Integrating news services into an intranet can be tricky. Even within related organizations, slight differences in subscriptions and end-user needs can necessitate different integration approaches. This article examines how the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund took separate approaches to tackle the same integration challenge in…

Since 1982, the Quality Assurance Committee of the New England Online Users Group (NENON) has focused on communicating online searchers' problems to system vendors and database producers, primarily by distributing check-off and fill-in-the-blank forms to NENON members, collecting and tabulating the forms, and forwarding them to the vendors and…

Discusses search and retrieval software for use with CD-ROM. Background trends, how data are made usable, supply and demand, data preparation services, and capabilities of search software are described. Vendors of significant information retrieval products are identified, and the characteristics of 12 packages are compared. (Author/EM)

Describes the development of "Online" magazine, considers the impact it has had on its target audience of online searchers, and discusses changes in the online information field during the last 20 years. Topics include growth of the Internet; price competition; quality of information; and user interfaces. (LRW)

Explains portals as tools that gather a variety of electronic information resources, including local library resources, into a single Web page. Highlights include cross-database searching; integration with university portals and course management software; the ARL (Association of Research Libraries) Scholars Portal Initiative; and selected vendors…

Describes specific techniques for using the MAP command for business searches on DIALOG that use more than one file. Limits of the MAPping function are discussed, and modification of these techniques for application to other databases and systems is explained. (Four references) (LRW)

The first of two articles describes how a team effort by computing centers and academic libraries could aid faculty in the organization of their personal databases. The second provides an overview of the academic library automation market, identifying vendors active in the market and trends of recent years. (CLB)

Examines the practice and implications of issuing corrections, retractions, and amplifications in online databases. All database producers do not provide mechanisms to accommodate retractions and corrections, and it can be difficult for a searcher to find evidence of error correction. Sidebars illustrate both the lack of and evidence of…

Discusses the use of computer-based telecommunications through the Internet and commercial online services to bring immediacy and individualization to the school curriculum. Topics include integrating telecommunications into the curriculum, basic Internet tools, e-mail, the World Wide Web, and resources on the Internet for curriculum planning.…

Discusses the features of America Online, a commercial online service designed primarily for use with a Macintosh computer. Several documentation guides are identified, and a step-by-step tour of the service is provided with samples of various screens in the program. (12 references/notes) (EA)

Discusses new pricing models for some online services and considers the possibilities for the traditional online database market. Topics include multimedia music databases, including copyright implications; other retail-oriented databases; and paying for free databases with advertising. (LRW)

Discusses Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) that converts existing telephone lines into digital circuits which transmit data at 256Kbps to 7 Mbps. Describes ADSL, unique features of "Megabit Services" and initial deployment, costs, and impact on library services (extra bandwidth for Internet services, multimedia or other…

In the age of electronic media, some say producing textbooks is a dying art. And it may be true that every day, devices with names such as iPod and eBook threaten to replace the age-old "technology" of the traditional book with a newer, faster, and equally (if not more) portable approach. In many cases, at colleges and universities across the…

This booklet describes online searching using Materials Information, a metallurgy and metals science information service of the Institute of Metals in London and ASM International in Cleveland, Ohio, which is available through the major online vendors. Described in detail are online searching, online databases, costs, online hosts or vendors,…

This overview of the available government and defense online databases divides them into the categories of research and development and market intelligence and describes the contents of each database. A listing of the online producers and providers, starting dates of files, and update frequency is provided. (CLB)