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Procedures are described for the systematic assessment of tenders including verification of functional scope, response characteristics in interactive systems and robustness to equipment failure.

During the period 1979–1982, Hertfordshire Library Service will install an integrated circulation control and catalogue maintenance system. This paper discusses aspects of the system design deriving from policy decisions concerning limited management change, the careful allocation of resources and the need for improved reader services. This involves the development of co‐operative cataloguing, new systems of reservations control and the development of an on‐line catalogue. Microprocessor sub‐systems will be used to ensure a high degree of reliability, and the attempt to balance hardware costs against a degree of robustness is described. The paper also sets out a statistical model for estimating real‐time system loading deriving from queuing theory and the response characteristics of the machine system. 8 Refs.

Boisot’s I‐space is used as a framework to explain the comparative success of computer‐based tools in information scanning and dissemi‐ nation, and the failure to support problem areas in the process of knowledge creation, especially where this involves interactions within user groups. Recent research indicates that process‐based studies are likely to be productive, and that there is a useful overlap between information science and computer science interests and methods.

System designers concerned with bibliographic storage and retrieval systems have, in the past, followed one of three approaches — simple data structures, with the handling of the inherent complexity of bibliographic data embedded in the programs; free text (inverse file) systems of which the ‘online database’ systems may be seen as a specialised extension; and structured database (DBMS) methods, of which some MARC systems are a special subset. The form of storage of the bibliographic data affects not only the efficiency of retrieval by various fields of the record, but also the space used in storage, the cost of maintenance and addition of new material, and especially, the nature of the retrieval language and the flexibility of response to users' needs. The choice of design approach involves study of each proposed application, and guidelines are offered for consideration in matching functional requirements with the varying strengths and weaknesses of the software techniques. Hybrid database structures offering both free text and DBMS features are becoming acceptable, at least for small systems, and the likely paths for future development are noted.

By the end of 1981 there are expected to be as many as 2000 centres in Great Britain making use of free text storage and retrieval systems. Prospective users are analysed by type of institution, and by class of computer in use or envisaged. Package systems are likely to satisfy a major part of this growth in use. Applications are expected in bibliographic services, technical information management and commercial correspondence and data retrieval. Special systems for legal data, safety standards and records, and regulations in general may also be important.

Provides a checklist of factors to be considered when deciding on the use of a minicomputer for library housekeeping routines‐operating systems, languages, computer capability. Outlines the approach to software development in relation to library characteristics. Costs of packages and collaborative systems, and ways of reducing costs are considered.

The choice of strategy and the evolution of policy for electronic publishing as an aid to information dissemination are at present complicated by the variety of technical options and by uncertainty about the proper balance between relatively high risk innovative and more predictable conservative approaches. This paper is intended to provide a set of ‘route maps’ through the technical options available now and in the near future, and to indicate the criteria which would guide choice of technology for various application categories and investment priorities. A lucid and accessible guide to the publication and availability of scientific and technical papers will be found in Line, 1992; this paper has been followed in several places below, but Line's discussion of the impact of new technology on publishers is not repeated.

The authors review the German voluntary turnover literature and examine how it reflects and extends the overall knowledge of employee turnover. First, the authors describe legal, institutional, and cultural influences specific to Germany that may affect voluntary turnover and its relationships with antecedents and outcomes. The authors then explain how research paradigms, which in German turnover research are primarily embedded in sociology and labor economics and to a lesser degree psychology and management, affect the lens by which voluntary turnover is examined. For instance, the variety of research perspectives leads to a variety of research questions, theories, data, and methodological approaches. Using these diverse perspectives, the authors explain how measurement and data quality concerns may hamper the understanding of turnover in cross-country/cross-cultural comparisons. This review further reveals many similarities with US-based turnover research, regarding the theories, methods, and results. The authors also find that turnover levels are, on average, considerably lower in Germany than in Anglo-Saxon labor markets. The authors suggest that the industry structure in Germany, coined by its strong and traditionally organized “Mittelstand” companies, may partly drive these findings. The authors close by identifying several research opportunities, available through advances in technology to improve the matching process, nonstandard work arrangements (such as in the gig economy), and a broader perspective on institutional peculiarities.

A bilingual Welsh‐English full text database is planned for Inspection Reports of Her Majesty's Inspectors of Schools for Wales. Special requirements for free text retrieval in the Welsh language are identified, and practical solutions are proposed for problems arising from the use of standard text database products, some of which may also apply to other lesser‐used languages.

A large‐scale image storage system for project records and other contract documentation has been installed in the Engineering Directorate of Thames Water Utilities. The system uses optical disc storage and a relational database for indexing and retrieval of nearly 500,000 pages in compressed image format, and provides end‐user access through seven work‐stations. It has met its design objectives in protection of vital records of engineering projects, fast access to large volumes of project files, and cost savings, mainly through reduced storage space. The REOS installation was intended both as a working system and as a pilot project to gain experience with optical disc storage technology in a technical environment. Areas where the project met real difficulties, underestimated in the feasibility study, were in physical handling and document indexing during retrospective conversion, the amount of training required for staff operating the system and the development of adequate validation processes for data entry to the INFORMIX database. The system delivers good images and is reliable, and has been relocated twice during the life of the installation without difficulty.