Discusses Dialog's recent new pricing structure and its effects on librarians and other information professionals. Presents charts that compare Dialog databases with other search services (Dow Jones Interactive, LEXIS-NEXIS, OCLC FirstSearch, Ovid, Questel-Orbit, SilverPlatter, and STN) and Dialog via other channels (DataStar, Dialog Select,…

Presents results from a collective professional searcher evaluation of the effectiveness of Web search engines versus two traditional online services, DIALOG and Dow Jones Interactive. The conclusion outlines: searching assumptions; subjects and types of searches where DIALOG and Dow Jones Interactive showed superiority; advantages of using the…

Describes a study conducted at Eastern Illinois University's library that examined nine full-text databases to determine the content and subject coverage of each database. Discusses implications for collection development, including policies for the evaluation of electronic resources; and the need for dialog between librarians and vendors. (LRW)

Reengineering efforts, vendor consolidation, and rising costs prompted the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to convert its computer resale store to an online catalog that allows students, faculty, and staff to purchase equipment and software through a World Wide Web interface. The transition has been greeted with a mixed reaction. The next…

The latest in electronic document management in British local government is discussed. Finance, revenues, and benefits systems of leading vendors to local authorities are highlighted. A planning decisions archive management system and other information services are discussed. (AEF)

Addresses the problems of managing capacity and provisioning the demand for continued growth in data services. Discusses the need for blending high-performance technologies for interoperability and reliability; delivering higher bandwidth at lower cost; and allowing for increased customer control in networking. (AEF)

Content-control proposals have been found to be more intrusive and restrictive than supporters of rating systems and filtering software claim. These systems often exceed claims in types of content restricted, numbers and types of people prevented from reaching content, technical changes required to public electronic networks, and burdens on…

The ancient Romans had it right. The underlying relationships between contracting parties were considered so important among Roman citizens that breaking a contract was considered a serious offense: The breaching party forfeited social position and property, and, if necessary, his family was expected to make good on his contractual promises. In…

The impact that electronic information technologies have had on scholarly communications and university libraries is assessed. Early predictions that the dominance of commercial publishers would decline and journal prices would fall have not been realised. The development of institutional repositories have had limited success in making the…

Two articles briefly review experiences of secondary schools using DIALOG's Classroom Instruction Program, and four New Jersey school districts that have experimented with using Dow Jones News/Retrieval Service to teach online searching at both the elementary and secondary levels. An annotated bibliography lists 12 relevant journal articles and…

Although three curriculum-delivery systems which use terminals to download curriculum software from a super microcomputer offer advantages of individualized instruction over several grade levels with individual student progress reports and updated software, the expense of the initial installation makes it difficult for them to compete with…

Provides practical information for librarians beginning to use online searching for reference services at the high school level. Selection of equipment, software, and database vendors are discussed, as well as financing, involvement of the school administration, and working with users to determine their information needs. (CDD)

Describes computer-based software and network systems for application to serials and government publications. General and specific functional requirements (hardware, software, file structure) are discussed, and descriptive information about commercially available serials control systems and a list of distributors are provided. (CLB)

Discusses advantages of tying together library book and journal collections in one online database. The division between the access tools of public and technical services is described and discussed in terms of the use of bibliographic utilities and search services, and some future consequences of full-collection access tools are described. (EM)

Discusses (1) the history of document delivery; (2) the delivery process--end-user request, intermediary request, vendor reference, citation verification, obtaining document and source relations, quality control, transferring document to client, customer service and status, invoicing and billing, research and development, and copyright; and (3)…