Discusses the feasibility of individual television film libraries combining film holdings onto optical disks and developing networks that would allow online searching of, access to, and transmission of video images. It is concluded that recent advances in technology would support fast and cost effective image retrieval with no loss in video…

Describes the unique reliability problems of very large databases that necessitate specialized techniques for hardware problem management. The discussion covers the use of controlled partial redundancy to improve reliability, issues in operating systems and database management systems design, and the impact of disk technology on very large…

Addresses problems with automated bibliographic and full-text storage of scientific articles. The role of the scientific article is described, the structure is explained, current indexing and information retrieval techniques are criticized, new possibilities using a rhetoric syntax or argumentational syntax are explored, and the use of hypertext…

Presents a discussion of laser disk systems developed by different institutions to store and distribute information and visual images. Includes information on storage, preservation, and use in the classroom or for research. Evaluates image quality, storage capacity, and transmissibility. Urges use of the videodisk to organize information and…

This review of the literature on full-text databases provides information on search strategy, performance measurement, and the benefits and limitations of full text compared to bibliographic database searching. Various use studies and uses of full-text databases are also listed. (21 references) (LAE)

Interview with a computer scientist for the U.S. Geological Survey focuses on CD-ROM as a medium for publishing, disseminating, and archiving government data; the private sector's role in producing value-added CD-ROM products; and SIGCAT (Special Interest Group for CD-ROM Applications and Technology), a free CD-ROM user group. (NRP)

Reports on tests evaluating nine microcomputer software packages designed for information storage and retrieval: BRS-Search, dtSearch, InfoBank, Micro-OPC, Q&A, STN-PFS, Strix, TINman, and ZYindex. Tables and narrative evaluations detail results related to security, hardware, user features, search capability, indexing, input, maintenance of files,…

A survey at the University of Kansas Libraries was conducted to provide statistical information on the physical condition of the Slavic materials collection. Results revealed the condition of these collections should be cause for serious concern; however, the problems could be overcome through careful preservation planning and interlibrary…

Discusses the challenges confronting law libraries in this age of technology. Highlights include physical storage space; transformation of the library environment; search and retrieval challenges; law library/librarian profile; librarian/publisher partnerships; and the future roles of technology and library services. (AEF)

Knowledge of electronic media includes recognizing different needs for information, understanding and using different measures of value, and understanding ethical issues. Skills relate to retrieving, managing, organizing, using, preserving, and communicating information. These complex abilities are explored, earlier work is described, and…

Explores the need for teachers and students to ask critical and reflective questions concerning the mediated experiences they receive in school as part of the official curriculum. Discusses mediated experiences as representations; the nonneutrality of media and the technologies of storage and delivery; the falsity of notions surrounding the…

The Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) used to create Web pages is an attractive alternative to the proprietary authoring software currently used to produce multimedia content for CD-ROMs. Discusses advantages and limitations of HTML as a nonproprietary and cross-platform CD-ROM authoring system, and the more general advantages of HTML as a data…

COPAC is a union catalog giving access to the online catalog records of some of the largest academic research libraries in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Discussion includes ways in which duplicate detection and record consolidation procedures are carried out, along with problem areas encountered. (Author/AEF)

The National Library of Medicine is supporting a research project on full-text search and retrieval. The project includes a fully deployed system, HSTAT, to provide access to government-supported health information. The retrieval system is an object-oriented client-server model and the data is stored in an object-oriented database management…

This article provides a brief introduction to the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC), discusses the origins of the SLAC Archives and History Office, its present-day operations, and the present and future challenges it faces in attempting to preserve an accurate historical record of SLAC's activities. (Contains 21 notes.)