The process of initiating and negotiating a literature search in the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) data base is discussed in laymen's terms. The guide offers suggestions on choosing a data base, deciding whether to use computerized or manual retrieval, defining the search problem, and understanding the Boolean search strategy…

The experience of the research library of International Flavors and Fragrances using on-line data bases is described. On-line searches of Chemical Abstracts condensates and other data bases are compared with the library's previous experience with manual indexes. Two tables show the number of literature searches conducted and the time required.…

Educational Information Centers are defined as those encompassing a broad range of search, retrieval, and dissemination activities aimed at providing both increased and more effective communication of results of research and development in the educational field to local educational decision makers and practitioners. Evaluation issues are…

Library automation in Canada is complicated by the large size, dispersed population, and cultural diversity of the country. The National Library of Canada is actively planning a Canadian library network based on national bibliographic services for which the library is now developing automated systems. Canadian libraries are involved in the…

The current status of the National Information System for Physics and Astronomy which is being implemented by the information Division of the American Institute of Physics is reported in this issue of a series of annual reports on the program. The goals of the system, their relative priorities and the over-all strategy by which they are to be…

This report evaluates the engineering information services provided by the University of Calgary since implementation of the COMPENDEX (tape service of Engineering Index, Inc.) service using the IBM TEXT-PAC system. Evaluation was made by a survey of the users of the Current Information Selection (CIS) service, the interaction between the system…

The purpose of this study was to explore cost-effectiveness factors that affect the choice among alternative systems. A cost-effectiveness model that may be used to evaluate potential systems was derived and a statement of the general magnitude of costs that the American Psychological Association (APA) can expect in implementing and operating…

The report is concerned with the implementation of an on-line information storage and retrieval system for the Rome Air Development Center. This system is to incorporate techniques of automatic document classification for a large document collection in an interactive environment. Following a review of the system design, the implementation of the…

IBM's Administrative Terminal System (ATS) is an effective data collection device, but its searching capabilities are severely limited. Searching an ATS document line-by-line is a time consuming process requiring slow printout speeds. A search can operate only upon 9,999 lines of text at any one time. Working storage limitations make it necessary…

UNISTAR (User Network for Information Storage, Transfer, Acquisition and Retrieval) represents a management system for scientific and technological information under the executive branch of the United States Government and a training exercise in the systems approach. A summary of the salient points of this study indicates that: a national policy…

The General Information Processing System (GIPSY) of the Merrick Computing Center is a user dominated system. It can be used to manipulate and retrieve both numeric and alphabetic material. One of its most interesting uses is in the selection and retrieval of records and documents or of selected entries from records and documents. It has been used…

Characterized were the scientific and technical information needs of 1,500 scientists and engineers from 73 companies, 8 research institutes, and 2 universities; and the flow of scientific and technical information (flow process) inherent in satisfying these needs. Interviewers asked 63 questions in the subject areas of (1) the user of scientific…

This report is a survey of five on-line retrieval systems that, with one exception, have been used to demonstrate on-line access to the recently developed Committee on Scientific and Technical Information (COSATI) inventory of government sponsored work now in progress in the area of information sciences and technology. The report was prepared to…

A program is presented for a National Information System for Physics based on a computerized American Institute of Physics (AIP) Information Service which is designed to augment the element of selectivity of the present information system for user interests. It is proposed that the system be developed in discreet stages, each adding to the…

The general scope of SPIRAL is storage of free-flowing text information into a machine-readable library and recall of any portions of this stored information that are relevant to an inquiry. The major objectives in the design of the system were (1) to make it easy to use by persons unfamiliar with computer systems; and (2) to make it efficient, in…