bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The effect of parameter uncertainties on the predictions of a library network model
Authors: Rouse William B. , Rouse Sandra H.
Published: June 2007

A library network model is reviewed and a new derivation of the model is presented that requires fewer assumptions and allows more robust representations of library networks. It is then shown how uncertainty in model parameters, due to estimation on the basis of finite sample sizes, propagates through the model and thereby introduces uncertainty in the model's predictions. Using these results, it is shown how one can determine the appropriate amount of data to collect and/or the appropriate level of aggregation of data.
An empirical examination of Bradford's law and the scattering of scientific literature
Authors: Drott M. Carl , Griffith Belver C.
Published: June 2007

Twenty‐three data sets representing the documents retrieved by a wide variety of searches were examined for correspondence to Bradford's Law. Regression lines fit to the data sets showed all correlations in excess of 0.96. Thus, the fitted line, as customarily specified by slope and intercept, can serve as a good representation of an entire data set. Slope can be shown to be almost entirely determined by the total number of articles retrieved. Over two‐thirds of the variance in the intercept is accounted for by the total number of journal titles retrieved. These findings weigh against earlier speculation that slope and intercept depended on such characteristics as breadth of subject area, topic, time period, or search technique. The findings show that Bradford's Law is the reflection of some underlying process not related to the characteristics of the search mechanism or the nature of the literature. The authors conclude that there is instead a basic probabilistic mechanism underlying the law.
Coping with catastrophe: Implications to information systems design
Authors: Gilchrist Bruce
Published: June 2007

Various kinds of catastrophe which can have disastrous impacts on information systems are discussed. It is argued that an information systems designer must assume that eventually a disaster will occur, and therefore must plan accordingly. Several approaches to disaster recovery are described. In conclusion, five key lessons regarding disasters are given.
Bibliographic references for numeric social science data files: Suggested guidelines
Authors: Dodd Sue A.
Published: June 2007

In the last two decades, private research organizations, government agencies, and foundations have invested heavily in the collection of social science numeric data, contributing to the proliferation of machine‐readable data. However, the development of information technology and the ability to produce data have progressed much more rapidly than our capacity to organize, classify, and reference its availability. There is an immediate need for some type of bibliographic control over MRDF, including guidelines on how to create a proper bibliographic reference. The purpose of this article is twofold: (1) to outline some of the information components associated with social science numeric data files, and (2) to provide guidelines, examples, and a uniform vocabulary for the creation of a bibliographic reference.
Monograph evaluation for acquisitions in a large research library
Authors: Wenger Charles B. , Sweet Christine B. , Stiles Helen J.
Published: June 2007

A computerized method of assisting monograph collection development by correlating circulation with inventory statistics is presented. This technique requires obtaining the library's circulation and inventory on each subject as defined by a call number. A circulation/inventory/time or circulation/inventory ratio is used to identify high‐ and low‐use subject areas directly. These ratios, together with inventory data, may be obtained both for recent periods (up to one year), which will indicate changes in current information needs, and for more stable, long‐term periods (1976 to date). High and low values are then defined by the library for inventory, circulation, and a circulation/inventory ratio according to budget and manpower restrictions. Data are used to identify subject areas in which (1) the collection is strong but more books should be purchased; (2) more books on similar subjects should be purchased; (3) the collection is adequate; (4) purchases should be minimized for some time period—perhaps a year; (5) the collection is large but weak. These data can also be used to obtain computer recommendations for the total number of monographs to be purchased as well as their subject distribution.
Microfilm permanence and archival quality
Authors: Avedon Don M. , Devilliers Ann M.
Published: June 2007

This article attempts to clarify what it means to have archivally permanent microfilm. Archival permanence is defined and the standards which specify the criteria for the film, the processing, and the storage required to maintain archival permanence are outlined.
Searching the chemical literature via three on‐line vendors: A comparison
Authors: Ross Johanna C.
Published: June 2007

Nine chemistry searches were statistically selected to be run on three commercial data‐base vendor files: SDC, BRS, and LRS. Each vendor has the CACon file, but software used for access and the method of loading the files differ. Only LRS has CASIA, the controlled vocabulary portion of the CA machine‐readable file. Performance was not markedly different for general‐subject searches, but costs varied. When the chemical registry number was used in the CASIA file for specific chemical compound searches, more relevant citations were retrieved, but at increased cost and with lower precision.
Bradford distribution of data elements
Authors: Marulli Luciana , Koenig Michael E. D.
Published: June 2007

An examination of the occurrence of data elements within the various indexes and bibliographies produced by the 15 intergovernmental organizations of the United Nations system revealed a classic Bradford distribution. Interestingly, in this case the data is the number of types, not tokens. Implications for bibliographic unification are discussed.
The importance of SDI for current awareness in fields with severe scatter of information
Authors: Packer Katherine H. , Soergel Dagobert
Published: June 2007

Scope: The purpose of this study was to explore the use and effectiveness of current awareness (CA) methods, especially SDI, among chemists at Canadian universities. Method: We used a questionnaire which was mailed to a sample of 170 (response rate 80%). The variables studied include perceived scatter of information, use of various CA methods, time spent on CA, perceived success in CA, and CA efficiency = success/time spent. The results of this explanatory study are tentative. Major results: Keeping up‐to‐date is more difficult in specialties with high scatter of information (hypothesis 5). SDI seems to be the only method capable of counteracting scatter (hypotheses 5–7). In contrast, if scatter is low, SDI use decreases CA efficiency (hypothesis 6a); scanning journals, the most prevalent CA method, seems to be sufficient for low‐scatter specialties. High scatter does not lead to increased SDI use, in some cases due to perceived difficulty of profile construction (hypothesis 3a). Conclusions: SDI services should concentrate efforts on serving scientists in specialties with high scatter of information by developing systems that are capable of searching across conventional disciplines and specialties, by providing assistance in profile development, and by conducting a marketing campaign directed toward these scientists.
The cybernetics of bibliographic control: Toward a theory of document retrieval systems
Authors: Wellisch Hans H.
Published: June 2007

The concept of bibliographic control (BC) is explored from its origin to its development into Universal Bibliographic Control (UBC). It is analyzed as to its functions and operations, namely (a) the form‐oriented or descriptive function, (b) the transcription of descriptive data onto a document surrogate, (c) the sequential ordering of these surrogates, and (d) the content‐oriented or exploitative function. It is shown that as a control system, BC is subject to the laws of cybernetics. Only the descriptive, transcriptive, and ordering functions of a BC system can be subjected to full control governed by generally applicable rules, while the content‐oriented retrieval function, being based on subjective judgments of relevance by indexers and ultimate users, are not completely controllable. The attainable limits of BC and UBC can thus be established.
Automated indexing versus kwoc: A performance comparison
Authors: Burress Elaine P.
Published: June 2007

The retrieval performance of a technique for automated indexing using a controlled vocabulary (machine‐aided indexing) is compared with that of a Key Word Out of Context Index (KWOC). Twenty subject searches were performed using a data base of 635 summaries of Defense management data. Results show an average recall measurement of 0.73 for machine‐aided indexing and 0.79 for the KWOC index. The average relevance measurements were 0.62 for machineaided indexing and 0.60 for the KWOC index.
A progress report on information privacy and data security
Authors: Salton Gerard
Published: June 2007

The role and importance of information privacy in the modern society are briefly described. A number of recent law cases are then examined to illustrate how privacy cases are currently being adjudicated in the United States and to identify the limits of currently available privacy protection. Finally, certain issues are raised regarding the available techniques for insuring data confidentiality and security.
The distribution of scientific productivity and social change
Authors: Rao I. K. Ravichandra
Published: June 2007

Results in the literature concerning the probability that an author publishes r articles in time t are reexamined, and it is found that a negative binomial distribution fits scientific productivity data (by the chi‐squared goodness‐of‐fit test) better than many other distributions such as geometric, logarithmic, zeta, cumulative advantage, etc. It is shown analytically that the negative binomial distribution describes a pattern of scientific productivity under the “success‐breeds‐success” condition in a wide variety of social circumstances.
Comparing Psychological abstracts and Index medicus For coverage of the journal literature in a subject area in psychology
Authors: Smalley Topsy N.
Published: June 2007

The journal literature on a subject area in psychology—operant conditioning—as indexed in the 1978 issues of Psychological Abstracts (PA) and Index Medicus (IM) is compared. Considerable overlap is found for this subject in the coverage of journal titles by the two indexing tools, but use of both is necessary to assure a comprehensive search. The extent of overlap corresponds closely with the findings of the Bearman‐Kunberger overlap study. Considerable differences between PA and IM in their recency of coverage of the literature are found. Core journals for articles on operant conditioning are identified. Scattering of the articles among journal titles is found to conform to Bradford's law.
An examination of differences between two studies of highly cited old papers
Authors: Hurt C. D.
Published: June 2007

Reported differences in summary data between two studies dealing with the citation of old papers are examined. No statistically significant differences were discovered using a t test of means and a liberal type I error level. The practical versus the statistical significance of examining extremely small differences between the two means of the two studies is discussed and an estimator of the size of effect being tested for is computed.
The technology of library and information networks
Authors: Epstein Hank
Published: June 2007

Current online library network technology is described, including the physical and functional aspects of networks. Three types of networks are distinguished: search service (e.g., SDC, Lockheed), customized service that provide bibliographic files (e.g., OCLC, Inc., RLIN), and service center (e.g., NELINET, INCOLSA). It is predicted that as technology evolves more services will be provided outside the library directly to the user through his home or office.
Information flow and analysis: Theory, simulation, and experiments. I. Basic theoretical and conceptual development
Authors: Yovits M. C. , Foulk C. R. , Rose L. L.
Published: June 2007

This series of articles describes research which has been underway at The Ohio State University in an effort to develop a fundamental and general theory of information flow and analysis. More specifically, the research attempts to (1) identify and quantify important variables and parameters in the information flow process; (2) establish relationships among these variables; (3) apply the theory to practical situations and to examine the resulting implications; and (4) develop models, both simulation and experimental, to utilize and validate the theory. The basis for our work treats information as data of value in decision‐making. This, in turn, leads to a powerful model of a Generalized Information System. We have now made considerable progress and have developed the basic elements comprising a generalized theory. In particular, we have been able to establish quantitative definitions for and relationships among: quantity of information, value of information, effectiveness of information, decision‐maker effectiveness, decision‐maker performance, and other terms. By dealing with “average” decision‐makers, we establish unique relationships for specific decision situations. Typical relationships and curves are presented in the articles. We describe a flexible, sophisticated simulation model which permits the examination of the interrelationship between information and decision‐making for a wide variety of different situations. We present detailed simulation results for two specific examples‐a typical farmer and a mathematical example. We describe prototype experiments which place human decision‐makers in an interactive decision‐making situation. We are able to obtain data on their decision‐making behavior in the light of our conceptual model. Preliminary analysis of the data is described.
The management and social science literatures: An interdisciplinary cross‐citation analysis
Authors: Neeley James D.
Published: June 2007

A method is proposed for measuring interdisciplinary relations in scientific literature based on cross citation among core journals empirically selected on the basis of use and importance. The method is used to test hypotheses derived from a bibliometric definition of interdisciplinarity among the management and social science literatures. The results reveal that the management literature is dependent on the social sciences, that it is more dependent on them than vice versa, and that it is more dependent on them than they are on each other.
Examining design assumptions for an information retrieval service: SDI use for scientific and technical databases
Authors: Cole Elliot
Published: June 2007

This is a failure analysis for the SDI system. The study examined some of the assumptions which underlie the design of SDI systems: the context of use, the activities supported by SDI‐based information, and characteristics which made documents useful. It was found that the design assumptions underlying the system were not appropriate for the user community. This finding may help explain why SDI has been adopted by such a small percentage of the users it was designed to serve. However, this information tool is well suited for a broader population than that intended two decades ago. While SDI remains a valuable system, attaining a higher level of usage is likely to require changes in outreach and related activities of the service providers.
Similarity measures for boolean search request formulations
Authors: Radecki Tadeusz
Published: June 2007

The aim of this article is to propose a means of determining the similarity between search request formulations, which are Boolean combinations of descriptors. The similarity measures introduced can be used to cluster Boolean search request formulations. The search request formulation clusters can in turn be utilized in methods for clustering document representations. The initiation of the work on the methodology for determining similarity measures for Boolean search request formulations has been encouraged by hitherto performed experimental research into information retrieval systems with search request formulations in the form of sets of certain descriptors, i.e., in the same form as document representations. These experiments have shown a preponderance of those methods for clustering document representations that use previously formed clusters of search request formulations. We can expect that by using the proposed methodology for determining the similarity between Boolean combinations of descriptors, we might obtain similar results for the case of Boolean search request formulations. The introductory part of the article provides the background for undertaking the research reported. The underlying notions are then presented, and the proposed measures of similarity between Boolean search request formulations are justified and illustrated by examples. In addition, some experimental results concerning the suggested similarity measures are given.
Information resources as “Goods” in the life cycle of information production
Authors: Levitan Karen B.
Published: June 2007

This article addresses the importance of information resources in the foundation of an information‐ and knowledge‐based society and aims to encourage research in this area. An information resource is defined as a stock of information that has been societally institutionalized for reuse by one or many classes of users. An information‐based society depends on information production for its overall welfare, but information production requires continuous reuse of information, and therein lies the dependence of such a society on its information resources. After a review of definitions and models of information production, a life cycle model is presented as a way to clarify and conceptualize information resources. The life cycle phases consist of generation, institutionalization, maintenance, enhancement, and distribution. An information resource stands at the midpoint of the life cycle, integrating and coordinating the various actors and activities of these phases. The article attempts to show that information resources as economic “goods” do not reflect the assumptions on which economic models have been built in the past because they involve nonlinear, nonequilibrium, evolutionary processes. Various types of research are needed to disaggregate the economic and institutional infrastructures of information resources.
Printer's Devil and reprint requests
Authors: Onuigbo Wilson I. B.
Published: June 2007

Printing errors may creep into reprint requests. This affected my papers on Joseph Coats in the Scottish Medical Journal and on childhood cancer in the Medical Journal of Australia. Thus, their titles, as listed in Current Contents, were afflicted by the printer's devil and thereby contained respectively one insertion and one deletion error. Analysis of the faulty requests revealed that as high as 85% displayed each error printed in Current Contents. Furthermore, fully 53% of all requests were from the United States. Both trends are of interest in the field of information science.
Duplication of japanese names: a problem in citations and bibliographies
Authors: Cornell Laurel L.
Published: June 2007

Authors with Japanese surnames are needlessly confused with each other in citations and bibliographies because their names are extensively duplicated. This report examines the amount of duplication and proposes reducing it by mechanical derivation of middle initials.
The effect of subject matter on the automatic indexing of full text
Authors: Rowbottom Mary E. , Willett Peter
Published: June 2007

A recently suggested method for the automatic indexing of full text is applied to extracts from the Brown Corpus. Scientific and technological extracts are found to give rise to a much larger number of index terms than humanities and social science extracts. These results would appear to arise from differences in the word frequency distributions for each type of subject.
A perspective on secondary access services in the humanities
Authors: Mackesy Eileen M.
Published: June 2007

Secondary access services for the humanities have been in existence since 1910 and six of these indexes are also now available for online searching. Profiles of these services are drawn from information supplied either by their editors or from available literature. The evolution of some of these services from print to online availability is discussed as are the user and database characteristics which make humanists reluctant to use these services in their machine‐readable forms. The resulting lack of use of humanities databases is discussed as are the marketing responsibilities of both vendors and producers. The current state of the humanities database producers' view of themselves as a unique group with unique problems and concerns and current trends toward standardization in humanities databases are reviewed.
Some reflections on federal policy for secondary information systems and services, 1945–1981
Authors: Berninger Douglas E.
Published: June 2007

This article comments on Federal policies for secondary information systems and services since World War II. Federal policies have encouraged the development of in‐house systems and services, integrated with approved missions and purposes of government. Policies have encouraged agencies and departments to use secondary systems and services based in the private sector, but have become less supportive of the development of such systems and services. Federal policymaking is highly decentralized. Policy decisions are made within a political framework, but are often triggered by opportunities to apply (and control) new information technologies.
Marketing secondary information products and services
Authors: King Donald W.
Published: June 2007

Even though information products and services are like consumer products and services in many respects, there is little in the literature about their marketing. This is true for both the information and the marketing field. Yet, aspects of information products and services marketing are extremely interesting and challenging. Some of those aspects discussed in this article are the components of marketing (i.e., consumer market, new product development, sales, advertising and promotion, packaging, channels of distribution, pricing and marketing research), how information products and services relate to those components, and the pricing of multiple products produced from a bibliographic database.
The emergence and role of common interest groups in secondary information
Authors: Granick Lois W.
Published: June 2007

Four common interest groups, whose members are organizations engaged in some aspect of secondary information activity, are examined in terms of the circumstances giving rise to their formation; a historical profile of each is included. Specifically, the International Council of Scientific Unions Abstracting Board (ICSUAB), the National Federation of Abstracting and Indexing Services (NFAIS), the Information Industry Association (IIA), and the Association of Information and Dissemination Centers (ASIDIC) are discussed. These groups have played crucial roles in the development of an American information awareness, in influencing the direction taken by this segment of the information community, and in affecting the economic growth of hundreds of organizations.
Adaptive system: The study of information, pattern, and behavior
Authors: Strong Gary W.
Published: June 2007

Even though the word “information” has a number of different meanings, most scientific conceptions of information are unidimensional and quantitative. Such information concepts ignore the major issues of information processing in adaptive systems. A brief look at the information processing requirements of adaptive systems (focusing upon humans) suggests the existence of another dimension of information—that having to do with behavior and thus with pattern.
Question generation and formulation: An indication of information need
Authors: Home Esther E.
Published: June 2007

A methodology is developed and applied to a data collection consisting of questions in order to discern the nature of the cognitive need “to know”: the information need. The experimental design for the generation and formulation of questions was achieved by means of a “closed” problem situation. A “closed” problem situation has within it sufficient and available data with which to reach solution of said problem. The question is an observable behavioral act which reflects information need. Because it is a hypothetical construct, information need had to be operationalized indirectly via the question as the dependent variable and the data input as the independent variable. The varying of this independent variable was achieved by partitioning the “closed” problem. Two experimental hypotheses guided this methodology for a “closed” problem situation: H1 where the number of questions generated varies directly as the Information need varies, and H2 where the number of questions generated varies inversely as the data input varies. The results of the statistical analysis supported the indicated trend to decreasing questioning activity as the data input rose. The results of the linguistic analysis revealed a consistent question formulation pattern between the two “closed” problems. Thus it follows in theory that the nature of information need can be discerned indirectly through question generation and formulation.
Exploiting the maximum entropy principle to increase retrieval effectiveness
Authors: Cooper William S.
Published: June 2007

Several of the drawbacks of conventional information retrieval systems can be overcome by a design approach in which queries consist of sets of terms, either unweighted or weighted with subjective term precision estimates, and retrieval outputs are ranked by probability of usefulness estimated in accordance with the so‐called “maximum entropy principle.” A system organized along these lines combines the convenience of a simple input language with a powerful probabilistic inference mechanism capable of exploiting kinds of statistical clues not ordinarily used in systems of traditional design. The sensitivity of the maximum entropy principle to the frequencies and joint frequencies with which terms have been assigned to documents in the collection results in a system design of increased power and expressiveness without a concomitant increase in the complexity of the request language. It incorporates the more important search capabilities of both Boolean and conventional weighted‐request languages and facilitates the use of unconventional search clues.
Developing academic library decision support systems
Authors: Chorba Ronald W. , Bommer Michael R. W.
Published: June 2007

This article describes an approach to designing decision support systems (DSSs) for academic library management. A DSS should be tailored to the unique task environment and individual preferences of a particular manager. Such a system extends the decision‐making capabilities of a manager by supplementing judgment and experience with computer technology. The development of a DSS for academic libraries, which enables a manager to retrieve profiles of user productivity, resource utilization, and resource availability is explored. A database schema is presented which relates various database components for management reporting. Finally, consideration is given to implementing the user productivity, resource utilization, and resource availability subsystems in progressive stages.
The effect of personal, professional, and psychological attributes, and information seeking behavior on the use of information sources by educators
Authors: Summers Edward G. , Matheson Joyce , Conry Robert
Published: June 2007

Current research on information retrieval suggests that greater attention be given to the study of information habits and needs of users of information. It has also been suggested that the user be viewed more broadly as existing within interacting cognitive, emotional, and social systems. In this study it was hypothesized that (1) 13 sources of information would cluster into several distinct types; (2) information source use by a random sample of educational practitioners in British Columbia, Canada (n = 1078) could be predicted by position, education level, experience, dissemination habits, attitude toward information, and sense of isolation from information; (3) educators would differ in their reaction to a list of 11 desirable characteristics of information; and (4) educators would differ in the extent to which they viewed 10 problems in finding and using information as influencing their work. Findings from a questionnaire analysis revealed that (1) position, dissemination, and attitude were strong predictors of information use, education was a moderate predictor, and experience and isolation accounted for low percentages of the variance; (2) information sources clustered into three orthogonal factors: close at hand traditional sources, less accessible print sources, and organized interpersonal sources; (3) all 11 characteristics of information were considered relatively important with attitude toward information strongly influencing responses; and (4) respondents did not generally feel that the 10 problems posed significant barriers in their use of information. The findings of the study offer support for the notion that information source use by educators is the result of a complex set of interactions among variables and examination of the interaction of personal, professional, and psychological attributes of users provides a useful beginning in understanding the dimensions influencing the use of information sources.
Electronics, the cost disease, and the operation of libraries
Authors: Baumol William J. , Blackman Sue Anne Batey
Published: June 2007

This article analyzes the prospects for costs of computerized operation of libraries relative to costs of more conventional operation. Conventional library operation is labor intensive and not readily amenable to cumulative increases in labor productivity. This helps to explain the rapid and cumulative rise in cost per volume and/or student served relative to the rise in the economy's price level during the earlier postwar period. Because the price of computer hardware has been falling at a spectacular rate, it has been expected that computerized operation of libraries would become increasingly inexpensive relative to conventional procedures. Yet the evidence indicates that such a differential has not materialized. It is shown why the costs of computerized operation should in fact not be expected to fall along with the price of computer hardware. The reason is that the very decline in computer hardware prices has increased the share of software and other labor‐intensive activities in the total budget of computer operation. The implications of this relationship for library operations are analyzed.
Human communication needs and organizational productivity: The potential impact of office automation
Authors: Culnan Mary J. , Bair James H.
Published: June 2007

Much of what white collar workers do In offices Is communication‐related. White collar workers make up the majority of the labor force in the United States today and the majority of current labor costs. Because office automation represents more productive structured techniques for handling both written and oral communication, office automation therefore offers the potential to make organizations more productive by improving organizational communication. This article: (1) defines communication, (2) Identifies the potential benefits to be realized from implementing office automation, and (3) offers caveats related to the implementation of office automation systems. Realization of the benefits of office automation depends upon the degree to which new modes of communication may be successfully substituted for traditional modes.
Old and new models for office automation
Authors: Cole Elliot
Published: June 2007

The emerging generation of office automation systems combines new and existing software and procedures. While managers may be able to select from a broad array of software tools, they may also be required to use certain others. This article discusses organization design as the context for office automation; mature computer‐based systems as one application of organization design variables; and emerging office automation systems as another application of those variables. The article concludes that Management Information System models developed for mature systems may be helpful where the use of software application is required for the individual worker; diffusion of innovation models recently developed for computing systems may be helpful where the type of software is optional for the Individual worker.
Possible impact of electronic publishing on abstracting and indexing
Authors: Price Douglas S.
Published: June 2007

The following discussion is based upon the assumption that in the future, a substantial portion of scholarly material will be published only‐or at least primarily‐in electronic form. I will not attempt to predict a date or estimate the proportion, but electronic publishing of scholarly articles will certainly become significant in the not‐to‐distant future. When it does, there will be some interesting ramifications, which I have not seen discussed previously. It is to these I am addressing this discussion.
Document clustering, using macro retrieval techniques
Authors: Kochtanek Thomas R.
Published: June 2007

An algorithmic approach for generating a loosely structured set of documents based upon references and citations is described and initially tested. The technique is based upon a small subset (or single relevant document) of known relevant docuemnts which form the basis of the network of structured references and citations. Suggestions for improvement and refinement point out potentially ripe research avenues for investigating the indentification of relevant docuemnts pertaining to emerging interdisciplinary subject areas.
Response time variations in an online search system
Authors: Cooper Michael D.
Published: June 2007

The response time characteristics of the National Library of Medicine's (NLM) ELHILL bibliographic search system are examined in this article. Transactions for a five‐week period are analyzed and average response times are calculated for typical search commands, by tlme of day, and by file belng searched. Overall, the response tlme of the system was found to be 2.1 seconds, a very low value. Based on statistical tests of significance applied to the data, it was concluded that response tlme differences can be explained in terms of the number of users on the system and not the command issued by the user nor the file the user searched.
Instructional videodisc
Authors: Kearsley Greg
Published: June 2007

In the relatively few years since videodisc has been commercially available, a large variety of instructional applications have been explored. Three major facets of videodisc have been pursued in these applications: its potential for multimedia storage, its capability to pro vide interactive instruction, and its characteristics as an electronic media bridging old and new information technologies. This article reviews projects which have examined these different aspects and discusses the theoretical and practical issues associated with the current and future use of videodisc for instruction.
Retrieving information with interactive videodiscs
Authors: Sustik Joan M. , Brooks Terrence A.
Published: June 2007

Although early interest in videodiscs focused on their storage capaclty and rapid access to all types of visual and auditory data, the ultimate success of interactive videodiscs may well lie in their Capabilities as tools of information retrieval. The authors describe applications which may unfold in a variety of settings using videodiscs with online databases, identify underlying technical capabilities, and discuss five operations required to implement any application: (1) coordinatlng diverse formats: (2) indexing; (3) physically arranging items on the disc: (4) designing input, search, and output; and (5) modifying the system.
Less than full‐text indexing using a non‐boolean searching model
Authors: Cleveland Donald B. , Cleveland Ana D. , Wise Olga B.
Published: June 2007

The relative effectiveness of indexing using full‐text or less than full‐text was tested using a non‐Boolean, chaining type of file structure and searching method. Indexing was done using titles, abstracts, full‐text, references, and various combinations of these surrogates and then Goffman's indirect method of information retrieval was used to structure and search the file. The database consisted of 733 documents and 38 queries were searched. The hypothesis of the study was that by using a particular non‐Boolean method as a file structuring and searching technique, full‐text indexing is not essential to optimum information retrieval effectiveness. The outcome of the study was positive.
Application of modern technologies to interlibrary resource‐sharing networks
Authors: Reintjes J. Francis
Published: June 2007

Examined in this article is the hypothesis that it is now technologically and economically feasible to move the content of documents electronically among nodes of a library network rather than the documents themselves or photocopies thereof. Comparisons are made on the basis of response‐to‐request time, quality of reproduced copy and cost factors. The conclusion is reached that electronic interlibrary resource‐sharing networks are ideally suited to situations where there are high‐frequency occurrences of internode requests for information contained in serials, where nodal separation distances do not exceed a few tens of miles and where copy is in six‐point type or larger. A three‐node network is examined in detail. Specifications for each element of the network are given, with emphasis placed on a highly critical element, the bound‐document scanner. The results of an economic study of interlibrary electronic networks are also presented.
Dictionary making by conference and committee: NACA and the American Aeronautical Language, 1916–1934
Authors: Johns Gerald
Published: June 2007

The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics issued seven reports on aeronautical nomenclature between 1916 and 1934. A lively American aeronautical language was being used in almost every report, technical note, or memorandum NACA issued except in those seven entitled Nomenclature for Aeronautics. The committees and conferences of NACA, interested in asserting authority in aeronautical matters, never approached flight terminology by surveying the words they chose; they prescribed the terms usually without correctly describing them. Because they appeared authoritative, NACA's definitions were in many dictionaries, but they were almost always augmented by additional entries more apt and applicable to the growing American aeronautical language of the 1920s and the 1930s.
Information seeking expressions of users
Authors: Derr Richard L.
Published: June 2007

Five types of information seeking expressions of users are identified by an analysis of a sample of such expressions and of analogous expressions in another social context. The treatment of these expressions in the literature of information retrieval iFive types of information seeking expressions of users are identified by an analysis of a sample of such expressions and of analogous expressions in another social context. The treatment of these expressions in the literature of information retrieval iFive types of information seeking expressions of users are identified by an analysis of a sample of such expressions and of analogous expressions in another social context. The treatment of these expressions in the literature of information retrieval iFive types of information seeking expressions of users are identified by an analysis of a sample of such expressions and of analogous expressions in another social context. The treatment of these expressions in the literature of information retrieval is reviewed. Two recommendations are offered: (1) information specialists should call questions “questions,” requests “requests,” statements “statements,” commands “commands,” and truncated expressions “truncated expressions,” and (2) both the search interview and the search itself should focus upon user questio requests “requests,” statements “statements,” commands “commands,” and truncated expressions “truncated expressions,” and (2) both the search interview and the search itself should requests “requests,” statements “statements,” commands “commands,” and truncated expressions “truncated expressions,” and (2) both the search interview and the search itself should requests “requests,” statements “statements,” commands “commands,” and truncated expressions “truncated expressions,” and (2) both the search interview and the search itself should focus upon user questions.
A note on the use of nearest neighbors for implementing single linkage document classifications
Authors: Willett Peter
Published: June 2007

Best match search algorithms provide an efficient means of identifying the sets of nearest neighbors for each of the documents in a collection. These sets contain much of the important similarity data contained in a full interdocument similarity matrix and may be used for the generation of hierarchic document classifications, such as those arising from the use of the single linkage clustering method. Cluster based retrieval experiments based upon such classifications are shown to give results that are comparable in effectiveness with those obtained using the full similarity matrix.
A visit to the Wasteland of federal scientific and technical information policy
Authors: Aines Andrew A.
Published: June 2007

Long before the appearance of the Reagan Administration, whose expressed policy was and is the reduction of the Federal Government in all areas save national security, there has been what is almost a precipitous retreat from overall planning and management of Federal scientific and technical information. The exodus got underway during the Nixon Administration in the early 1970s, a few years before the science apparatus was banished from the White House by a president who became disenchanted with scientists, if not science. The problem was that the stiff‐necked men of science refused to bow down before the idols of political expediency.
A fuzzy set theory approach to periodical binding decisions
Authors: Turner Stephen J. , O'Brien Gregory
Published: June 2007

An avenue of approach for applications of fuzzy set theory in the context of journal binding decisions is examined. Results of data analysis on 470 titles illustrate the complexity and limitations of the modeling process. Discriminant analysis and simple membership function approximations based 235 titles are used to construct a model which is then applied to the remaining 235 titles. Findings and implications are discussed.
Testing of a natural language retrieval system for a full text knowledge base
Authors: Bernstein Lionel M. , Williamson Robert E.
Published: June 2007

“A Navigator of Natural Language Organized Data” (ANNOD) is a retrieval system which combines use of probabilistic, linguistic, and empirical means to rank individual paragraphs of full text for their similarity to natural language queries proposed by users. ANNOD includes common word deletion, word root isolation, query expansion by a thesaurus, and application of a complex empirical matching (ranking) algorithm. The Hepatitis Knowledge Base, the text of a prototype information system, was the file used for testing ANNOD. Responses to a series of users' unrestricted natural language queries were evaluated by three testers. Information needed to answer 85 to 95‰ of the queries was located and displayed in the first few selected paragraphs. It was successful in locating information in both the classified (listed in Table of Contents) and unclassified portions of text. Development of this retrieval system resulted from the complementarity of and interaction between computer science and medical domain expert knowledge. Extension of these techniques to larger knowledge bases is needed to clarify their proper role.
Two partitioning type clustering algorithms
Authors: Can Fazli , Ozkarahan Esen A.
Published: June 2007

In this article, two partitioning type clustering algorithms are presented. Both algorithms use the same method for selecting cluster seeds; however, assignment of documents to the seeds is different. The first algorithm uses a new concept called “cover coefficient,” and it is a single‐pass algorithm. The second one uses a conventional measure for document assignment to the cluster seeds and is a multipass algorithm. The concept of clustering, a model for seed oriented partitioning, the new centroid generation approach, and an illustration for both algorithms are also presented in the article.
Natural language processing
Authors: Grishman Ralph
Published: June 2007

Natural language processing has two primary roles to play in the storage and retrieval of large bodies of information: providing a friendly, easily‐learned interface to information retrieval systems, and automatically structuring texts so that their information can be more easily processed and retrieved. This article outlines the organization of a natural language interface for data retrieval (a “question—answering system”) and some of the approaches being taken to text structuring. It closes by describing a few of the research issues in computational linguistics and a possibility for using interactive natural language processing for information acquisition.
The effect of spatial arrangement, upper‐lower case letter combinations, and reverse video on patron response to CRT displayed catalog records
Authors: Fryser Benjamin S. , Stirling Keith H.
Published: June 2007

Using the paired comparison technique, each of 340 library patrons evaluated two versions of a single bibliographic record displayed on an ADDS Regent CRT. One display represented the standard, Library of Congress (LC) format, the other represented one of 15 variations in format of the same title. Both the sequence and selection of the two displays were randomized. The reaction time of the patrons to locating selected bibliographic elements and their ratings of the displays with respect to (a) readability, (b) logical arrangement of data, (c) pleasibility, and (d) overall preference were analyzed. Overall preference for a display was positively correlated with response time (rs = 0.67) for locating a specific field within the record. Analysis of variance indicated that preferences were primarily influenced by the spatial arrangement of the displays with both the side heading label and underlining being preferred over the LC forms. Generally, the patrons preferred the use of a combination of upper and lower case letters to the exclusive use of lower case letters only. Differences between upper and lower case letter combinations and upper case only letters were not statistically significant for all criterion variables. No statistical significance existed regarding black characters on a white background or the reverse situation.