This study of the San Mateo Educational Resources Center (SMERC) was undertaken to characterize the use being made of this information service which provides database searches and other information services to educators in 19 California counties and parts of several other states. Requestor characteristics and subjects requested were determined…

Following a brief description of the role of the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) as a provider of bibliographic control over the fugitive research and development literature in education, this paper reports on a number of studies evaluating various aspects of the effectiveness of the ERIC system. The function of ERIC as a vehicle…

Based on data gathered from a number of complementary sources, this study provides a detailed descriptive analysis of both the direct and indirect costs incurred by the Federal government in operating the ERIC system, and the user population and user demand for ERIC products and services. Data sources included a survey of ERIC's U.S. intermediate…

The Design of Information Systems in the Social Sciences project (DISISS) of the University of Bath, England, has recently completed evaluations of three programs: (1) a library staff digest intended to inform personnel of the inner workings of the library; (2) an information system designed to assist professionals and private individuals working…

Two information dissemination centers at University of California at Los Angeles and University of Georgia studied the interactions between computer based search facilities and their users. The study, largely descriptive in nature, investigated the interaction processes between data base users and profile analysis or information specialists in…

The Bibliographical Center has three valuable assets: The regional union catalog, a staff with exceptional bibliographical expertise, and a regional organization which has withstood the test of time for more than thirty years. This reconnaisance study outlines the following major options for the Bibliographical Center: (1) continue as it is; (2)…

Difficulties encountered by users of the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) idexing and abstracting services are: (1) coverage too broad for a single index, (2) duplication of material indexed or distributed elsewhere, (3) multiple number series, (4) inconsistency of bibliographic entries and (5) coverage unpredictable. The difficulties…

The role of information research centers in institutional research activities was explored, based on 1,040 requests for student data at an information center at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, during 1980-1985. Three distinct information center markets were identified and mechanisms for serving each market were recommended. The first was…

The 11-item annotated bibliography provides a comprehensive guide to resource material, research findings, and developments related to public libraries and Mexican Americans. Published between 1970 and 1976, the materials are drawn from issues of "Resources in Education" (RIE) and "Current Index to Journals in Education"…

The last few years have witnessed continuous power shifts in the information structure of organizations. As a result of these changes, end-user computing (EUC) has been growing at a tremendous rate. This paper discusses the three functions of Information Centers (IC) to support EUC in organizations: training, technical support, and control. A…

The result of a comprehensive search for documents about ERIC, this bibliography lists 269 entries which approach ERIC in several different ways, e.g., documents of historical interest in the development of the system; "how to" items designed to initiate the user into the system; user surveys; evaluations of ERIC performance; reports…

This study describes the use and value of the major information products and services provided by the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC). These products and services include technical report distribution on an on-demand basis and through the Automatic Document Distribution (ADD) program; secondary information dissemination through online…

Performed under the guidance of the Connecticut State Library and the Connecticut State Library Research Advisory Committee, this study includes (1) a survey of Connecticut librarians and library users to evaluate the need for a Library Research Center, (2) a design concept for a proposed operational system and a plan for its implementation, and…

User experiments are the main theme of this tenth issue in the series of Project Intrex semiannual activity reports. This system is undergoing tests with users who are motivated by their need for information rather than an interest in the machinery by which it is stored, retrieved and presented. Test results will indicate which fields in the…

The Information Unit on Early Childhood Education was formed to provide practitioners in the field with a readily accessible source of information on new program developments, so that decisions about adopting programs might be based on a rational consideration of alternatives. The Unit contains the following features: a review of trends in early…