bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Primary FTDs for the end user: new roles for the information professional
Authors: Pagell Ruth A.
Published: January 2008

Researchers are now increasingly able to identify and retrieve information without the need to move from their own PC, bypassing the library and its staff. The number of full text databases on‐line is also increasing, providing instant access to newspapers and newswires, popular magazines and scholarly journals, financial and directory sources, and reference books. These files appear on all the major time‐sharing systems, some of which are modifying their search software to attract this growing market. This paper explores the relationship between the end user and primary full text databases. It looks at full text databases generically, rather than at individual systems, databases, or searching techniques. It identifies roles that information professionals can play in maximizing the benefits of full text databases for end users.
Information from patents — an overview of recent activities
Authors: Hill Michael
Published: January 2008

Published patent documents continue to pour out unabated. This overview looks at recent developments, including the continuing progress of the EPO, JPO and USPTO in working towards automated search systems and document management, the efforts of WIPO in the area of standardisation within patent offices, the formation of OLPI, and the continuing growth of patent databases, e.g. ICI marques, Inpadoc, Japio and Patstat. The author also looks at the situation of information services in developing countries.
How much does the end user need an intermediary?
Authors: Dunning Peter
Published: January 2008

INSEAD, the European Institute for Business Administration, at Fontainebleau, near Paris, offers advanced management education for over 400 students a year, mainly through the MBA course. The Library first set up online access in 1984, and now has extensive online training facilities for students, as well as services for professors, researchers and administrative staff. As demand for online training from students has increased, some professors have encouraged Library online specialists to give brief presentations at the start of courses, helping students to aim their information searching directly towards project needs. In 1987, with pressure on the present three online specialists, we started to explore ways of increasing the participation of staff and student end users in their own searching. More attention was given to existing online menu‐driven systems like Textline, while the growth of professional datafiles on France's Minitel videotex system made it worthwhile to explore their potential as subsidiary search options. In 1988, to develop direct end user searching further, two CD‐ROM workstations were installed, which now offer six disc databases on free access. There has also been an exploration of the role of databases issued on floppy disk as offline alternatives. To help campus users understand the range of database options available, a booklet listing by subject major databases accessible on campus, on both online and offline media, was recently issued. Currently, a prototype simple expert system is being developed from this to help users to move between offline and online searching more easily. The present efforts are aimed at a more user‐oriented information access as the Library prepares to transfer next year to a new building.
The evolution and development of the International Online Information Meetings
Authors: Raitt D.
Published: January 2008

The first International Online Information Meeting was held in December 1977 in London, England. The thirteenth consecutive Meeting will be held in December 1989, also in London. This paper traces the evolution and development of the yearly International Online Information Meetings. The initial need for such a Meeting and how it has evolved over the years to cater for the changing needs and the different segments of the information community are explored. Some of the diverse topics which have been addressed at the annual Meetings are briefly noted, and mention is also made of the structure and format of the International Meetings which are now being successfully emulated at a national level in various parts of the world. Some differences between the International Online Information Meeting and other national online and specialist information conferences are indicated together with some thoughts on the future of such Meetings.
Questions on search request forms
Authors: Allen Bryce
Published: January 2008

This research took the form of an investigation into how different questions on online search request forms elicit different responses from users, and how the resulting differences in user input can influence search quality. Users of an academic library search service completed online search request forms which asked open, bibliographic and structural questions. Structural questions elicited longer responses than open questions, while bibliographic questions elicited very short responses. In some cases, the longer responses to structural questions led to the inclusion of more terms in search expressions. On average, these searches achieved lower precision. It appears that searchers who take a flexible approach to search topics are more affected by different amounts of user input than searchers who are less flexible. Because of the importance of the user‐intermediary interaction in initiating the retrieval process, online search request forms must be carefully designed. This includes selecting questions which will elicit an appropriate amount of detail about the information need.
Marketing strategies and practices used by Australian database producers
Authors: Davis Mari
Published: January 2008

This paper discusses two surveys conducted in 1986 and 1988 which examined attitudes of producers of Australian research‐based databases towards marketing, and the practices they employed to promote their database products. Attitudes and practice were found to be poor in 1986 with few database projects commanding budgets adequate for even the most basic of promotional activities. By 1988, improvement in attitudes towards marketing was evident, particularly from management. Satisfaction with assistance in marketing from vendors was significantly improved. However, on overall marketing performance, there is still much room for improvement and expansion in marketing to non‐library audiences and to non‐user groups. These two surveys provide benchmarks against which database marketing activity and attitudes can be measured in succeeding years.
Chemical Exchange Directory — advertising chemicals online
Authors: Mowat Douglas
Published: January 2008

This paper discusses the development and implementation of Chemical Exchange Directory (CED), an online advertising service for the chemical industry. One of the major problems in the chemical market is the identification of viable suppliers for products in a rapidly expanding market with large numbers of products, each with many different potential applications. CED has been designed by chemical industry personnel to be used by people with little data processing training; there are no complex search languages and procedures. Data input and output are facilitated by using a simple datasheet format to define each product. Information providers supply and modify product information online. Uniform transaction pricing has been adopted to follow industry control procedures. The service is the forerunner of other online business applications in the chemical industry.
A survey of SIC code searchable databases on Dialog
Authors: Robinson Mark L.
Published: January 2008

Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes are a type of controlled vocabulary used by business searchers when searching for corporate and industry data. Two four‐digit versions of the SIC coding scheme are used on business databases available through Dialog. Some Dialog database producers have opted to create a variation of the codes for use in their products. With the impending eight‐digit SIC coding scheme from Dun and Bradstreet, it will become increasingly difficult for the Dialog searcher to know which version of the codes to use when searching a particular database. A survey of the use of SIC codes in business databases on Dialog was undertaken. This paper presents the findings of this survey.
Using repetition to increase precision in files with large blocks of text
Authors: Jean McKinin Emma , Ellen Sievert Mary , Diane Johnson E.
Published: January 2008

Searchers need to develop a set of heuristics (a variety of problem solving tactics and operations) for searching full‐text databases. Those heuristics which have evolved for searching bibliographic databases are often not effective when applied to full‐text. Presented here are methods which can be helpful in increasing precision when searching full‐text journal files for items on a given topic at BRS. Mead Data Central and Dialog. All of the techniques are based on achieving some repetition of central concepts as expressed in natural language. Research in automatic indexing and in full‐text retrieval provides a theoretical justification for a heuristic of this type. Schematic representations of strategies and sample searches which represent application of the techniques on each of the three systems are provided.
Strategy for computer‐aided searches for information about chemicals
Authors: Benz Joachim , Voigt Kristina , Mücke Wolfgang
Published: January 2008

To aid data retrieval when searching chemical databanks and databases, a strategy lor pre‐defined searches and optimal search paths has been developed, using graph theory. The area of research chosen is daphnia toxicity, with searches carried out in seven databases.
Functions and capabilities of online searching systems: a checklist
Authors: Piternick Anne B.
Published: January 2008

A checklist of functions and capabilities of online searching systems has been compiled, from experience, and from a study of some of the major vendor systems. The checklist attempts to cover all system features, and is not restricted to the searching functions. It is offered as a tool for checking features of a new system which is being learned, as a framework for comparison of systems, and as a source of suggestions for functions and capabilities which might be incorporated into new and developing online systems such as OPACs. It could also serve as a ‘snapshot’, permitting a comparison of functions and capabilities currently available with those which may become available on future systems.
In search of the elusive end user
Authors: Summit Roger K.
Published: January 2008

Some of you will remember a search system called Leadermart which was developed at Lehigh University in the early 1970s under the direction of Don Hillman. Don viewed Leadermart as one of the few early systems designed for end users rather than information specialists. He attributed its lack of acceptance by information specialists to the marriage of librarians to Boolean searching and their unwillingness to try anything new. Leadermart, however, was not particularly popular with end users either. In my opinion Leadermart's lack of acceptance was primarily due to the quality of results it produced. Also this is important in evaluating current ‘expert systems’ approaches to searching. With Leadermart, if you didn't get good results you had no way of knowing how to change your request to improve the results. Some people pursuing the end user today feel simpler interfaces of the Leadermart type are the single answer to capturing this vast market. In what follows I hope to show that the problem is substantially more complex than suggested by this simple solution.
Online search + logic programming = subject bibliography: an expert systems approach to bibliographic processing
Authors: Lirov Yuval , Lirov Viktor
Published: January 2008

In this paper we propose a new method for the creation of subject bibliographies. Our method consists of two phases: first, the raw bibliographical material is downloaded from an online bibliographical database (e.g. DIALOG), and then this material is processed using knowledge‐based means. We apply a meta‐programming approach in which the raw bibliographic material is viewed as a logic program upon which we develop a second‐order logic program. The second‐order program creates the subject bibliography by operating a rule base and the first‐order logic program. The entire system, named REX, was written in PROLOG and used to create automatically a subject bibliography on Applications of Logic Programming in Decision and Control.
Price comparison ESA‐Dialog
Authors: Sormunen Eero
Published: January 2008

At the beginning of 1989, the information retrieval service of European Space Agency (ESA) introduced a new pricing structure whereby the connect time costs less than before and the printouts cost more. The change is naturally pleasing to those who want to take their time to refine their search strategy and to try various alternatives.
Structured information management using new techniques for processing text
Authors: Gibb Forbes , Smart Godfrey
Published: January 2008

SIMPR (Structured Information Management: Processing and Retrieval) is an ESPRIT II Project aiming to achieve technological advances in information management This new technology is instantiated in the SIMPR software system. SIMPR will process documents by indexing them and classifying their subjects, before storing them in an electronic information base from which they can then be retrieved using simple natural language search requests. Building this system has required initiatives in automatic indexing, in language analysis, in subject classification and in machine learning. These initiatives are discussed in this paper, in the context of the strategy and achievements to date of the SIMPR Project.
Hypertext and the identity link
Authors: Stein Mark J. , Sheridan Christine R.
Published: January 2008

The authors examine the problems envountered when setting up a hypertext link (termed the identity link) for moving between bibliographic and full text databases. MEDLINE and CCAL are used as examples. They argue that these problems are symptomatic of deeper concerns, involving individuation criteria and classificatory fields.
Copyright, licensing agreements and gateways
Authors: Elias A.W.
Published: January 2008

The challenges of technological developments in information distribution and management are traced through their relationships with concepts of ownership. A historical overview of the copyright concept forms the background for a detailed analysis of the licensing elements used for protection. Finally, the current gateway explosion is examined in these contexts.
Institutional markets for online services: analysis of supply‐side competition in the UK
Authors: East Harry , Forrest Vicki
Published: January 2008

Published statistics about the size of the market for online services are rarely presented with any provenance and are frequently full of errors. The statistics used in preparing this paper present a partial view, that of online supply services to the United Kingdom. From July 1987 to December 1988 the authors monitored the expenditure on online services of representative panels of users in universities, polytechnics and public libraries, chosen because it was felt that public‐funded bodies would be more amenable to supplying usage data than private sector organisations in industry and commerce. The authors intend, in future investigations, to include this larger, more high‐spending sector.
The foreign‐language barrier and electronic information
Authors: Large J.A.
Published: January 2008

Users can access online and CD‐ROM databases regardless of geographical location. Data communication networks provide relatively cheap links between the user and host computer regardless of distance, and CD‐ROMs can be used to distribute large quantities of data in a small and light physical format. The information as well as the retrieval interface, indexing, documentation, help desks, etc, must all use a natural language, however, with which a user may be unfamiliar. This paper explores the extent to which online use is affected by the foreign‐language barrier and considers how the impact of that barrier might be reduced.
askSam
Authors: Wilson Tom
Published: January 2008

askSam: the text based management system for the IBM PC, XT, AT, PS/2 and compatibles, Version 4.2, 4 diskettes, loose leaf manual (475pp.). Available from askSam Systems, 119 S. Washington Street, Perry, FL 32347, USA. (Tel: +1 (904) 584–6590). European distributor: North American Software GmbH., Uhdestrasse 40, D‐8000, Munich 71, Federal Republic of Germany. (Tel: +49 (0)89 791 7091).
Electronic and optical sources of information for the humanities: a survey of library users, products and projects in Italy
Authors: Paci Augusta Maria , Castellucci Paola , Ferraria Lucina
Published: January 2008

The paper describes a research project conducted by ISRDS‐CNR, on behalf of the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Rome, which looks at the current availability of electronic information products in the field of the humanities and their potential users. The study has involved an investigation of the patrons of the various departmental libraries. An analysis of bibliographic information, search strategies and retrieved citations performance has been conducted on FRANCIS and on Philosopher's Index. The humanities have access to comparatively few bibliographic databases. However, since the introduction of optical storage devices such as CD‐ROM and videodisc, several applications have been made with still and motion images, including museum and document catalogues, photographic collections, art history lectures and reproductions of rare material. Some recent Italian initiatives and products are looked at, as are methods of specialised automated data collection utilised by public institutions which provide access for research activities.
LANtastic: simple, powerful Local Area Network for PCs
Authors: Mangrum Rikki
Published: January 2008

LANtastic is a local area network package for connecting two or more IBM‐compatible computers. The package allows users to share resources such as disks, directories, printers, and CD‐ROM drives, and to use electronic mail. The basic LANtastic starter kit, which connects two IBM‐compatible personal computers, comes with adapter cards, plugs, cable, manual and software for $525. Adapters for additional computers cost $249 each. Voice adapters for voice mail sell for $149 each. The vendor is Artisoft, Inc., 575 E. River Rd., Tucson, AZ 85704, USA. Tel: +1 (602) 293–6363. In the UK LANtastic is distributed by Mirai Networks Ltd, Unit 7, Metro Centre, Pulpit Lane, Watford WD1 8SS. Tel: +44 (0)9232 20111.
Glasnost and the business information sector: Soviet problems and perspectives
Authors: Konn Tania
Published: January 2008

The effect of glasnost on the availability of business information is discussed with particular reference to online services, including general information sources, specialized business services, industry‐specific and new services, and future developments in the area. The currently volatile business information sector has opportunities for development as well as its own share of problems.
Lookup: interactive spell checker for single words
Authors: Avarbuch Leonard M.
Published: January 2008

Lookup checks spelling of individual words while the user types documents using any of several different wordprocessing packages. The package is easy to install and use. Lookup runs on Macintosh computers. This review was done on a Mac Plus computer with 2.5 megabytes (Mb) of memory and a 60 Mb hard disk. The package sells for $59.95 from Working Software, P.O. Box 1844, Santa Cruz, CA 95061, USA. Tel: +1(408) 423‐5696.
Telecommunications networking in online retrieval
Authors: Mahon Barry
Published: January 2008

Telecommunications are fundamental to the online industry and this article seeks to place telecommunications networks within the context of information retrieval. The history of network development is discussed against a background and explanation of the various technical forms of telecommunications networks that existed at the beginning of the nineteen sixties and have since developed. The remainder of the paper examines the networking resources that have become available since 1984.
Marketing online services: product, market and strategy
Authors: Trudell Libby
Published: January 2008

This paper describes the characteristics of the online marketplace, and the strategies and tactics which have been employed in reaching that market, starting with an outline of the special challenges inherent in the nature of the product itself, such as technical barriers and copyright considerations. The next section is an overview of the marketplace, addressing the differing requirements of the intermediary and the end‐user communities, followed by a look at how various tactics for promotion and sales have been employed by the online industry, ranging from promotions, to field and telemarketing sales, to ongoing customer interaction. As the market is notable for its wide international reach, a section is devoted to the requirements for worldwide marketing and support. The final section explores the ways in which the future of the online industry depends on the development of appropriate strategies for expanding the marketplace. The issues of market selection, perceived value of information and pricing strategies are discussed. For information services to move out into a broader market, strategic planning based on market needs must underpin product development and sales promotion.
Information system for environmental chemicals: training for end users
Authors: Voigt Kristina , Pepping Thomas , Matthies Michael , Benz Joachim
Published: January 2008

In response to the need for finding chemical information we have set up a system to identify and access appropriate data sources. As this system is built to assist scientists in agencies, research institutes and other institutions in their daily work we developed three different training programmes: (1) a training course on retrieval of information on dangerous substances; (2) a seminar on German offline databases in the field of chemicals; and (3) a workshop entitled ‘Introduction to the Information System for Environmental Chemicals’. These courses are briefly described in this paper. In addition, we discuss both general and chemical substance‐related factors to be considered in developing strategies for information access.
A three‐dimensional hypertext structure for referencing a housing discrimination library
Authors: Barta T.A. , Kuo Ren‐jieh
Published: January 2008

Hypertext software is being used to link and reference documents stored in a library that will be used by civil rights housing discrimination investigators. The library is a part of an expert system which verifies the existence of housing discrimination. A method of organizing the hypertext files so as to prevent the user from becoming disoriented in the system is illustrated in this paper.
Full‐text databases
Authors: Siddiqui Moid A.
Published: January 2008

This article describes the fastest growing category of machine‐readable data‐bases — full‐text databases. A selection of articles from the literature on full‐text databases was explored and this provides a basis for the information presented here on search strategy, performance measurement, and benefits and limitations of full‐text databases. Various use studies and uses of full‐text databases have also been listed.
Information value of papers written in Slavonic languages in the Medline database
Authors: Jokic Maja
Published: January 2008

A sample of 3746 papers has been obtained from 168 online retrospective searches of Medline. Each paper has been bibliometrically analysed by the following indicators: language in which it was written; existence of an English abstract; abstract type with respect to number of words; depth of indexing; and inclusion of the author's address. Special emphasis has been put on scientific production in Slavonic countries and the information value of these papers in Mediine. A comparative study has been made of works originally written in English.
Online information services to support decision‐making in R&D industry and businesses: the experience of LNETI/CITI
Authors: Ramalho Correia Ana Maria , da Luz Fonseca Marília , Sykes N. , Wood F.E.
Published: January 2008

Since 1983. CITI (Centro de Informação Técnica para a Indústria/Centre for Technical Information for Industry) at LNETI (Laboratório Nacional de Engenharia e Tecnologia Industrial) has been providing online information searching to researchers, academia, industry and business in Portugal, to support R&D activities, innovation and transfer of technology and to contribute to the competitiveness of Portuguese industry in world markets. This paper presents an analysis of the use of this service from 1986 to 1990 and highlights the most often searched databases, as well as the subjects most searched, by type of user. Information is also presented on the online costs and trends in costs over the period. Despite the increased use of this service throughout the period analysed, there is considerable scope for improvement in the way it is marketed as an effective and efficient way to retrieve relevant information and, consequently, in how it can enhance the productivity of scientists, engineers and business personnel.
Database directories
Authors: Tenopir Carol
Published: January 2008

Database directories reviewed. Computer‐Readable Databases: A Directory and Data Sourcebook, edited by Kathleen Young Marcaccio, founding editor Martha E. Williams. Gale Research Inc., Detroit. Yearly. Eighth edition. 1992. $180.00. Also available online through DIALOG (file 230).
World Trade Data: a survey of online and CD‐ROM sources
Authors: Winklehner Paul Maria
Published: January 2008

The WHDB (Welthandels Datenbank — World Trade Database) of the BWK (Austrian Federal Economic Chamber) is a specialised information service which provides Austrian firms, companies and governmental institutions with information and data about worldwide commodity trade statistics. Its second function is to be a leading source for introducing new information media into the department, such as developing a company profile CD‐ROM. Only a few parameters are of crucial significance in describing a request for information in the field of import and export statistics. Nevertheless the process of choosing the right source to satisfy the user's demand is often rather tricky and very dependent on experience and skill. In the process of reorganising this information service from a rigid, programmed, host‐oriented inhouse data service of the early 1980s to a customer‐oriented information service for the 1990s, using online and CD‐ROM sources, a number of investigations were made to locate the relevant sources and to evaluate their significance for this service. As a result, a survey of sources of statistical import and export data will be presented. Another result is the perception that attributes like accuracy, precision and individual tuning have priority over offering large amounts of data, automation and sophisticated statistical methods. We concluded with a model of a combined system using internal sources for automatic explorations and external sources for accuracy and flexibility.
Recognition of stages in the user's information‐seeking process during online searching by novice searchers
Authors: Spink Amanda , Cool Colleen
Published: January 2008

This paper reports results of an exploratory study to investigate the ability of novice searchers to recognize stages in a user's information‐seeking process. This study follows recent research by Kuhlthau et al. (1992) which examined the ability of experienced search intermediaries to recognize and assess the stage of a user's information‐seeking process. Two aspects were examined in the study: problem definition level and the work stage that the user was experiencing at the time of the online search interaction. The purpose of this present study is to examine if the ability to recognize and assess the information‐seeking stage of the user is limited to skilled and experienced intermediaries or is a more fundamental human cognitive activity. Results of the analysis suggest that novice searchers were able to judge the user's problem definition level more successfully than the user's work stage. Implications of this finding are discussed in terms of a general process model of information‐seeking behavior.
Eastern European information on DIALOG
Authors: Chambert Ingrid
Published: January 2008

During the last few years, political and economic change in Eastern Europe has naturally had a big impact on international affairs and this is also very much the case in a Nordic country like Sweden. The Eastern Europe research centres at The Stockholm School of Economics and Uppsala University have taken an active part and contributed to the debate. The special nature of East European affairs, with political, economic and ecological issues so tightly intermingled, has made people in general and the business sector more aware about the closeness of the Baltic States and Central and Eastern Europe. A wide range of positive and negative effects are discussed daily.
Online vendors' strategies for reaching the end‐user: DATA‐STAR
Authors: Poynder Richard
Published: January 2008

This is the second in Richard Poynder's series of articles about different host services' efforts to reach fresh users. The first, on FT PROFILE, appeared in Online Review Vol. 16 No. 3. This article now looks at DATA‐STAR.
An international aerospace information system: a cooperative opportunity
Authors: Blados Walter R. , Cotter Gladys A.
Published: January 2008

Scientific and technical information (STI) is a valuable resource that represents the results of large investments in research and development (R&D) and the expertise of a nation. NASA and its predecessor organizations have developed and managed the pre‐eminent aerospace information system. We see information and information systems changing and becoming more international in scope. In Europe, consistent with joint R&D programs and a view towards a united Europe, we have seen the emergence of a European Database concept. In addition, the development of aeronautics and astronautics in individual nations has also led to initiatives for national aerospace databases. Considering recent technological developments in information science and technology, as well as the reality of scarce resources in all nations, it is time to reconsider the mutually beneficial possibilities offered by cooperation and international resource sharing. This paper raises for consideration new possibilities for unifying the various aerospace database efforts towards a cooperative international aerospace database initiative that can optimize the cost/benefit equation for all participants.
Literature searching with unclear objectives: a new approach using argumentation
Authors: Sillince J.A.A.
Published: January 2008

The current method of information retrieval used for bibliographic and full‐text databases of journal articles assumes a semantic representation together with stemming, Boolean connectives and so on. This requires searchers to have a well‐defined idea of what it is that they are searching for. This is unhelpful for many categories of searcher, in particular expert browsers and non‐expert searchers. An alternative method is developed in this paper, based on the idea that articles advance an argument and that this argumentation can be represented in a manner which enables flexible and robust searching to be carried out.
SOLID: A GENERAL HIGH‐SPEED LOGICAL DATA INDEPENDENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM WITH BOUNDED SEARCH TIMES
Authors: de Maine P.A.D. , Bradley K.D. , Jodis S.M.
Published: January 2008

The General Information Management (GIM) system defined in this paper is designed to: (1) be information independent; (2) be logically data independent (it is therefore question type independent); (3) honor requests for information in small and bounded search times; (4) provide a security system that is foolproof, virus proof and easy to use; (5) be economical and efficient in the use of memory and data communication systems; and (6) be modular in design to function in distributed or standalone environments. The basis of the GIM system is a context free language or data structure, called JOBLIST, and a simulated communications network, called SOLID. Queries, converted to JOBLIST, directly describe the information paths in SOLID that terminate with the location(s) of the referenced information. There is no directory. A proof‐of‐principle prototype has established that the JOBLIST/SOLID system fully meets the above specifications.
BIRTHING THE INFORMATION INDUSTRY IN THE FORMER SOVIET UNION
Authors: Hlava Marjorie M.K.
Published: January 2008

In the course of my travels and discussions throughout the United States and Europe, it has become quite apparent that there is great interest in Russian business and sci‐tech data. The Russian Federation, other former republics and the countries of Central Europe are seen as a large potential market for western goods. There is great interest in Russian products and especially in resources such as oil and gas. These countries also have a large and well‐educated work‐force.
NEW DATABASE PRODUCTS: SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND MEDICINE (ISSUE 1)
Authors: Williams Martha E. , Smith Linda C.
Published: January 2008

This is the first in a continuing series of articles summarizing and commenting on new database products in science, technology — and medicine (STM). Companion articles covering (1) business and law and (2) social sciences, humanities, general, multidisciplinary and news will appear in the next two issues of Online & CDROM Review. The articles will be based on the newly appearing database products in the Gale Directory of Databases (GDD). This was created by merging Computer‐Readable Databases: A Directory and Data Sourcebook (CRD) together with the Directory of Online Databases (DOD) and the Directoiy of Portable Databases (DPD).
PREDICTIONS FOR THE YEAR 2000
Authors: Keenan Stella
Published: January 2008

…but it is hoped that the arrows fired in Target 2000 will fall somewhere near the target for this new column — the turn of the century, the year 2000. Contributors are invited to focus on a specific topic that falls within the current scope of the journal and speculate on the concerns, changes or challenges that will be experienced over the coming seven year period. However, Target 2000 will also be a ‘floating Delphi’, as contributors may be asked to revise their predictions during the seven years and they will certainly be asked to reexamine them as the new century arrives.
NEWS ROUNDUP
Authors: Blake Paul
Published: January 2008

As Chief Reporter on the monthly newspaper Information World Review, the writer keeps a constant watch on developments in electronic and optical information services. In every issue of the new‐look Online & CDROM Review he will give his personal summary of recent events of interest.
DATABASES FOR MARINE BIOLOGISTS AND BIOTECHNOLOGISTS: THE STATE‐OF‐THE‐ART AND PROSPECTS
Authors: Chavan Vishwas S.
Published: January 2008

Only 1% of the presently available 5000 database titles are relevant to marine biology and biotechnology. Nearly 60% of these are bibliographic in nature. There are almost no textual and numeric databases, which are the prime need of researchers. This paper presents a review of the major databases related to marine biology and biotechnology, with a discussion on the scope for textual and numeric databases.
END‐USERS COMING OF AGE? SIX YEARS OF END‐USER SEARCHING AT THE GUARDIAN
Authors: Martin Helen , Nicholas David
Published: January 2008

Journalists at The Guardian have had access to online databases for some ten years now and many of them have taken to searching the databases themselves. This paper examines, through the results of a questionnaire survey, why journalists choose to search themselves, what kind of searches they conduct and what problems they experience in carrying out their searches. The survey's major findings are that journalists are generally high‐volume online users (although female journalists lag behind their male colleagues); their searching tends to be of the ‘quick and dirty type’ (probably through lack of training and the pressures of work), though most journalists are reasonably satisfied with the product of their searches; they are not particularly interested in viewing an electronic facsimile of the cutting; and they are generally happy to delegate the online search to the librarians.
NEW DATABASE PRODUCTS: SOCIAL SCIENCE, HUMANITIES, NEWS AND GENERAL (ISSUE 1)
Authors: Williams Martha E. , Sutton Ellen , Sutton Brett
Published: January 2008

This is the second in a continuing series of articles summarizing and commenting on new database products and the first one covering the topics of social sciences, humanities, general, multidisciplinary and news. Companion articles covering science, technology and medicine (which appeared in the previous issue of Online & CDROM Review) and covering business and law (to appear in the next issue) complement this article. The articles are based on the newly‐appearing database products in the Gale Directory of Databases (GDD). This was created by merging Computer‐Readable Databases: A Directory and Data Sourcebook (CRD) together with the Directory of Online Databases (DOD) and the Directory of Portable Databases (DPD). The first of GDD was published in January 1993.
WHO KNOWS WHAT THE YEAR 2000 WILL BRING?
Authors: Brenner Ev
Published: January 2008

I've been asked in 1993 to focus on an area I consider my expertise and predict its development by the year 2000. Because of my advanced age, seven years seems a very short time and in my area of expertise meaningful progress has always taken twice as long as anyone has predicted. I shall predict that in the area of human/machine interface problems in the retrieval of information, the road to ‘knoware’ is no‐where — there will be little meaningful progress by the year 2000. If I live to that year, I hope to eat crow!
CDROM NETWORK PRICING
Authors: Blake Paul
Published: January 2008

CDROM network pricing was discussed by over 50 members of the CDROM Standards and Practices Action Group (CDROM SPAG) at the Barbican in London, England last month. Debate ranged from discussing whether standard net‐work pricing was possible, views of users and publishers on metering, and the likely impact of large Metropolitan Area Networks. The day's programme, organised by TFPL, began with two publishers, then two users, discussing their views on networking licensing, before the debate was thrown open to the floor.
WHERE OH WHERE WILL THE WORLD CUP BE?
Authors: Bacig Maribeth
Published: January 2008

Maribeth Bacig, a librarian at the Minneapolis Public Library working in INFORM, presents the first in a series of articles describing the experiences of professionals searching data sources online for information on a set topic. Searchers from different countries are given a question to answer, a budget of £50 and a time in which to produce their report. We hope that these blow‐by‐blow accounts, together with the hints and tips picked up along the way, will help all the readers of Online & CDROM Review develop their search strategies.
THE DATA‐STAR‐DIALOG LINKUP
Authors: Blake Paul
Published: January 2008

Following his company's acquisition of Data‐Star, Pat Tierney, CEO of Dialog, talks to Paul Blake about how he sees both services, and the information indus‐try as a whole, developing. We also have the viewpoints of Peter Martin, Stuart Urwin and Martin Buerger, Dialog's new Vice President of European Operations.
NEWS ROUNDUP
Authors: Blake Paul
Published: January 2008

The sale of Data‐Star. This month's news roundup is dominated by the 1 March announcement that Dialog's parent, Knight‐Ridder, has acquired the SWISS host Data‐Star. Earlier in this issue of Online & CDROM Review, you can read my interview with Dialog's President and other senior personnel involved.
TIME TO PAY? THE PRACTICES AND CHALLENGES OF CHARGING FOR DATABASE SEARCHES IN FINLAND
Authors: Iivonen Mirja , Savolainen Reijo
Published: January 2008

The fee policy, charging practices and problems of database searching in Finland are reviewed. The article is based on 24 interviews with experienced searchers in Spring 1991; one third working in public libraries, one third in academic libraries and one third in special libraries or information bureaux in the area of social sciences. No two interviewees were from the someplace of work. Each library sector follows different charging practices. At present, public library database searches are free of charge. In academic libraries fee policy and charging practices vary considerably from one library to another. In special libraries or information bureaux, current fee policy seems to be quite clear; database searches are carried out mainly for the members of parent organisations but external use is restricted. Problems connected with charging vary accordingly. In public libraries non‐charging policy has caused an accumulation of searches and resources for them are insufficient. In academic libraries the foremost fee problems relate to the heterogeneous and ambiguous nature of charging practice. In special libraries or information bureaux the situation is not so problematic. The fee policy, charging practice and problems faced differ between various organisations and so do the challenges that libraries will face in the near future as regards fees for database searches.
SCHOLARLY PUBLISHING
Authors: Mahon Barry
Published: January 2008

In the year 2000 Eusidic will be thirty years old. I throw in that piece of information to let you know that Eusidic has already been around a long time and is therefore ‘a good thing’; so that I can reminisce about the old days if I feel like it; but, more importantly, to be able to say when the time comes — ‘ah, well, Eusidic has seen many predictions over the years, some have been good, some have been bad.’
PREPARING FOR THE INFORMATION REVOLUTION: EXCERPTS FROM THE KEYNOTE ADDRESS, 1993 NATIONAL ONLINE MEETING
Authors: Frappaolo Carl
Published: January 2008

A word of caution to users of online databases — do not rest on your laurels. Though you may be users of online information you must ask yourself, how much of your information is available online? We are all aware of the countless studies that have shown anywhere from 93–95% of all information used by organizations today is in paper format. More importantly, research conducted by the Delphi Consulting Group has shown that less than one tenth of 1% of the information stored electronically is under the control of a text retrieval system. If that concerns you — it should. But it should not concern you as much as the fact that the overwhelming majority of full‐text retrieval front ends to online databases do not utilize state‐of‐the‐art functionality and features. If you believe that as an early adopter of online technology you are guaranteed a place among the victors of the information revolution, you are in for a rude awakening.
NEWS, THE INTERNET AND STUDENT TRAINING: DEBATE AT THE NATIONAL ONLINE MEETING
Authors: Blake Paul
Published: January 2008

Debate at last month's National Online Meeting in New York included discussion on how the delivery of news information is set to change, how best to use the Internet for research, and fresh approaches to teaching students the intricacies of online searching. Paul Blake gives this account.
THE FT PROFILE INVESTIGATION IN THE UK: THE LEGAL ISSUES
Authors: White Andrew
Published: January 2008

UK competition law regulators are on a possible collision course with the UK‐based database host, FT Profile. FT Profile has been referred to the UK Monopolies and Mergers Commission (MMC) following a year‐long preliminary en‐quiry at the UK Office of Fair Trading (OFT).
NEWS ROUNDUP
Authors: Blake Paul
Published: January 2008

Quest for fair pricing equation continues. No one is happy with current online pricing equations and there now seems to be a real consensus that change must come. However, so far there has been little action, although new initiatives from three online vendors could signal that this is about to change.
THE EFFECT OF USER CHARACTERISTICS ON SEARCH OUTCOME IN MEDIATED ONLINE SEARCHING
Authors: Spink Amanda
Published: January 2008

The relationship between user characteristics and the outcome of an online search is a growing area of investigation. This paper reports results of a study which examined user characteristics during mediated online searching in an academic environment, which related to online search outcome. Results of the study indicate that the academic status of the users and their experience of a prior online search on their information problem was significantly related to the online search outcome.
CDROM DATABASE QUALITY
Authors: Casale Michael
Published: January 2008

Among the many interesting conferences and seminars at the September Libtech International '93 Exhibition was one on the subject of CDROM Database Quality, hosted by the Library Association and the CD‐ROM Standards and Practices Group (SPAG).
NEWS ROUNDUP
Authors: Blake Paul
Published: January 2008

Hosts dive into PDAs, multimedia and the Internet. Major developments have been announced by several mass market hosts which could signal future trends for the information industry as a whole. These include plans to offer multimedia news, online versions of popular newspapers, and access to services via Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs).
EVALUATION OF ELECTRONIC DATABASES, PART II: TESTING CDROM PRODUCTS
Authors: Oppenheim Charles , Harry Veronica
Published: January 2008

In an earlier paper (Harry & Oppenheim 1993), we described the criteria that we had developed for a standard test procedure for CDROM reviews. In this paper, we describe some evaluations we carried out using the criteria laid out on standard test forms. The purpose of these evaluations was to assess the validity of the criteria and the test forms. Appraisals of products were carried out on CDROM products available in the Library of Strathclyde University.
TWO CDROM PRICING ISSUES
Authors: Koenig Michael E.D.
Published: January 2008

There are a number of issues affecting the pricing of CDROM technologies, but two of them are both contentious and could potentially have a serious impact upon the field. Their resolution at the moment is not clear. Since CDROM technology holds great potential for library service, and it is particularly attractive in the context of the less well developed countries (Beaumont & Balson 1988; Brito 1989), it is therefore important that the field address these potential issues early on. The two concerns are lapsing ownership and metered pricing.
NEW DATABASE PRODUCTS: BUSINESS AND LAW (ISSUE 2)
Authors: Williams Martha E. , McDougal Sarah H.
Published: January 2008

This is the second article on Business and Law (BSL) Databases in a continuing series of articles summarizing and commenting on new database products. Two companion articles, one covering science, technology and medicine (STM) (Online & CDROM Review vol. 17 issue 4) and the other covering social science, humanities, news and general (SSH) (Online & CDROM Review vol. 17 issue 5), complement this article. The articles are based on the newly appearing database products in the Gale Directory of Databases. The Gale Directory of Databases (GDD) was created in January 1993 by merging Computer‐Readable Databases: A Directory and Data Sourcebook (CRD) together with the Directory of Online Databases (DOD) and the Directory of Portable Databases (DPD).
WHAT PRICE MARKET RESEARCH?
Authors: Poynder Richard
Published: January 2008

In an article to published in this month's Information World Review, Trevor Fenwick, the Managing Director of Euromonitor, argues that the larger online hosts do not understand the research market or appreciate the value of research reports. As a result they are selling online market reports at unrealistically low prices. This, he says, may force publishers to stop producing the reports.