Continuing the question/answer format method of instruction used in the two previous units, this third and last part of a guide to the M.I. King Library deals with reference material and library search strategy. Each section focuses on a specific type of reference book, describes its functions and features utilizing many excerpts from…

Requirements are discussed for an information retrieval language that enables users to employ natural language sentences in interaction with computer-stored files. Anticipated modes of operation of the system are outlined. These are: the search mode, the dictionary mode, the tables mode, and the statistical mode. Analysis of sample sentences…

The process of initiating and negotiating a literature search in the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) data base is discussed in laymen's terms. The guide offers suggestions on choosing a data base, deciding whether to use computerized or manual retrieval, defining the search problem, and understanding the Boolean search strategy…

WISE is an on-line, interactive information retrieval system designed to operate on key-word-oriented data bases. The WISE user searches a data base by entering and combining key-words that are appropriate to the data base and the subject matter. The user also enters certain command statements to enhance the results of the search and to control…

The technique which can be applied to extract information from the literature, that is from all published sources, seems to be a subject which attracts little attention. This is surprising considering that "information" is now widely appreciated as a valuable commodity - to be developed and exploited like natural resources. Indeed today…

This volume has been prepared to assist researchers who are seeking procedures or devices for measuring the variables related to the diffusion of innovations in education. Measurement procedures and devices are reviewed, and abstracted information is provided for an initial review of the instrument by researchers. The abstract is not intended as a…

Relatively little is known about the information-seeking patterns of students using college libraries. In order to assess the bibliographic search process of students, a questionnaire and log form were given to 55 undergraduate students at Bucknell University's Bertrand Library. Forty-seven students completed the log and questionnaire. Each of the…

The R2 Information Retrieval System, when complete, will be a question-answer information retrieval system in which a person, having questions over a pre-determined data base, will be able to receive answers to his questions. The paper concerns the initial processing of the data base for the R2 system and explores initially several simple…

IBM's Administrative Terminal System (ATS) is an effective data collection device, but its searching capabilities are severely limited. Searching an ATS document line-by-line is a time consuming process requiring slow printout speeds. A search can operate only upon 9,999 lines of text at any one time. Working storage limitations make it necessary…

Search theory, originally developed for antisubmarine search, is applied to the scanning of library shelves for books of interest, or of a computerized abstract catalog for items of immediate application. Procedures optimizing the information to be found are discussed, as well as methods whereby the operational parameters can be measured. The…

The General Information Processing System (GIPSY) of the Merrick Computing Center is a user dominated system. It can be used to manipulate and retrieve both numeric and alphabetic material. One of its most interesting uses is in the selection and retrieval of records and documents or of selected entries from records and documents. It has been used…

The general scope of SPIRAL is storage of free-flowing text information into a machine-readable library and recall of any portions of this stored information that are relevant to an inquiry. The major objectives in the design of the system were (1) to make it easy to use by persons unfamiliar with computer systems; and (2) to make it efficient, in…

Volume II of a survey of 29 selected information centers that use computers to search the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) data base in batch mode consists solely of printed materials obtained from twelve information centers. These materials include such items as system descriptions, input forms, search evaluation forms, promotional…

Parallel machine and manual literature searches on the subject of chemical evolution and the origin of life were compared on six characteristics: (1) precision, (2) recall, (3) novelty, (4) uniqueness, (5) time cost per citation, and (6) dollar cost per citation. The manual search outperformed the machine on precision, novelty, uniqueness, and…

Human individuals, social organizations and societies are alike in that their knowledge of past events is to some extent maintained and brought to bear on their behavior. On the individual level we know quite a bit of how this is accomplished. However, on the social level we know close to nothing. It is not the task of this paper to ascertain the…