Reviews the history of OCLC and describes current and future objectives. Highlights include membership; network affiliations; cataloging services; interlibrary loan; EPIC, a new reference system; a new telecommunications network; PRISM, a new online system for cataloging and resource sharing; pricing strategies; international operations; and…

Analyzes information technology used in networks and cooperative systems to access primary documents and its impact on the information industry. The concordance between old and new technologies in traditional and virtual libraries is considered. Discussion includes the resulting paradoxes, such as more people accessing relatively smaller…

Examines the history and present state of federal initiatives in electronic networking, particularly the National Information Infrastructure and National Research and Education Network; discusses electronic publishing; and considers implications for national policy. Topics addressed include commercialization; community networking; end-user…

Tom Corddry, Microsoft Corporation's Creative Director for the Consumer Division, is interviewed about the Microsoft Home line of products and the development of related CD-ROM and multimedia products. Reasons for Microsoft's entry into the content market and its challenges, the market's future, and the company's interest in developing online…

This evaluation of means of accessing data on the U.S. Census Bureau CD-ROM Test Disc 2 describes computer hardware configurations considered in determining the most efficient method of manipulating the data, and mentions software options. Two dBASE configurations are compared, and it is concluded that the 80386 is essential for efficient…

Interview with a computer scientist for the U.S. Geological Survey focuses on CD-ROM as a medium for publishing, disseminating, and archiving government data; the private sector's role in producing value-added CD-ROM products; and SIGCAT (Special Interest Group for CD-ROM Applications and Technology), a free CD-ROM user group. (NRP)

Describes a portable CD-ROM machine intended for the mass market that provides access to searchable text, graphics, and audio through a user-friendly interface. Six search modes and other system features are reviewed, and electronic texts for the unit are introduced. A table compares features of the two available models. (NRP)

Issues concerning the implementation of standard user interfaces for CD-ROMs are discussed, including differing perceptions of the ideal interface, graphical user interfaces, user needs, and the standard protocols. It is suggested users should be able to select from a variety of user interfaces on each CD-ROM. (EA)

Discusses the use of electronic journals for scholarly communication within the humanities. Twelve electronic journals that are currently available are described; and issues they raise for libraries are examined, including the nature of the medium, the impact on content, the impact on audience, library access, and archival responsibilities. (LRW)

Analyzes the current serials acquisitions crisis in research libraries caused by price increases and suggests electronic communication as a possible solution. Concerns of academic administrators, commercial publishers, scholarly publishers, and research librarians are addressed; changes in the scholarly communication process are discussed; and…

Maintains that an article in this issue of the "Journal of Geography" was the first one submitted entirely by electronic means. Asserts that the use of electronic mail improved communication effectiveness between the author and the editor. Encourages everyone who has access to electronic mail to use it for communications with the journal. (CFR)

Provides an overview of the 1997 national cataloging conference of the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA). Topics include innovation and enervation, cataloging skills for electronic documents, the Anglo-American Cataloging Rules, content versus carrier, issues related to seriality, networking, human resource management, career…

Summarizes issues raised at the 1997 national cataloging conference of the Australian Library and Information Association. Includes a draft procedural document for cataloging Internet sites and provides reports from five workshops on human resource management in cataloging, career strategies for catalogers, cataloging standards, the Anglo-American…

Discusses the influence of electronic publishing on communication of scientific research. Topics include subscription costs; lagtime between submission and publication; peer review; attitudes of librarians and publishers; value-added features of electronic journals; copyright and licensing issues; and author collaboration. (Author/LRW)

Considers two CD-Rom narratives as examples of high quality, interactive multimedia texts currently available. Looks at how verbal and visual texts draw the reader into an interactive response and the extent to which multimedia elements shape the reader's experience of the text. Bases findings loosely on fieldwork involving responses of four…