The paper is a written adaptation of a talk at the July 1977 Cranfield Conference. It has two main purposes: (a) to bring to the attention of the information community the facts…
Abstract
The paper is a written adaptation of a talk at the July 1977 Cranfield Conference. It has two main purposes: (a) to bring to the attention of the information community the facts and figures collected by EUSIDIC (b) to develop proposals for a more rational basis for European policies regarding on‐line services. Three assumptions are made in this presentation: (i) that it is possible to discuss on‐line services without implying that that is all there is to information transfer (ii) that it is possible to do so without a renewed description of the basics or details of what is available (iii) that it is possible to speak of European problems and solutions which are not necessarily incompatible with, but distinct from, either individual, regional or global problems and solutions.
The post‐war database revolution was triggered by ‘missions’ like health and nucleonics. In the last 10 years, the emphasis in databases has shifted from science and technology to…
Abstract
The post‐war database revolution was triggered by ‘missions’ like health and nucleonics. In the last 10 years, the emphasis in databases has shifted from science and technology to business and softer disciplines, and from files of references (bibliographic files) to files of information (data banks). While Europe has outstripped the rest of the world in the number of bibliographic files, she lags behind in data banks and online availability. To get out of our information impasse we need to make intelligent use of new technologies like Viewdata and the European Communication Satellite, and find new ‘missions’.
Tuesday 13th December 1977 was a cold, damp day in London, but the staff of the registration desk at the Tara Hotel soon got warmed up as over 400 delegates from twenty‐four…
Abstract
Tuesday 13th December 1977 was a cold, damp day in London, but the staff of the registration desk at the Tara Hotel soon got warmed up as over 400 delegates from twenty‐four countries arrived to collect their preprints volumes and attendance lists.
Over the past decade machine‐readable data bases have grown both in number and variety. In addition to the familiar bibliographic data bases such as MEDLINE and ERIC, one now…
Abstract
Over the past decade machine‐readable data bases have grown both in number and variety. In addition to the familiar bibliographic data bases such as MEDLINE and ERIC, one now finds data bases containing such things as properties (e.g., RTECS ‐ Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances) and full text (e.g., LEXIS, a family of files that contains the full text of court decisions, statutes, regulations, and other legal materials). As data bases increase in importance as information resources, there is a growing need for printed tools which can assist librarians in their identification and use. Available tools fall into three categories: (1) guides issued by data base producers which describe the contents of a given data base and methods of searching (e.g., INSPEC Database Users' Guide); (2) guides produced by online vendors which indicate how data bases can be searched on a particular system (e.g., Lockheed's Guide to DIALOG ‐ Databases); and (3) data base directories which include coverage of data bases produced by many different organizations and processed by a variety of online vendors. The third category is the subject of this comparative review. Readers interested in the first two categories should consult Online Reference Aids: A Directory of Manuals, Guides, and Thesauri published by the California Library Authority for Systems and Services (CLASS). This publication contains information on manuals, guides, and other search aids for over 100 online data bases, including those available through the New York Times Information Bank, National Library of Medicine (NLM), Bibliographic Retrieval Services (BRS), Lockheed DIALOG, and System Development Corporation (SDC) ORBIT. This directory is arranged by data base name, giving ordering and price information for aids available from both data base producers and online vendors. Subject and vendor indexes are also provided.
There is a worldwide increase in the use of referral services, and a number of projects or services are already under way. The aim of referral projects is to develop aids for…
Abstract
There is a worldwide increase in the use of referral services, and a number of projects or services are already under way. The aim of referral projects is to develop aids for users of information in selecting the most appropriate information resources for their needs. Some of the benefits that can result from referral services are: easier access to systems and better use of information resources, cost savings due to short search time, easily readable and uniform information service description, unbiased guidance etc.
Database directories reviewed. Computer‐Readable Databases: A Directory and Data Sourcebook, edited by Kathleen Young Marcaccio, founding editor Martha E. Williams. Gale Research…
Abstract
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).
This European conference on the application of research in information services and libraries was held in the RAI International Congrescentrum, Amsterdam, from 23rd to 25th March…
Abstract
This European conference on the application of research in information services and libraries was held in the RAI International Congrescentrum, Amsterdam, from 23rd to 25th March 1976. Like its predecessor, it was organized by Aslib with the co‐sponsorship of the Association Nationale de la Recherche Technique, the Bibliothèque Royale de Belgique, the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Dokumentation, NOBIN and NORD‐FORSK. More than four hundred persons from twenty‐four countries (Australia, Austria, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Finland, France, German Federal Republic, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, United Kingdom, United States of America and the USSR) attended. During the conference, TNO with EUSIDIC gave a reception to all the delegates on the 23rd March at the RAI Congrescentrum, and the Board of Managing Directors of Associated Scientific Publishers gave a reception on the 24th at the Elsevier offices on Jan van Galenstraat. Both receptions were well attended and greatly appreciated, and did much to ensure the success of the conference.
Starting at home base — The Houston Online User Group sponsored an October meeting: The Federal Government: Information On‐line. Topics covered included NIH‐EPA, NLM, NTIS and…
Abstract
Starting at home base — The Houston Online User Group sponsored an October meeting: The Federal Government: Information On‐line. Topics covered included NIH‐EPA, NLM, NTIS and ASI/CIS … The first issue of the 1980–1981 Oregon Online User Group (OOUG) Newsletter provided a summary of past events, goals and objectives, and future plans. Other items included business news, upcoming national meetings, points of interests from other information organizations, and continuing education courses …. MIDLNET (Midwest Region Library Network announced the appointment of Dr. James E. Skipper as Executive Director, effective October 1, 1980 …. Bay Area User Group reports their October meeting held at Stanford's Math‐Computer Science Library with a presentation of their computer services program …. A tour of INFO MART treated the Santa Barbara Group …. Southern California's September meeting was ‘Suggestions for Improvement of Online Systems and Databases’ — a synopsis of the results will be distributed via the National Online Circuit …. But the biggest news out of sunny California is that the members of CLASS are able to communicate with each other via On Tyme. Various user groups have had training sessions on this electronic mail service which promises savings in cost, manpower, and time …. CLASS has also offered workshops on INSPEC, RLIN, BRS, MARC, Systems Refreshers, and Laboratory Animal Data Bank …. The North Carolina Online Users Group held a User Education/User Evaluation program which included a slide show ‘Computerized Search Services’ as used at the Burroughs Wellcome Company. Their recent newsletter provided a summary of their major spring workshop on current affairs databases … NCOLUG also sent a copy of their member directory — it's divided into three sections: List of members, organizations represented in NCOLUG, and a Database Index … MIDBUG (Michigan Database Users Group) sponsored BIOSIS (beginning and advanced) and Disclosure Seminars and co‐sponsored a Non‐Bibliographic Data Base Conference with the Western Michigan Chapter S.L.A. and the Upjohn Company …. The Columbus Area Online Users Group presented an ISI Databases Workshop instruction for online retrieval of Science and Social Science Citation Indexes …. Western Michigan University also presented an ISI Workshop in October …. San Antonio Area Online Users Group hosted Data Courier, Inc. and their newly revised Online Training Session …. Kansas City Online User Group has been active with a hands‐on workshop with The Source; reports have it that all attending found it a rewarding workshop.
VINE is produced at least four times a year with the object of providing up‐to‐date news of work being done in the automation of library housekeeping processes, principally in the…
Abstract
VINE is produced at least four times a year with the object of providing up‐to‐date news of work being done in the automation of library housekeeping processes, principally in the UK. It is edited and substantially written by Tony McSean, Information Officer for Library Automation based in Southampton University Library and supported by a grant from the British Library Research and Development Department. Copyright for VINE articles rests with the British Library Board, but opinions expressed in VINE do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the British Library. The subscription to VINE is £10 per year and the subscription period runs from January to December.
In 1964 Herbert Coblans wrote that the development of photo‐effect lithography, the invention and evolution of photographic techniques, had profoundly affected the ‘recording of…
Abstract
In 1964 Herbert Coblans wrote that the development of photo‐effect lithography, the invention and evolution of photographic techniques, had profoundly affected the ‘recording of knowledge, the making of libraries and all that that means’. He went on to ask if ‘two other lines of technical development, Hollerith's punched cards… and the electronic computer … [which] represent a third revolution, comparable to the other two’, had had the same significance for libraries and documentation. When originally asked, this question could not be answered with any clarity. Fourteen years later it should be possible to answer the question with some authority and to identify the other areas of technical development that form an integral part of the mechanized documentation services of today and those which are under development for tomorrow.