This report describes the development and implementation of a prototype system that integrates a microfiche catalog into an online computer system for bibliographic control. Such a system permits the storage of catalog data not yet converted to digital form, data in ideographic form, data for large numbers of little-used records, and data for use…

Describes three commercial, numeric databases that are available in microcomputer diskette format: Micro/Scan Disclosure; Wharton Econometric Forecasting Associates World Economic Service; and Trinet's Survey of Commercial Buying Power. Advantages and disadvantages of the diskette format, search strategies, and a selected list of eight suppliers…

Discusses discoveries and applications of science that have enabled the computer industry to introduce new technology each year and produce 25 percent more for the customer at constant cost. Potential limits to progress, disc storage technology, programming and end-user interface, and designing for ease of use are considered. Glossary is included.…

Presents a system model for transmission of input data that is coming from terminals of users in a limited user resource-sharing environment. Performance of a mini/microcomputer receiving mixture of picture-phone terminal data is analyzed with constant service times, synchronous transmission, and single-server interruptions through first-order…

The report describes an experimental study involving an on-line placement system in Boulder, Colorado which permitted applicants to request information from a terminal on any job stored in the computer. Data were collected on applicants referred by the Employment Service: whether or not hired, reason for not being hired if not hired, applicant…

This article defines three separate categories of microcomputers--personal, desk-top, multi-user devices--and relates storage capabilities (expandability, floppy disks) to library applications. Highlghts include de facto standards, operating systems, database management systems, applications software, circulation control systems, dumb and…

InfoTrac is a laserdisc system that provides local computer-access to Information Access Company's periodical databases and offers libraries an extensive, self-contained reference system. The system, which employs an IBM PC microcomputer, a Hewlett-Packard Thinkjet printer, and a Pioneer videodisc player, provides advantages of online searching at…

SPIRES (Stanford Public Information REtrieval System) is a computer information storage and retrieval system being developed at Stanford University with funding from the National Science Foundation. SPIRES has two major goals: to provide a user-oriented, interactive, on-line retrieval system for a variety of researchers at Stanford; and to support…

Intrex is an experimental bibliographic and full text storage and retrieval system which has advanced the concept of the on-line interactive search of a computer stored bibliographic data base and the on-line access to a microfiche document storage. The Intrex system includes a set of computer programs designed for information retrieval, a…

Describes ways of using Boolean questions with a clustered information file, and reviews an experiment studying the effect of such a retrieval method. (FM)

The purpose of the research described in the report is twofold. First, it is to analyze the relative benefits and costs of on-line computerized placement systems. The techniques developed for such an analysis which might be useful in evaluating other manpower programs are presented. Second, it is to provide a prototype model which shows how…

The virtues of interactive systems are speed, intimacy, and - if time-sharing is involved - economy. The major problems are the cost of the large computers and files necessary for bibliographic data, the still-high cost of communications, and the generally poor design of the user-system interfaces. (Author)

A description is provided for WISE-ONE, an information retrieval program designed to provide fast, efficient access to computer-based information files. The author focuses upon WISE-ONE's application to the Educational Resources Information Center's (ERIC) data base; WISE-ONE was designed specifically to meet the needs of researchers using ERIC,…

The design of an English-like query language and an interactive computer environment for searching the full text of the U.S. patent collection are discussed. Special attention is paid to achieving a transparent user interface, to providing extremely broad search capabilities (including nested substitution classes, Kleene star events, and domain…

This article discusses sources from which information used in in-house databases can be obtained and enumerates points to consider in database building phase (test database design ideas against external database if available, make arrangements for data entry, exercise quality control). Fourteen contractors or sources of computerized information…