Describes LM-NET, a listserv discussion group designed primarily for school library media specialists. The listserv's background, growth, uses, users, and future developments are covered. Special features include instructions for accessing past discussions. Sidebars present sample LM-NET messages and subscription and retrieval information. (KRN)

Describes institutes developed at Rutgers University to introduce practicing librarians to the information search process from the user's perspective. Highlights included library search sessions followed by small and large group discussions, presentations on the theoretical foundations of the search process, and developing plans for libraries'…

This exploratory investigation of the process of defining the information needs of computer users and the impact of that process on information retrieval focuses on communication problems. Six sites were visited that used computers to process data or to provide information, including the California Department of Transportation, the California…

Four speeches are presented, each of which deals with the use of conputers to organize and retrieve news stories. The first speech relates in detail the step-by-step process devised by the "Free Press" in Detroit to analyze, categorize, code, film, process, and retrieve news stories through the use of the electronic film retrieval…

Two questions arise in regard to the computer-based humanities reference services: (1) What knowledge, abilities, and attitudes should the information specialist or librarian in the university library have in order to aid users in fully exploiting the innovative humanities information handling processes? (2) To what extent do users in the…

Examines librarian's initiatives to incorporate access to external databases into local online catalogs; describes OCLC's new online reference system, EPIC, that provides subject access to databases; and discusses OCLC's plans to expand access to monographs by including tables of contents or book indexes in monograph records. (LRW)

This annual collection contains the following 14 papers about the use of Macintosh computers in libraries: "Of Mice and Macs: The Integration of the Macintosh into the Operations and Services of the University of Tennessee, Memphis Health Science Library" (Lois M. Bellamy); "Networking Reference CD-Roms in the Apple Library"…

Computer-based reference search services were provided to users on a fee-for-service basis at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as the first, and experimental, note in the development of the Northeast Academic Science Information Center (NASIC). Development of a training program for information specialists and training materials is…

A series of five runs comprised of 20 searches each were carried out in a three-year span of the INSPEC data base. The same queries were processed manually in the corresponding volumes of Science Abstracts, and comparison of the output of each search method exposed reasons for the failures. Emphasis is laid on the fact that a query comprises other…

While most librarians are aware of the increasing amount of electronic resources available in and from libraries, they may not realize how much World Wide Web information is being used in higher education classrooms. Making a web page with links to related sites for use in class and instructing students on finding Web information can be a daunting…

Arguing that the development of interactive communication systems with microcomputers and computer terminals has created new challenges for public services in academic libraries, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign conducted a needs assessment survey to determine if users of computer-based systems have different needs and expectations…

This paper presents the background and then reports progress made in the development of two view-based searching systems--HIBROWSE for EMBASE, searching Europe's most important biomedical bibliographic database, and HIBROWSE for EPOQUE, improving access to the European Parliament's Online Query System. The HIBROWSE approach to searching promises…

This paper identifies and describes the categories of electronic publications (EPs) in a document-based communication and information system called JIMMY, developed by Queen Margaret College (Edinburgh, Scotland) for use by students and staff in general arts and paramedical courses. The use of computer-mediated communication systems like bulletin…

Papers presented at an August 1984 international seminar on online user education include "Library Policies and Strategies in The Netherlands" (Chris J. van Wijk, The Netherlands); "Promotion and Marketing of Library Services" (Nancy Fjallbrant, Sweden); "Library Promotion by Computer" (Ian Malley, United Kingdom); "Library User Education and…

SCORPIO (Subject Content-Oriented Retriever for Processing Information On-line), a set of computer programs developed by the Library of Congress for use by the Library Library's staff, is described. Intended as a users guide for those not trained in data processing, this document presents the system's general characteristics together with a…