As an introduction to the use of the DIALOG online retrieval service, this guide presents material that was developed during a fellowship at Carlos III University, School of Library Science and Documentation, Madrid (Spain) and that is based on a course on the same subject taught in English at Texas Women's University. Although the use of DIALOG…

This inventory provides profiles, tables, and listings of automated library activities at 115 Association of Research Libraries (ARL) institutions. The library profile covers 18 functions: (1) acquisitions; (2) serials check/claim; (3) serials/union list; (4) authority control; (5) cataloging/utility; (6) cataloging/local; (7) circulation; (8)…

This paper outlines the market developments, governmental promotion policies, and efforts by private industries for online database services in Japan since the late 1970s. The combination of these efforts over the years has resulted in an online database service market of US$20 billion annually, of which approximately one third is Western online…

Asserts that commercial online computer services provide a wealth of features that can be helpful in teaching political science. Discusses four commercial services and recommends the use of Prodigy because of its ability to link one article to other articles of related content. (CFR)

Describes a survey of academic librarians that investigated issues relating to CD-ROM indexes, including print index cancellations; cost versus other factors in cancellations; database vendors' charging structure; CD-ROM durability; student preference for CD-ROM over print; and effective use without librarian assistance. (22 references) (LRW)

Describes the use of DIALOG and Classmate by students at McDowell High School (Texas). Requirements for accessing DIALOG are explained; methods of teaching using DIALOG are described, including planning search strategy and the use of small groups; and problems are reviewed, including supervision time, cost, and limited accessibility. (three…

This study examines the indexing of drugs in the literature and compares actual drug indexing to stated indexing policies in selected databases. The goal is to aid health science information specialists, end-users, and/or non-subject experts to improve recall and comprehensiveness when searching for drug information by identifying the most useful…

Maintains that three types of social studies activities are found on the information highway: (1) electronic mail; (2) information; and (3) conferencing. Describes examples of each. Discusses commercial services and resource materials and provides references to online services. (CFR)

Discusses issues that must be addressed by universities in order to ensure access to information resources by students and faculty, and possible roles of academic libraries within the electronic environment. Topics covered include the changing face of knowledge, costs of information technology, copyrights, and universities as organizations. (14…

Compares Wilson's database tape and the IAC "Expanded Academic Index" as explored by librarians in the State University System of Florida. Features addressed include journal coverage; abstracts and full text; subject headings, including consistency versus precision and controlled vocabularies; search software; disk storage requirements;…

Describes electronic resources to support the technology transfer process. Resources are organized in the following categories: Research Facility Directories; Technology Transfer Contacts; Research and Laboratory Information Systems; Federal Government Databases and Information Systems; Aerospace, Technology, and Defence Databases; New Products…

This guide, which is intended for language and literacy teachers and researchers who are becoming interested in the Internet, offers a brief overview of using the Internet and explains how to access various language and literacy resources. Part 1, which is devoted to Internet basics, examines the following topics: the Internet (e-mail, mailing…

This study is based on a survey of a sample of 162 academic libraries holding between 90,000 and 500,000 volumes. The report begins by comparing various characteristics of the libraries to arrive at a profile of an average sample library in terms of volumes, enrollment, volumes per student, budget, expenditures per student, salaries as percent of…

Reviews the conventional publishing industry, and discusses a study of the electronic publishing industry and its products and processes. Discusses seven major forces affecting it--technology, economics, demographics, social trends, government policies, applications growth, and industry trends--and outlines principles to follow for success in…

This practicum was designed to provide better access to current information for the students and staff in a middle school. The printed materials in the school's media center were outdated, in scarce supply, or had inadequate subject coverage. Electronic databases were available for online searching and information retrieval, but students did not…