informal survey was conducted by the author to compare the pricing formulae of six categories of business databases available through Dialog.
TOOTSI: creating a toolkit for building user interfaces to business information services
Authors: Mahon B. , Meinkohn F. , Leila G.
Published: January 2008

On the basis that the platform for user equipment for the 1990s is reasonably predictable, the creation of a new generation of user interface facilities can be started. The Esprit project TOOTSI (Telematic Object Oriented Tools for Services Interfaces) has as its objective the creation of a toolkit for building user interfaces to business information services using the GUI paradigm. The project brings together a unique combination of companies, active in the provision of actual services to the information community. This paper will describe the results of the initial two years of work on TOOTSI covering the decision making on the application platform and the design of the elements which will make up the toolkit. A prediction of the actual services to be developed is also included.
The online industry and telephone deregulation in the US — an overview
Authors: Tipton Roberta L.
Published: January 2008

The American Telephone and Telegraph (AT&T) divestiture and the resulting changes in telephone company regulation in the United States have allowed telephone companies to diversify into non‐regulated businesses including the online information services industry. How and when US telephone companies enter potential information markets is determined in large part by the changes in regulation that have occurred and will occur over the next few years.
New approaches in the training and education of online users
Authors: Armstrong C.J.
Published: January 2008

Following a brief introduction to the history of online and online training, this article surveys current training from the point of view of the trainers, the trainees and the media. The final section deals in depth with computer‐assisted instruction for online searching with examples drawn from a number of available packages. Some of the techniques, such as self‐testing and search simulations, as well as the advantages of this method of instruction are discussed.
Using nearest‐neighbour searching techniques to access full‐text documents
Authors: Al‐Hawamdeh Suliman , de Vere Rachel , Smith Geoff , Willett Peter
Published: January 2008

Full‐text documents are usually searched by means of a Boolean retrieval algorithm that requires the user to specify the logical relationships between the terms of a query. In this paper, we summarise the results to date of a continuing programme of research at the University of Sheffield to investigate the use of nearest‐neighbour retrieval algorithms for full‐text searching. Given a natural‐language query statement, our methods result in a ranking of the paragraphs comprising a full‐text document in order of decreasing similarity with the query, where the similarity for each paragraph is determined by the number of keyword stems that it has in common with the query. A full‐text document test collection has been created to allow systematic tests of retrieval effectiveness to be carried out. Experiments with this collection demonstrate that nearest‐neighbour searching provides a means for paragraph‐based access to full‐text documents that is of comparable effectiveness to both Boolean and hypertext searching and that index term weighting schemes which have been developed for the searching of bibliographical databases can also be used to improve the effectiveness of retrieval from full‐text databases. A current project is investigating the extent to which a paragraph‐based full‐text retrieval system can be used to augment the explication facilities of an expert system on welding.
Windows into the search process: an inquiry into dimensions of online information retrieval
Authors: Huston Mary M.
Published: January 2008

From diverse users' points of view, contextual frameworks are elaborated for the nature of the information technology, the information universe, and the information search. Within these conceptual parameters, established theories on search strategy are reviewed and cognitive models of information‐seeking are highlighted. Future directions for research on users' search processes are discussed in terms of the role for online retrieval in the future information environment.
Tracking British and European online business information: A guide to the guides
Authors: Drenth H. , Tseng G. , Morris A.
Published: January 2008

With the continued growth in online business information provision, database guides can be valuable in helping searchers evaluate and select suitable sources. Studies of business database selection by professional intermediaries indicate a need for detailed descriptions of records as well as for basic, directory‐style information in guides. Less experienced online users need introductions to online, hosts, and business information provision and, most importantly, they need guidance in searching major online sources. Both types of online user would benefit from the inclusion of evaluative comment in database guides. Current guides to British and European business information, both general guides and those dealing specifically with online sources, are reviewed with regard to their suitability for different audiences and to their currency, coverage and overall organisation. The best of these guides are identified. Some guides are inaccurate and many are poorly indexed, with little thought given to how guides are used. Designing guides for specific audiences would increase their effectiveness. They must be quick and easy to use, incorporating evaluative comment to assist selection of databases and record detail to assist searching.
The Greek Command Language
Authors: Galiotou E. , Scourlas C. , Alevizos T.
Published: January 2008

This paper deals with the definition and implementation of the Greek Command Language (GCL) at the Greek National Documentation Centre.
Use of library science students as search intermediaries for environmental science and engineering students
Authors: Ellen Tucker Mary , Wood Judith B. , Allegri Franceses
Published: January 2008

A pilot project was begun in the Fall of 1988 that teamed first‐year graduate students from the School of Information and Library Science with graduate students from the Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering at the University of North Carolina School of Public Health. Library science students served as search intermediaries for students enrolled in an introductory environmental science course and provided online search services on research topics related to the completion of an environmental science class assignment. Environmental science students received basic information management instruction. Planning, development of instructional objectives, materials and methods, costs and evaluation of the project are described. Changes made in the program for 1989 and 1990, as well as future plans, are outlined.
NEWS ROUNDUP
Authors: Blake Paul
Published: January 2008

OCLC unveils online journal plans OCLC. chose last month's National Online Meeting in New York to unveil plans for two new online journals. In October Electronic Letters, the UK Institution of Electronic Engineer's biweekly journal of international electronics research goes online, offering users 1400–1500 articles a year as well as a link to the INSPEC database to retrieve abstracts of references cited. The following month another online journal makes its debut—the Online Journal of Knowledge Synthesis for Nursing, produced with Sigma Theta Tau.
NEW DATABASE PRODUCTS: SOCIAL SCIENCE, HUMANITIES, NEWS AND GENERAL (ISSUE 2)
Authors: Williams Martha E. , Sutton Ellen , Sutton Brett
Published: January 2008

This is the second article on Social Science, Humanities, News and General Databases in a continuing series of articles summarizing and commenting on new database products. Two companion articles, one covering science, technology and medicine (Online & CDROM Review vol. 17 issue 4) and the other covering business and law (Online & CDROM Review vol. 17 issue 6), complement this article. The articles are based on the newly appearing database products in the Gale Directory of Databases. The Gale Directory of Databases (GDD) was created in January 1993 by merging Computer‐Readable Databases: A Directory and Data Sourcebook (CRD) together with the Directory of Online Databases (DOD) and the Directory of Portable Databases (DPD).
SUPER MARIO VS. THE BEATLES
Authors: Paul Nora
Published: January 2008

In these Search Strategies, searchers from different countries and professions are given a question to answer, a budget of £50 and a time in which to produce their report. We hope that these blow‐by‐blow accounts, together with the hints and tips picked up along the way, will help all the readers of Online & CDROM Review to develop their own search strategies.
‘GET YER RED HOT BOMBER’: THE EFFECT OF POLITICAL CHANGE ON THE DEFENCE INDUSTRY IN EASTERN EUROPE
Authors: Blakeman Karen
Published: January 2008

The end of the Cold War and the fall of communist regimes in Eastern Europe has had a profound effect on the political and economic life in those countries. The changes have resulted in cuts in defence spending in both Western and Eastern Europe. The aim of this search was to find out how the defence industry in Eastern Europe is adapting to the new political climate and to look in particular at how production facilities and military installations are now being used.
THE CABLE ROUTE TO INFORMATION
Authors: Ashley Charles
Published: January 2008

The worlds of online information, the Internet and cable television networks are continuing to blur with announcements from the likes of PSI and Ziff‐Davis, Prodigy, CompuServe and America Online. In effect, these worlds are coming together to form a general‐purpose global network based around one medium, cable TV, and all using the same cable modems and routers.
NEWS ROUNDUP
Authors: Blake Paul
Published: January 2008

FT unveils its shot at the end‐user market. Online/CD‐ROM Information 94 saw a host of new products and it is difficult to pick out the main highlights. For me, however, there was no contest for the slickest and most user‐friendly product unveiled: FT Discovery. This is a point‐and‐click online service offering end‐users a combination of news, company and country information, along‐side graphing tools. A launch is pencilled in for the middle of the year.
GERMAN DATABASES FOR NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL USERS, USING ENVIRONMENTAL DATABASES AS AN EXAMPLE
Authors: Voigt Kristina , Poetzsch Eleonore , Reich Martina , Schultz‐Kruitisch Thomas , Zass Engelbert
Published: January 2008

1. Introduction to the German Language Session. The German session (rather, the German language session) at the 18th International Online Conference in London, 6–8 December 1994, was on the subject of German or German language databases for national and international users. This subject is best shown using environmental sciences as an example.
FULL TEXT ONLINE AND ABSTRACTS ON CDROM: NEXIS, DIALOG AND ABI/INFORM
Authors: Feinberg David G.
Published: January 2008

NEXIS and DIALOG both offer full‐text online coverage of the magazine Business Week, while ABI/INFORM Global Edition on CDROM provides abstracts. A comparison of all three systems shows mixed results. DIALOG had the most records for two narrow topics, while NEXIS was superior when the search topic was broader. Although retrieving fewer items than the full‐text systems, ABI/INFORM had a considerable amount of material. With the difficulty of choosing between costly full‐text systems, settling for abstracts on CDROM may be an alternative for the researcher.
NEWS ROUNDUP
Authors: Blake Paul
Published: January 2008

NlightN breaks with the online past. An Internet‐based service has been unveiled which allows users to search 500 research databases, 14 newswires and three million World Wide Web sites simultaneously. The Library Corporation's NlightN service is important because it is the first large collection of research databases to go up on the Web. It also signals a breakaway from traditional connect time charging — searchers are charged only for the information they receive: there are no connect or search charges.
TOWARDS AUDIO BOOKS
Authors: Hoffman Preston
Published: January 2008

For the last generation, would‐be seers have peered into their VDTs and tried to visualise the future of the book in pixels. But if in looking forward to the next century we pause to harken to the past, many of us will remember our first consciousness of the 21st Century as an impending paradigmatic change coming not from the labs of IBM or Apple but from Arthur C. Clarke and Stanley Kubrick's 1968 film, 2001: A Space Odyssey. And what do we remember about that work? Not the light show at the end (though we recall there was one) but the character of HAL, as brought to life by the voice of actor Douglas Rain. Perhaps this was the voice of the millennium. Chances are we won't be going to the moon for our birthday (done that, been there) but we will have computers in our dens with our books, cassettes and compact discs.
BUSINESS AND LAW (ISSUE 6)
Authors: Williams Martha E. , McDougal Sarah
Published: January 2008

This is the sixth article on Business and Law (BSL) databases in a continuing series of articles summarising and commenting on new database products. Two companion articles have appeared, one covering science, technology and medicine (STM) (Online & CDROM Review, vol. 19, no. 4) in the August 1995 issue and the other covering the social sciences and humanities (SSH) (Online & CDROM Review, vol. 19, no. 5) in the October 1995 issue of this journal. The articles are based on the newly appearing database products in the Gale Directory of Databases. The Gale Directory of Databases (GDD) was created in January 1993 by merging Computer‐Readable Databases: A Directory and Data Sourcebook (CRD) together with the Directory of Online Databases (DOD) and the Directory of Portable Databases (DPD).
CDROM: A MEDIUM FOR AFRICA IN THE YEAR 2000 AND BEYOND
Authors: Kebede Gashaw
Published: January 2008

When I was invited ‘to shoot arrows at the year 2000’ to predict what would happen with the use of CDROM products and services in Africa by then, mixed feelings and thoughts first came to mind. To begin with it was easy for me to be taken by the wishes and enthusiasm of the day where technological developments, particularly with regard to electronic communications such as the Internet, are so soon to become the everyday means of access to information on the African continent. My other reaction, however, was influenced by the grim facts of the information provision scenario prevailing on the continent, which will be the prime factor in deciding the direction of any development taking place for years to come: low financial input available, weak technological bases, and absence of conscious and informed guidance and support from governments. My realistic view in the end prevailed, which left no room for wishes but only reality, and I will be looking hard at where we will be by the year 2000, four years from now, and putting together what I know and am convinced of.
THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF ONLINE SEARCH STRATEGY FORMATION: A STUDY OF FOUR COUNTRIES
Authors: Still Julie
Published: January 2008

This paper discusses the results of a survey sent to online searchers in four countries: the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia and Canada. The survey form provided a sample question and asked searchers to prepare a preliminary strategy for a search in the Sociological Abstracts database. American searchers depend on controlled vocabulary much more than British searchers. Australian searchers have created their own search pattern, while Canadian searchers have blended the American and British patterns. In reviewing results of the searches, over half of the citations retrieved were retrieved by more than one search. Australian searchers were more likely to retrieve items that no other search retrieved, while Canadian searchers had the highest overlap rate.
DEVELOPING MODERN INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND SERVICES: AFRICA'S CHALLENGES FOR THE FUTURE
Authors: Chowdhury G.G.
Published: January 2008

‘Information is a resource’, ‘information is a commodity’, ‘information is the key to national development’ … we hear this over and over again in meetings, conferences and workshops concerned with the development of modern information systems and services in Africa. But where do the information systems and services in African countries stand now; where can they reach in the next 5–10 years; and what would be the challenging factors? Big questions indeed; let us try to answer them. Points raised in the following paragraphs are particularly concerned with the eastern and southern African countries, but they will apply equally to most of the other African countries in the sub‐Saharan region, and to Third World countries in general.
BETTER PAGE DESIGN FOR THE WORLD WIDE WEB
Authors: Strain Helen C. , Berry Pauline M.
Published: January 2008

The World Wide Web is an increasingly popular tool for accessing information via the Internet. It derives from many individuals and organisations making information available using the medium of hypertext. The pages they create are sometimes wonderful, informative and entertaining but more often haphazard, confusing and difficult to navigate. Yet there exists a body of work and experience in the areas of hypertext design and human‐computer interaction (HCI) which should be influencing Web page design. This paper examines some of the main issues from these fields and how they apply to the Web. It proposes a set of guidelines for Web page design. Does your page satisfy these guidelines?
THE MODERN INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL
Authors: Wolfe Hayes Molly
Published: January 2008

At the opening session of the International Federation for Information and Documentation (FID) 48th Conference held in Graz, Austria in October 1996, President Ritva T. Launo noted that, as FID closed its two year celebration of its hundredth anniversary, Austria was celebrating its thousandth. This centennial atmosphere seems an appropriate place to look forward to the millennium. President Launo invited delegates to decide what they would drive on the information superhighway — the sports car that speeds ahead; the family saloon that goes with the main traffic flow; or the furniture van filled with information products. She pointed out that, regardless of vehicle choice, it would be necessary to fasten seat belts as the ride would certainly be bumpy!
ARE WE LOSING A GENERATION OF MANUSCRIPTS?
Authors: Jasperse Jaap
Published: January 2008

Will CDROM survive into the next millennium? If not, we may have a continuity problem on our hands. The development of electronic scientific publication continues to raise questions of perpetuity that cannot easily be dismissed or ignored — however often this is being tried.
INTERNET AND INTRANET USE WITH A PC: EFFECTS OF ADAPTER CARDS, WINDOWS VERSIONS AND TCP/IP SOFTWARE ON NETWORKING PERFORMANCE
Authors: Nieuwenhuysen Paul
Published: January 2008

The experience is reported of access to the Internet from a common notebook computer connected to a local area network based on Ethernet and TCP/IP network protocols. Products used were: • network adapters in the form of PC cards from two product generations; • PC‐DOS and Windows 3.1 and various additional TCP/IP software packages, or Windows 95 with included TCP/IP software from Microsoft; • various 16‐bit or 32‐bit network application programs compatible with Windows Sockets. The main conclusions are that (even with the same basic microcomputer): • large differences (probably larger than expected by most users) exist in the data transfer speeds obtained with various combinations of hardware and software components; • newer combinations of PC cards and software are easier to install and offer greater stability as well as higher transfer speeds, so that upgrading is probably worthwhile for most users.
MY KINGDOM FOR AN AGENT? EVALUATION OF AUTONOMY, AN INTELLIGENT SEARCH AGENT FOR THE INTERNET
Authors: Tegenbos Jef , Nieuwenhuysen Paul
Published: January 2008

This paper presents an evaluation of a commercially available intelligent search agent for the Internet. Search robots and search engines can be of great help in finding information on the Internet, but their different features and sometimes their unfriendly interfaces can be confusing. Some expect that intelligent search agents could solve these problems. But most of these applications are not yet on the market, and the few that are: do they really perform? One of the few commercially available search agents is Autonomy, from Autonomy Corporation. Its concept is promising to professional users: the natural language processing of the query, the take‐over of repetitive jobs, an integrated interface for searching and managing information, and the sharing of knowledge with other users. The test in this article, however, reveals that the product is not yet ready to challenge the Internet search indexes which, in the test cases, perform better than Autonomy does with regard to recall and precision of information retrieval. Moreover, Autonomy does not give enough feedback to control the search action.
METADATA, PICS AND QUALITY
Authors: Armstrong C.J.
Published: January 2008

A recent Ariadne article on review service resource evaluation by Anagnostelis et al. (1997) ended with a reference to the Platform for Internet Content Selection (PICS) and added that while PICS controls neither the publication nor the distribution of information, it offers ‘individuals and organisations the option of filtering out or filtering in selected views of networked information.’ There then followed a reference to the Centre for Information Quality Management (CIQM) and its proposal to use PICS filtering in order to allow users to set constraints on the minimum quality of resources retrieved (Armstrong 1997). This article seeks to amplify this basic idea.
THE X.400 STANDARD — WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS?
Authors: Kilpatrick Ian
Published: January 2008

Another form of communication. The advent of the Internet has made an enormous difference to the world of communications. It is arguably the most widely hyped, well‐known and talked about computer phenomenon of our times. The result it that just about everyone nowadays is aware that electronic communications can be of major benefit to businesses and organisations.
NEW DATABASE PRODUCTS: SOCIAL SCIENCE, HUMANITIES, NEWS AND GENERAL (ISSUE 10)
Authors: Williams Martha E. , Bargard Daniel E.
Published: January 2008

This is the tenth article on social science, humanities, news and general databases in a continuing series of articles summarising and commenting on new database products. There are two companion articles: one covering science, technology and medicine (STM) appeared in Online & CDROM Review, vol. 21, no. 4 and the other covering business and law (BSL) will appear in Online & CDROM Review, vol. 21, no. 6. The articles are based on the newly appearing database products in the Gale Directory of Databases. The Gale Directory of Databases (GDD) was created in January 1993 by merging Computer‐Readable Databases: A Directory and Data Sourcebook (CRD) together with the Directory of Online Databases (DOD) and the Directory of Portable Databases (DPD).
CLASSIFICATION IN THE MILLENNIUM
Authors: Williamson Nancy J.
Published: January 2008

Classifying classification. ‘Classification’ is a concept that means many different things to many different people. In the world of bibliographic information systems it usually signifies one of the well known universal schemes such as the Dewey Decimal, Library of Congress and Universal Decimal classifications. It also calls up visions of arrangements of books on shelves and/or the ordering of bibliographic entries in files. However, classification is much more than this. Its principles underlie the organisation of the universe and control our ability to function within it. Virtually all types of entities can be classified, be they documents, jobs, museum objects, contents of Web sites, the contents of supermarkets and so on. For the most part, people make use of classification without recognising it or questioning how it comes about. However, the lack of classification in any area affects people's lives and may hinder their ability to satisfy some need or to achieve some goal. Those who must organise these entities are usually fully aware of the need to categorise or classify, whereas uninitiated users may locate and identify an unorganised mass of information and will complain or demand order only at the point at which they recognise that they have a problem in satisfying their needs.
THE BENEFITS OF SEARCHING EMBASE VERSUS MEDLINE FOR PHARMACEUTICAL INFORMATION
Authors: Brown Cecelia M.
Published: January 2008

Searchers often avoid EMBASE due to its high cost compared to MEDLINE. However, this paper demonstrates that when searching for a variety of pharmaceutical information, retrieval from EMBASE is superior to that from MEDLINE. Duplicates were detected, but more unique citations were found in EMBASE than in MEDLINE. An EMBASE searcher has the powerful ability to use specific drug identifiers as well as brand and manufacturer names. The EMBASE record contains additional information about the drug in question that may be utilised for further searching in EMBASE. Although EMBASE's display costs are high when compared to MEDLINE, title displays are free and searching alone is not expensive. Use of DIALOG Web was found to keep the overall costs to a minimum. Employment of these cost savings measures will help the searcher to decide whether the additional drug information gained from the EMBASE record outweighs the elevated cost of its display.
CD‐ROMs — A TRANSIENT MEDIUM?
Authors: Keenan Stella
Published: January 2008

In 1986, according to Task Force Pro Libra (TFPL) data, there were 48 information CD‐ROMs in existence. The phenomenal growth of this outgrowth from the home entertainment music industry has been tracked by TFPL as it has compiled its directories over the past years. The rate of growth can be seen from the following table:
ISSUES FOR THE LATE 1990s AND FUTURE CONCERNS
Authors: Kaser Dick
Published: January 2008

Editor's note: At the 40th Anniversary Conference held in February, 1998, the Executive Directors of NFAIS (National Federation of Abstracting and Information Services) contributed their thoughts on the past, present, and the future. The thoughts of the current Executive Director, which summarize the past decade and look towards the future, seemed very appropriate for this column and are adapted here with his kind permission.