The development of an integrated national plan of information services is the topic of the provisional final report of the seminar which is in Spanish. The accompanying five-page declaration, conclusions and recommendations, in English, implicitly include concepts which will permit the drawing up of a national information policy. The Seminar…

Presents a model for the evaluation of database management systems software from the viewpoint of librarians and information specialists. The properties of data management systems, database management systems, and text retrieval systems are outlined and compared. (10 references) (CLB)

The investigation and use of machine translation as an adjunct to human translation at the Soviet Union's All-Union Translation Center, a centralized scientific and technical translation facility, is examined. The issues of error correction, the variety of translation types needed, and special lexical considerations are discussed. (MSE)

Provides an account of the information and impressions of the present state of publishing, the book trade, and libraries and librarianship in Cuba gained during an official visit on behalf of the British Library Reference Division. Sources from which Cuban publications may be obtained are described. (EJS)

Highlights both the benefits and the problems associated with networking in libraries and discusses circumstances that are forcing information centers in the Arabian Gulf region to begin thinking about library networking. Topics include governing models, resource sharing, timeliness, cost effectiveness, currency, reliability, and a union catalog…

This study briefly describes the documentation and information projects of seven nations, stressing their use in the field of education. The sections are: (1) automated documentation and the human sciences in France, (2) documentation for education and the social sciences in the Federal Republic of Germany, (3) mechanized projects in library work…

The Institute of Scientific Information on the Social Sciences of the USSR Academy of Sciences (INION) coordinates social science information activities and processes both Soviet and foreign publications. The All-Union Scientific and Technological Information Center collects and disseminates information on unpublished scientific works and theses.…

Discusses use of microcomputer hardware and software, telecommunications methods, and advanced library methods to create a specialized information center's database of literature relating to farm machinery and food processing. Systems and services (electronic messaging, serials control, database creation, cataloging, collections, circulation,…

Discussion of cultural barriers in information systems focuses on results of a study at a large private research organization in Austria that was conducted to identify major problem areas and to develop a framework for identifying and evaluating possible solutions. User, technical, and cost factors for evaluating options are considered. (30…

Description of international acquisition and dissemination efforts of the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) focuses on agreements and special programs designed to promote international cooperation. Difficulties that NTIS has experienced relating to copyright differences, variable organizations, and less developed countries are…

Discussion of the value of library-based information services focuses on two evaluation techniques that help identify benefits of information services to organization managers: priority and performance evaluation and cost-benefit analysis applied to current awareness services. Examples from Australian information centers are included. (Contains 43…

This article describes the development and implementation of an innovative program of information centers in Israel that is designed to identify newly blind persons and to give them first-hand information about available services, as well as to stimulate an awareness of rehabilitation services among medical personnel. (Author/DB)

Reviews trends in Chinese library and information education since 1978 and examines the influences of reforms of the economic system, advances in science and technology, and advances in the education system. Topics discussed include the development of Chinese information industries, and integration of the work of libraries and information centers.…

Describes a project at the Ministry of Health Library and Documentation Centre in Malawi, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), that changed the role of the library from information collector to producer of information through the use of desktop publishing and the creation of CD-ROM databases. (LRW)

Summarizes and analyzes literature from the 1980s and 1990s that addressed library issues in Botswana. Focuses on literature that discussed the role of the library education program at the University of Botswana, and the use of African versus Western models in developing libraries and information centers to meet patron information needs. (JMV)