The OTIS Basic Index Access System (OBIAS) for searching the ERIC data base is described. This system offers two advantages over the previous system. First, search time has been halved, reducing the cost per search to an estimated $10 on a batch basis. Second, the "OTIS ERIC Descripter Catalog" which contains all descriptors used in the…

Information centers exist to provide information from machine-readable data bases to users in industry, universities and other organizations. The computer Search Center of the IIT Research Institute was designed with a number of variables and uncertainties before it. In this paper, the author discusses how the Center was designed to enable it to…

The purpose of the investigation was to determine how effectively biomedical practitioners, with a minimum of introduction to the system, can conduct on-line searches to satisfy their own information needs. The searches were conducted on the Abridged Index Medicus data base as implemented on the on-line ELHILL system (AIM-TWX). ELHILL is the ORBIT…

This workbook is designed primarily for graduate library school students in a supervised laboratory setting as an adjunct to a formal course on computer based reference services. The DIALOG system has the capability to search several large on line files, and the workbook is designed to be used in conjunction with the Lockheed DIALOG Manual. Eight…

Describes operational use of on-line field access, a powerful improvement upon search key access to on-line records and a viable alternative to full key word access; and discusses some of the questions considered at Northwestern University Library during a redesign of the technical services modules of the Northwestern On-Line Intergrated System…

Presents a possible solution to the problems of cataloging and retrieval which arise when teachers wish to assemble relatively large collections of structured resource materials, to enable their students to choose widely divergent routes, as they plan their studies with the ultimate goal of satisfying fixed criterion tests. (Author/VT)

Describes GRANT, an expert system for finding sources of funding given research proposals. The architecture of GRANT and the implementation of constrained spreading activation (a modified search algorithm based on semantic memory) are described, and recall and precision rates are analyzed. (Author/LRW)

This evaluation of Predicasts' PROMT megafile and its implications for online searchers includes a comparison of sample searches of company and product data in PROMT and a control database, a critical evaluation of company documentation, and a survey of PROMT users. (CLB)

Explores the fundamentals of browsing as a basis for the creation of an intelligent computer system to assist with the online retrieval of information, and describes a prototype system. The discussion covers various browsing retrieval strategies used and user reactions to the prototype. (Seven references) (Author/CLB)

Describes the inability of traditional subject index terms to represent relational information among concepts, and the development of frame based knowledge representation methods that provide relational semantic representations of documents and user queries. The discussion covers research in user interfaces and automatic document classifications,…

Discusses the feasibility and advantages of developing an enhancement for document retrieval systems that would automatically impose Boolean syntax on an input set of search terms. An online specification for such an enhancement is presented, based on experimental results using the MEDLINE database. (13 references) (CLB)

Provides an overview of the development and use of numeric databases, and of the evolution of user charging methods for all online information retrieval systems. The need to provide database users with advance estimates of charges is discussed, and a methodology for charge estimation is presented. (87 references) (CLB)

Reports on a study of the information-seeking behavior of users of Infotrac, OCLC, Newsbank Electronic Index, and LS/2 at the Bowling Green State University Libraries. Data gathered via interviews are discussed as they pertain to the user's profile; understanding of systems functions; effects on information-seeking behavior; and appropriateness of…

Characterizes types of indexing programs used by Research Publications, Inc. and describes provision of access to four major projects: "The Official Washington Post Index" (provides access to newspaper and microfilm edition); "The Eighteenth Century"; "The Declassified Documents Reference System" (ongoing fiche…

Indicates that printed bibliographic information, numerical data, and methods of computer retrieval (both of numerical and bibliographic data) are among the topics that should be incorporated into an information science and documentation course for chemical engineering students. Experiences in teaching such a course are also given. (JN)