bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Automated systems in Australian libraries: a 1987 perspective
Authors: Henty Colin Steele Margaret
Published: February 2008

A survey was conducted in the second half of 1987 as to the state of automated systems in major Australian tertiary national and state libraries. An almost 100% response rate has enabled a comprehensive overview to be obtained. The survey proves that Australia has many similarities to other countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States, notably in the increasing purchase by institutions of integrated proprietary systems. Trends in commercial vendor success and related issues are discussed. Clearly in many instances such trends for Australia also set a pattern for other Australasian countries.
An Interactive videodisc project: a case study from the Technical Research Centre of Finland
Authors: Nurminen Anneli Heimbürger Riitta , Lehto Mervi
Published: February 2008

At the Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT), an interactive videodisc project was carried out in order to gain experience in videodisc technology and its usefulness for information delivery purposes. The disc ‘Optical data storage and the construction industry’ was produced by the urban planning and building design laboratory. Off‐the‐shelf videodisc products available in Finland were investigated by the Information Service of VTT in order to find the most efficient and versatile Hardwareand software combination. The Information Service also took care of the disc programming. This article looks at the characteristics of optical discs in general and videodiscs in particular. The interactive videodisc system Hardwareand software and the disc production process are described. Guidelines are provided for videodisc designing and production with the needs of libraries and information services in mind.
Electronic bulletin board in a University Library — The University of Minnesota experience
Authors: Grosch Audrey N.
Published: February 2008

For almost a decade, some libraries have offered access to electronic bulletin boards (Bulletin Board System, or BBS) for a variety of community service purposes. Public libraries, in particular, have been at the forefront of this development. Patrick Dewey has documented the BBS development he pioneered at the North‐Pulaski public library and other activity in this field.
JANET and the Librarian
Authors: Buxton Andrew
Published: February 2008

JANET(the Joint Academic Network) is a wide‐area network linking together computers and users in British universities, polytechnics, establishments of the research councils, and the British Library. It provides for interactive working, file transfer, electronic mail and job transfer. Online access is possible to many catalogues of university and polytechnic libraries, the British Library's BLAISE‐LINE and ARTel services, and various bibliographic and numeric databases held on university computers. Users registered for electronic mail can use Janet to send this kind of mail to other sites in Britain, or overseas through the EARN, BITNET, and NORTHNET combined network. There are two‐way gateways between Janet and British Telecom network PDN, allowing access to commercial online hosts in Great Britain or overseas. These gateways can provide a faster and cheaper alternative to dial‐up use of PDN.
The construction of hypertext documents and databases
Authors: McKnight John Cliff , Dillon Richardson Andrew
Published: February 2008

The availability of powerful desktop microcomputers has meant that the ideas underlying hypertext can now be implemented in readily available software packages. However, despite the fact that many writers on the subject assume that hypertext removes the reader/author distinction, it appears that, for a variety of reasons, many people will access hypertext documents in ‘read‐only’ form. The present paper discusses the implications of this for authors of hypertext documents. The creation of a hypertext version of a journal article, and the way in which a hypertext database of such articles is being constructed, is described.
Maggie's Place III: An electronic library revisited
Authors: Larsen Gitte
Published: February 2008

Maggie's Place is the name of the Pikes Peak public library situated at the foot of the beautiful Pikes Peak mountain in Colorado Springs, USA. During the last decade the library has received attention from people all over the world within the library sector because it became one of the first fully automated public libraries in the world. My curiosity had been aroused by reading the book ‘The Electronic Library’, written by Kenneth Dowlin who was Director from 1976–1988, as well as other papers and articles about Maggie's Place. Even if we have well‐developed automated systems for most library routines in many Scandinavian libraries and are running many experiments with the aim of increasing the use of new technologies in more library services, this library seemed from the descriptions to be worth visiting. I got the opportunity in June this year—and I wasn't disappointed. The architecture and internal Fittings of the new main library, The East Library and Information Centre, opened to the public in 1987, are magnificent.
Towards an electronic information service
Authors: Repo Aatto J.
Published: February 2008

Advances in information technology have made it economically feasible to automate small information services and libraries. From single applications interest is shifting to the integrated support of various functions. The main focus at the technical level is on workstations for information professionals and on the communications tools needed such as local area networks (LANs), and interfaces to various external systems. Application software packages are needed for this integration.
Requirements for a user‐friendly OPAC
Authors: Fokker Dirk W.
Published: February 2008

Online public access catalogues (OPACs) are an outcome of library computerisation and online information retrieval systems. With the computerised search system provided by the library, users can access the catalogue on their own from a terminal allocated for public use. However, a large variety of these systems are available. Requirements which enhance user‐friendliness and ease of use are discussed. These requirements have been collected from the literature as well as practical experience with an inhouse designed Opac. The requirements indicate that users and their needs regarding the catalogue should play a more prominent role in the design or choice of an Opac in a specific library.
Using dBase III for self‐help information services
Authors: Hopson Jean B. , Yeung Jimmy T.
Published: February 2008

Small, specialized libraries are often unable to provide reference assistance at all hours the library is open. A means was sought to give MBA students guidance in locating standard kinds of management information at hours when librarians are not on duty. For this purpose, a self‐help program was written and installed on an IBM PC which allows users to access frequently‐used sources of information. The program is both a menu‐driven text generator and a database file written first in dBase II, later converted to dBase III+. The program provides the user a hierarchical series of menus from which options are selected to identify sources of specific information of a corporate nature, materials on reserve for class preparation, and items useful for career development. General information regarding the library is also included and serial holdings are now being added.
Image processing and page presentation: part 1
Authors: Cawkell A.E.
Published: February 2008

A brief history of image (page) processing is provided, followed by an explanation of certain basic parameters such as resolution, halftones and colour, the quantity of data in high quality pages, and the costs of storing and transmitting it. The article concludes with a note about the increasing power of microcomputers—now widely used for image processing. Although the article is about technology, it is not assumed that readers will be technologists. Certain terms which are often ‘taken as read’ are explained in some detail.
Critical issues in library automation staff training
Authors: Freeman Gretchen , Clement Russell
Published: February 2008

The successful implementation of an automated library system depends on many factors. While systems and libraries vary greatly, an area that can never be overlooked is staff training. By its very nature automation training differs from other types of in‐house library instruction. This article identifies seven critical issues in implementing and maintaining a staff training program. Issues discussed include timing, modularity location, documentation, follow‐up and continuity.
PC Corner
Authors: Roberts Jim
Published: February 2008

Due to the requirements of the publishing business, this column had a due date of 15 February 1989. Normally, I have two months in which to compile the column, but my company closed down for two weeks over the Christmas and New Year period, leaving me with only six weeks' worth of problems. In fact, I came back from leave to find the following interesting note in my electronic mail.
The Oxford English Dictionary on compact disc
Authors: Bowers Richard A.
Published: February 2008

The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is the historical authority on the evolution of the English language. The mammoth work was created over a seventy year period. Originally published in 1928, the Oxford University Press brought out a twelve volume set in 1933, consisting of millions of words describing over 600,000 words of the language.
A union catalogue on CD‐ROM for the scientific community in Milan
Authors: Carlo Dalto Gian
Published: February 2008

In this article the method of construction of the union catalogue system on CD‐ROM for scientific libraries in Milan is described. The characteristics of the system and the reasons for its creation are presented and a normal work session is also illustrated. The first release has already been mastered and has been distributed to all the libraries participating in the project for test evaluation. The results will provide the basis for the second release and definitive version.
Toward contextual sensitivity: approaches to end user instruction in the USA
Authors: Huston Mary M.
Published: February 2008

The evolution of online instruction in the United States has been characterized by increasing sensitivity to the experiential contexts of end users. Two conceptual teaching models are described which recognize and extend end users' existent knowledge. The database model and the network model facilitate end users' interrogation of information retrieval (IR) systems through representation of systems' internal structures and functional outcomes. Evaluation results have shown that these instructional approaches cultivate end‐ users' development of mental models which enable them to make appropriate inferences and predictions during online decision making.
PC Corner
Authors: Roberts Jim
Published: February 2008

I only have one general question this month, but in order to do it justice I will have to use most of the column! For the rest of it I shall talk a bit more about interfaces.
Image processing and page presentation: part 3
Authors: Cawkell A.E.
Published: February 2008

The series continues with a brief review of new conventional hand‐held, and colour scanners, also ‘Frame Grabbers’ for capturing television images. A section about advances in processing speeds follows. Standards for image processing are summarised. The rest of the article is about scanning control software for microcomputer‐based image processing systems and some examples of halftone editing are given; progress and problems with ‘mixed‐mode’ systems are discussed.
The impact of new information technology on users: an engineer's view
Authors: Bay Tseng Lee
Published: February 2008

This paper discusses the unifying effect of information technology and the need for librarians and information scientists to adopt a new approach to information management if they are to satisfy the informational needs of engineers and other professionals for decision support.
Electronic information services in New Zealand
Authors: Coe Graham
Published: February 2008

The National Library of New Zealand hosts the two main public database services in New Zealand, i.e. the New Zealand Bibliographic, which is a database of information about books, with associated library bibliographic support services; and Kiwinet, which is a general database hosting service, concentrating on New Zealand databases. Since it was set up in 1982, the network has grown significantly.
Advances in Hypermedia
Authors: Cawkell Tony
Published: February 2008

A conference entitled ‘Hypertext II’, attended by 200 people (with many on a waiting list), took place at the University of York on 29 and 30 June 1989. Hypertext I, held at the University of Aberdeen in March 1988, yielded ten published papers. This time there were parallel sessions with 18 papers, three symposia with several papers in each, and an exhibition with numerous demonstrations. Ray McAleese, Director of the Teaching Centre at Aberdeen, organised these conferences.
From Memex to MediaMaker
Authors: Cawkell Tony
Published: February 2008

The terms ‘hypermedia’ and ‘multimedia’ have elastic defini‐tions. ‘Multimedia’ is sometimes used to describe single media systems which embody two kinds of information — text and graphics. In this article ‘multimedia’ will be used to refer to systems combining information presentation from several quite different media.
The next computer revolution: wordcrunching
Authors: Rossetto Louis
Published: February 2008

Technologists are fond of sharing their dreams, even with people they don't know. Perhaps you've seen one of them. The President of Apple Computer, John Sculley, had one of his made into a video about a product he envisaged for the next century called the Knowledge Navigator. The dream is not unique to Sculley. Indeed, with a few minor modifications, it may be called the generic language industry dream.
PC Corner
Authors: Roberts Jim
Published: February 2008

My main theme this month was planned to be about Terminate and Stay Residents (TSRs) and other ‘awkward’ programs. It still is in some ways, but the common thread this month is now DESQview. I finish off with a few words about upgrading graphics adaptors and monitors.
The social impact of recent developments in information technology
Authors: Morales Campos Estela
Published: February 2008

The paper discusses the ways in which recent advances in information technology and the greatly increased access to information are changing our lives at work, at home and at school.
Text timesharers: sitting ducks for hungry dogs
Authors: Arnold Stephen
Published: February 2008

My concern this month is with the US timesharing companies — the organizations which brought databases to life and whose principal business is the delivery of information in ASCII to customers. I cannot consider this narrow and specialized class of timesharing companies in a vacuum. It will be more useful to examine their business against the fabric of American business, and then against three interesting, but not‐so‐recent, PC hardware and software engineering applications.
The Electronic Library Manager's Guide to the New Library of Alexandria
Authors: Raitt David
Published: February 2008

Alexandria, in Egypt, was one of the greatest cities in ancient times, and was home to one of the Seven Wonders of the World — the Pharos Lighthouse. Founded by Alexander the Great in 332 BC, it was also home for some seven centuries to one of the world's largest libraries containing some 30,000 books and 700,000 manuscripts on papyrus rolls. Because of its location at the confluence of Europe, Asia and Africa, Alexandria was a melting pot for many different cultures and nationalities.
Producing an LCSH Authority List for special libraries with dBase
Authors: Lazinger Susan S.
Published: February 2008

A simple program in dBase III Plus for an LCSH authority file and printed list for special libraries is presented. The purpose of the file is to provide the user with quick access to all the primary subject headings used in the library and the shelf number assigned to each heading.
CD‐ROM technology in libraries: implications and considerations
Authors: Reese Jean
Published: February 2008

Before libraries make the decision to implement CD‐ROM technology, they must take into account many factors. Deciding to set up CD‐ROM workstations certainly has a financial impact on the library's budget as well as an ongoing impact on staff at the Reference desk. Costs, training staff and end users, hardware compatibility, software concerns, multiple products, and networking are all concerns which will need to be addressed by libraries in their decision to take the plunge into CD‐ROM. This article will address some of these concerns faced by libraries today.
Winning in the 1990s
Authors: Arnold Stephen E.
Published: February 2008

In the US, winning is something of an obsession. Al Neuharth, a modern Machiavelli, built USA Today in the face of the skepticism of fellow publishers, money men, and consultancy slickies. His ‘I told you so’ is a book of secrets called Confessions of an SOB. The SOB, purchasers soon discover, is Mr Neuharth.
Macintosh Potentials
Authors: Welsch Erwin K.
Published: February 2008

Much of library microcomputing was initially concentrated on one platform: the IBM PC and its compatibles or equivalents elsewhere. The world of DOS, the IBM or Microsoft standard Disk Operating System — the ‘DOS C:>Prompt’—that began to dominate in business environments with the introduction of spreadsheet programs such as Lotus 1–2–3, also became a de facto standard librarian‐user interface to the world of information. Presentations at library microcomputer conferences and published descriptions of applications and procedures featured DOS‐based systems. For example, of the more than 3,000 entries in a comprehensive bibliography on the application of microcomputers to library operations published in 1987, fewer than 100 were identified in the index as being done on products of the Apple Corporation of Cupertino, California.
Telecommunications Tutorial ‐ Part 1
Authors: Cawkell A.E.
Published: February 2008

Most people would agree with C.L. Bernier who said that ‘Our entire culture is largely in the hands of obsolescent professionals who are forced unwillingly into ever narrower and counterproductive specialisation’. On the other hand consider this: ‘The spread of information and computer technology… carries with it implications for the location of activities and the development of cities and regions as profound as the spread of railways, roads and electric power’. (John Goddard in the Preface to Mark Hepworth's book Geography of the Information Economy, Belhaven Press, 1989.)
Future prospects for network‐based multimedia information retrieval
Authors: Bulick Stephen
Published: February 2008

This paper asks the reader to consider future information retrieval services that return multimedia documents containing any combination of text, graphics, still raster images, audio, and motion video in response to user queries. It then argues that the emergence of generally available multimedia information services depends on four things: (1) close to ubiquitous high‐bandwidth networks; (2) inexpensive user appliances capable of handling multimedia; (3) adoption of standards for representation, compression, packaging and transport of multimedia information; and (4) development of a corpus of multimedia information and associated infrastructure for organizing and searching it. After some explanation, it asserts that the first three are already happening and expresses reserved optimism about the fourth.
Learning the hard way: a public library's experience with CD‐ROM
Authors: Wiksten Sten
Published: February 2008

At the library in Åkersberga, 35 km north of Stockholm, a project is underway to acquaint the local people with recent developments in information technology. Åkersberga is a town with 26,000 inhabitants, most of them commuters. There are 11 primary schools, and one high school with 1200 pupils. Many of the schools generally use the public library as their school library, and this has had some influence on the CD‐ROM project which has been running at the public library since January 1989.
Disk caches
Authors: Roberts Jim
Published: February 2008

I had planned to write about the new international document standards ODA (Office Document Architecture) and SGML (Standard Generalised Markup Language) since I have been rather involved with these standards recently in terms of which standards meet our particular needs, and which applications actually support these standards. Since this work is ongoing, I finally decided that an article now would be premature. I was then rather at a loss as to the theme for this month's column. Fortunately a couple of loosely related questions arrived on the subject of disks at the same time as several people decided to corrupt a few floppy disks. So the theme for this column is a slightly technical look at disks and some ways to improve the use and avoid misuse of them.
Steering a course with Magellan
Authors: Wilson Tom
Published: February 2008

Lotus Magellan. Three 5.25 inch or two 3.5 inch disks. Loose‐leaf manual and two pamphlets. Available from Lotus Development, Lotus Park, The Causeway, Staines TW18 3AG, England. Telephone: +44 (0)784 455445. Price: £161.00.
Reunion: protean communications
Authors: Roberts Justine
Published: February 2008

The Reunion communications package is designed to take many different forms. A versatile script language and keyboard mapping capabilities allow users to customise the package for specific communications applications. Reunion runs on IBM/PCs, ATs PSI2s and the compatible computers. The package sells for $175 from Linkware Corporation, 319 Littleton Road, Westford, MA 01886, USA. Telephone: +1 (508) 692–9440.
Hit or miss: how librarians find out about new technology
Authors: Klobas Jane E. , Clyde Laurel A.
Published: February 2008

Do librarians feel that it is important to keep up to date with new developments in technology? What means do they use to find out about these new developments, and how effective are those means? These and related issues are considered in this article, in which the authors report on a small‐scale survey of librarians in Western Australia, carried out in 1989. The results suggest that, while the librarians have a strong belief that it is important to keep up to date with information on new technology, they generally adopt the common strategy of simply using readily‐available sources of information.
Satellite television and information access in Australia
Authors: Steele Colin
Published: February 2008

This paper describes the development of satellite television and information access in Australia, principally within Australian higher education institutions. Client groups and basic technologies are overviewed as well as the role of the library in the provision of satellite services.
Japan — a datapower for the decade?
Authors: Arnold Stephen E.
Published: February 2008

Producers of scientific and technical databases received a survey questionnaire early in March 1990. The packet contained a cover letter, an envelope with postage stamps affixed, and a nine‐page survey instrument. What made this survey interesting was the penetrating, almost blunt nature of the questions. Database surveys usually toss powder puffs at the respondent. This survey fires fastballs. An organization answering the ten questions gives the analyst a glimpse of the family jewels and the dirty laundry. One other point: the survey's sponsor was the Japanese government.
Telecommunications Tutorial ‐ Part 3
Authors: Cawkell A.E.
Published: February 2008

It was convenient to talk about standards for modems when that topic was discussed in Part 2 of this series. Unfortunately modem standards are only a small fraction of the standards needed if a universal telecommunications system is to become a reality—particularly if machines on which ‘Terminal Services’ are running are to easily communicate with each other (fig.1).
Large‐capacity disks
Authors: Falk Howard
Published: February 2008

Large‐capacity disks have long been used to handle the huge files needed for online databases and card catalogs. Experience demonstrates that as computer systems are used, over the years, needed storage file capacity grows and continues to grow. For that reason the ‘large‐capacity’ disks discussed in this article will be those capable of storing 200 Mb or more.
Clipper: faster dBase III applications
Authors: Lundeen Gerald
Published: February 2008

The Clipper database programming package can be used with dBase III files and indexes. The main advantage of Clipper is that it compiles programs which would be handled by an interpreter if done with dBase III.
CALS and portables
Authors: Roberts Jim
Published: February 2008

The basic theme of this issue's column is electronic documents and portable computers. I was surprised myself to discover that these subjects are related. On the subject of portable computers, I see the market separating out into four distinct layers. These are the big 386 machines that only run on mains power and could even serve as a desktop machine, the 286 portables that weigh anything from 7 to 15 lb., the lightweight 8086 machines and the new ‘palmtop’ computers. In this issue I look at the last category, reviewing the Atari Portfolio. For anyone interested in portables, there is a review of 73 of them in PC Magazine, 9, 5,13 March 1990.
Uninterruptible power supplies
Authors: Falk Howard
Published: February 2008

If you have ever been caught by a power blackout or brownout — caused by lightning, storm damage, or simply a blunder by a repairman — and have completely lost work which was keyboarded but not yet stored on disk, you know how frustrating and infuriating that experience can be. There is little comfort, at such a moment, in realizing that your work habits should really include more frequent disk storage commands. Nor does it help to reflect that memory resident routines are available which automatically store keyboarded material to disk at frequent intervals.
Macintosh Potentials
Authors: Welsch Erwin K.
Published: February 2008

The previous columns have discussed Macintosh basics and begun the examination of application programs, beginning with, perhaps the most important general application, word‐processing. This column will continue to provide information on System 7.0, briefly explore some other major application groups, and begin to look at the use of one of the Macintosh's most important applications, HyperCard. The discussion of applications will focus on those most frequently used or identified, by surveys or writers about the best products of the recent year articles, as the most significant.
Developing your own CD‐ROM
Authors: Hallgren Svante
Published: February 2008

For many databases, distribution on CD‐ROM is now a feasible proposition. In this introduction to the process of creating a CD‐ROM for the prospective developer, the author lists software and hardware requirements, and stresses the importance both of adequate data preparation and of a planned distribution and marketing strategy. It also looks at the pitfalls to be avoided.
Telecommunications Tutorial ‐ Part 5
Authors: Cawkell A.E.
Published: February 2008

This tutorial will cover the relationship between operating systems, inter‐computer communications, and file transfers.
Politics of the library of the future
Authors: Niels Mara
Published: February 2008

We sometimes view politics as a dirty business that is nevertheless necessary in order to accomplish major initiatives like implementing new technology in the library. We wish that, without lobbying or tooting our own horn, the high quality of our staff's work, ideas, and proposals would be recognized and rewarded with the resources and political support they deserve and that are needed to create the library of the future for our users.
National libraries project on CD‐ROM
Authors: Smith Robert
Published: February 2008

January 1990 saw the beginnings of a joint initiative by seven European national libraries founded in part on the goodwill that existed between the British Library and the Bibliothèque Nationale following a joint pilot CD‐ROM project undertaken during 1988–1989. The new project aims to encourage the exchange of bibliographic records in Europe and results will include prototype software for linking CD‐ROM products to other applications: further CD‐ROM pilot discs and a series of surveys and reports. The project is being part‐funded by the CEC's IMPACT programme.
InfoStation: A multimedia access system for library automation
Authors: Lee Newton S.
Published: February 2008

This paper describes the cutting‐edge hardware and software for multimedia information storage and access. We will focus on the NeXT computer as the innovative hardware platform and introduce the VTLS InfoStation as the new generation software that offers user‐friendly multimedia information access using expert systems, natural language processing, direct manipulation graphical techniques and retrieval of full text, images and audio data.
Telecommunications Tutorial: Current political issues
Authors: Cawkell A.E.
Published: February 2008

Well over a hundred years ago it was said that: “Libraries are conducted for the many, not for the few... it is of paramount importance that the means of general information should be so diffused that the largest number of persons should be induced to read and understand questions going down to the very foundation of social order”
The voice as computer interface: a look at tomorrow's technologies
Authors: Lange Holley R.
Published: February 2008

Voice as the communications device for computer—human interaction is not a new concept, having been a favorite of the SF writers for many years. It is the most immediate and natural means of communication, and is in use today as voice response or voice recognition systems for human—computer interfaces in business, industry and medicine. This article examines the potential for their use within the library environment, as an additional tool for computer input or output.
CD‐ROM networks
Authors: Akeroyd John
Published: February 2008

The paper provides a review of CD‐ROM networking technology. It includes a resume of currently available systems and discusses their functions and relative merits. Operational experience of systems installed in libraries, mainly in North America, is also covered, including such issues as usage levels, user education and wide area networking. Finally, some thoughts on future developments and problems are indicated.
Electronic mail as a tool for the information professional
Authors: Clausen Helge
Published: February 2008

A short presentation concerning the use of computer‐mediated‐communication (CMC) in information work is given together with the latest figures for use worldwide. Human aspects of CMC are discussed briefly. A few traditional information professional applications of electronic mail are described. Special attention is paid to the Danish Science Park Network as an example of computer supported cooperative work (CSCW). Through the use of some examples of dedicated ‘person‐centred’ systems (ALANET, LA‐net, etc.), interesting new applications of E‐mail for the information professional are considered.
Alice in the Wonderland of SGML: streamlining text entry in the CELEX databases
Authors: Marin‐Navarro J. , Alevantis P.E.
Published: February 2008

This article describes the system used for the introduction of textual data into the CELEX full‐text document databases. The solution implemented is based on the establishment of a text production database for the management and validation of texts before introducing them into the CELEX dissemination databases, and the management of structured documents described with the help of an SGML syntax.
The electronic workstation: challenges for the information specialist
Authors: van Brakel Pieter A.
Published: February 2008

The concept of the electronic workstation/or the information specialist and/or client or user of information services has been made possible by various recent developments in information technology. These include the availability of fast, hi‐tech local networks; interface capabilities to connect these to wide area (digital) networks; large, commercially‐available source and referral databases; local online systems such as CD‐ROM databases; and integrated and intelligent software with which relevant information may be downloaded and repackaged. Reasonably‐priced, high‐speed microcomputers, with which these electronic facilities may be accessed, are now a common phenomenon. The term ‘knowledge gateways’ is already in use. This paper addresses the challenges of the information specialist of today to utilise fully the processing and communication power of the electronic workstation to deliver information services to the right client, at the right time, in the right format and at the right cost. Various studies have already described how information technology (IT) has been used to integrate or centralise various information sources. However, knowledge on the skills and intellectual input needed by the information specialist to implement IT effectively, must still be investigatedfully. Topics to be covered in this paper refer not only to extensive, new developments aimed at creating infrastructures and facilities to achieve integration at workstation level, but also to negative issues, such as the shortcomings of tertiary training programmes, ineffective or even non‐existent in‐service training, lack of awareness of how to use IT, and lack of motivation among senior staff. The emphasis will be, apart from international trends, on the South African scene, with special reference to the academic or university environment.
The special library as a competitive intelligence centre
Authors: Svoboda Olga
Published: February 2008

The strategic value of competitive information to a corporation has received increased attention in management, business practice and information literature. This paper describes the role the staff of a special library can play in obtaining and processing competitive information. It is suggested that a library should make an effort to become the centre of a company's environmental scanning programme. The librarians in a special library are well‐positioned to become a valid part of the corporate information environment, but they must become more proactive in promoting and defending their library within their own company.
CD‐ROM — a viable alternative to online searching for academic libraries?
Authors: Dubbeld Catherine E.
Published: February 2008

To test this proposition a comparison was made between online and CD‐ROM costs in several heavily used databases. Among other factors considered were funding methods, staff investment, end‐user training, user access and cost recovery. The case of one South African academic library was examined in detail; the approaches of some other South African academic libraries were briefly touched on. Finally, although CD‐ROM was found to be more economic than online searching in the long term, the real problem would appear to be that South African academic libraries, in acquiring CD‐ROM, would be forced to choose, not between CD‐ROM and online, but between CD‐ROM and hard‐copy databases.
Conversion and transfer of downloaded records to personal databases
Authors: Tönsing Rolf
Published: February 2008

This paper examines the problem many researchers experience of having to spend much time rekeying records obtained from external online and CD‐ROM databases into their own personal microcomputer databases. An overview of the possibilities for electronic transfer of such records is given. For a university library and information centre, the need for a multipurpose reformatting program, capable of converting record formats, is demonstrated. One such program, HEADFORM, is used to test record conversion from one CD‐ROM and four online databases to the personal microcomputer databases of three researchers and to determine approximate time savings by transferring such records electronically rather than manually. Results show that, with a few limitations, records from online and CD‐ROM databases can be converted successfully to the formats required by these three personal database systems, and that significant time savings are possible.
Software for information storage and retrieval tested, evaluated and compared Part II — Classical retrieval systems
Authors: Sieverts E.G. , Hofstede M. , Haak Ph.H. , Nieuwenhuysen P. , Scheepsma G.A.M. , Veeger L. , Vis G.C.
Published: February 2008

This article lists and compares specifications, properties, and test results of microcomputer software for information storage and retrieval. Nine different programs which fall into the category of classical retrieval systems (see Part I of this series) have been tested and assessed: BIB/SEARCH, CARDBOX‐PLUS, CDS/ISIS, FREEBASE, HEADFAST, IDEALIST, INMAGIC, NUTSHELL‐PLUS, and POLYDOC. All of them run under MS‐DOS. For each of these nine programs about 100 facts and test results are tabulated. Each program is also discussed individually.
Central Video Replay System (CVRS) at the University of Queensland
Authors: Cribb Gulcin
Published: February 2008

Educational institutions with large numbers of programmed lecture theatres have always had the problem of ensuring that the correct pieces of audiovisual hardware are available and in good working order at the required time and place. It is also essential that the equipment works to the teacher's satisfaction throughout the lecture period. It may also be necessary to make the same equipment available at another location almost immediately after the conclusion of a lecture, with little time available for setting up and ensuring all the equipment is functional.
Hypermedia authoring and annotation in InfoStation
Authors: Lee Newton S.
Published: February 2008

This paper describes the hypermedia authoring and annotation capability of the VTLS InfoStation. Such a capability offers library users services previously unavailable in a traditional library automation system. Hypermedia enables readers to travel from one document to another with ease. In effect, it automates the process of following references in an encyclopedia. It also supports collaboration among researchers, professors and students by allowing them to annotate within the context of a body of scholarly material. Furthermore, it helps users look up related items in a library more efficiently without having to search through an entire database.
Small can be beautiful: Automation efforts at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs Library
Authors: Adeniran O.R.
Published: February 2008

This paper describes the automation experience of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs Library. It particularly describes how the library used the small computer resources that it had to be able to start somewhere. Although the hardware resource could not take on a fully‐fledged automation plan, the library succeeded in embarking on a computer literacy programme for the staff; indexing books and serials published by the Institute; producing catalogue cards; and instigating an offline circulation system. The future plans of the library to acquire a bigger system are also highlighted.
Electronic books and libraries of the future
Authors: Barker Philip
Published: February 2008

Since their inception in the early 1980s electronic books have grown substantially in popularity, mainly due to their usefulness in distributing large volumes of interactive multimedia information in the form of text, pictures and sound. This paper describes the basic nature of electronic books and the philosophy underlying their use. A basic taxonomy of electronic books is then presented and a description is given of the various techniques involved in their design and fabrication. The paper concludes with a description of some application case studies and an outline of some possible future directions of development.
Statistical Navigator Professional: advice on choosing statistical procedures
Authors: Richardson John
Published: February 2008

Statistical Navigator Professional advises users on which statistical procedures may be most appropriate for their applications. It runs on PCs and compatible computers. The vendor is Idea Works 1991, 607 Jackson Street, Columbia, MO 65203, USA. Tel: +1 (314) 875 5827.
Computer input scanning devices
Authors: Falk Howard
Published: February 2008

Scanning devices make it possible to transfer images from paper onto disc, where they can be processed, displayed and printed.
ASK*ME: Multimedia Authoring Package
Authors: Dunlap Cheryl
Published: February 2008

The ASK*ME package allows authors with no programming experience to integrate graphics, video, sound, and text into interactive computer presentations that supply information at the touch of a button. It runs on specially equipped IBM/PCs or compatible computers. The display version of ASK*ME costs $495; an added licence ($195) is required to sell each copy of each authored presentation. A more powerful Professional version of the ASK*ME package sells for $1795, with all license fees included. The vendor is ICS, Incorporated, 2534 26th Avenue SW, Fargo, North Dakota 58103 USA. Tel: +1 (701) 293 1004.
Report on the XXII Annual Conference of ACURIL
Authors: Rodriguez Ketty
Published: February 2008

The Association of Caribbean University, Research and Institutional Libraries (ACURIL) held its XXII Annual Conference in Port of Spain, Trinidad from 17 to 23 May 1992. The conference honoured the founder of ACURIL, Dr Alma Jordan, the former librarian of the University of the West Indies in St Augustine, Trinidad.
NCSU digitized document transmission project: improving access to agricultural libraries
Authors: Casorso Tracy M.
Published: February 2008

The NCSU Digitized Document Transmission Project is a collaborative project between North Carolina State University Libraries, the National Agricultural Library and eleven land grant university libraries. The aim of the project is to explore the basic issues and questions involved in developing network‐based document delivery systems for library materials. NCSU Libraries, in partnership with the National Agricultural Library (NAL), is leading the research and demonstration project that is investigating the technical, procedural and administrative issues related to the electronic delivery of digitized research materials via the NSF net/Internet and campus telecommunications networks. Commercially available graphics‐capable, networked desktop computers, scanners and laser printers have been installed in participating institutions' interlibrary loan departments for the direct transmission and receipt of digitized materials. The system allows the digitized research materials to be transmitted directly to the researcher's workstation, whereupon the image can be readily imported into a graphics or wordprocessing program or an ASCII file can be created using an optical character recognition (OCR) program. Printed images are markedly superior to fax transmissions. A distinguishing feature of the system is its ability to import and deliver materials originating in electronic form, such as electronic journal articles or multimedia works.
Coalition for Networked Information (CNI) Task Force Spring 1992 Meeting
Authors: Lippincott Joan
Published: February 2008

The Spring 1992 Meeting of the Coalition Task Force took place on 24–25 March 1992 in Washington, DC. Over 350 individuals from over 200 institutions and organizations attended. A total of 159 institutions and organizations now belong to the Coalition Task Force, and 87% of them were represented at this Meeting. Ten institutions and organizations attended this meeting as new members of the Task Force and seven individuals travelled from outside North America to attend.
‘I can read but I can't turn the pages’
Authors: Page Chris
Published: February 2008

Hereward College is the UK National Residential College for students with physical and sensory disabilities. It offers a full range of further education courses combined with study support and 24‐hour care and medical support. It provides 120 residential places for disabled students and 300 day places for disabled or able‐bodied students. A range of teaching strategies is employed including open learning through the Supported Self Study Centre, which has all day tutor support.
Norton Commander
Authors: Namotka Jordan Rosemarie
Published: February 2008

Norton Commander provides DOS services such as edit, copy, rename, move and delete. Users can quickly and easily view contents of directories and files and can also search for file names using DOS wildcards. Users can set up their own custom access menus.
American Society for Information Science 1992 mid‐year meeting
Authors: Jo Bruce Mary
Published: February 2008

The American Society for Information Science (ASIS) held its 1992 mid‐year meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico, 28–30 May. The theme of the meeting was ‘Networks, Telecommunications and the Networked Information Resource Revolution’. The technical program committee consisted of Clifford A. Lynch, Michael Buckland, Cecilia Preston, Janet Vratney‐Watts and Nancy Gusack.
Hypertext and learning styles
Authors: Ellis David , Ford Nigel , Wood Frances
Published: February 2008

The project was designed to provide a framework for a comprehensive user evaluation of both software packages and hypertext environments. User evaluation constituted an integral part of the design and development process. The learning packages and hypertext systems were evaluated in terms of the extent to which they provide flexibility for learners to follow their preferred learning styles. Evaluation was carried out in relation to: (1) hypertext packages; (2) learning styles and learning outcomes; and (3) system design. Two sets of learning experiments were conducted. In the first, the package related to ‘1992’ — the Single European Market—was tested with postgraduate MBA and Information Studies students, whose individual learning approaches were assessed. In the second, the package was in the field of food and wine and was tested with further education students on a catering course. Those with a holist predisposition strongly favoured the use of global features such as the map. On the other hand, serialists preferred the rapid access allowed by the index. The ‘Wine and Food’ experiment, with a smaller sample, produced no significant findings to reinforce the ‘1992’ results. However, there was an interesting positive correlation (though not statistically different) between field dependence and performance on the learning test. Cognitive styles were demonstrated to be a significant component of individual behaviour within the hypertext environment. Providing a variety of tools optimised for preferred modes of usage creates a rough equality of overall task‐related performance between those with differing cognitive styles, and allows the user to evolve an appropriate strategy for effective performance. The ‘lost in hyperspace’ phenomenon was rarely evident and may be eliminated by improved semantic content in navigational aids. Hypertext has been confirmed as a useful medium for searching, learning and recall, but must include as many alternative modes of usage as possible within the design of a particular system.
MARC and relational databases
Authors: Llorens J. , Trénor A.
Published: February 2008

MARC format is a well‐established syntax for transmitting bibliographic records between heterogeneous computer systems. On the other hand, relational databases are the leading technology for the design of the computer systems. Unfortunately, there seem to be some incompatibilities between the two. A solution is presented here, in accordance with the more recent standards about Open System Interconnection (OSI) and based on a real experience in an active library computer system.