Describes the advantages of the development of open systems, i.e., a configuration which combines software and hardware from separate vendors into a single system, as a means of increasing the possible applications of library automation. (CLB)

Outlines factors used by online vendors to decide whether to bid on RFPs (requests for proposals) for library automation systems, including specifications for software, hardware or performance requirements not met by the vendor; specifications based on competitors' systems; the size and complexity of the request itself; and vendors' time…

This checklist provides guidance on how to measure adequacy of control and security of computer systems, identifies areas of risk, raises management and user awareness of their stewardship responsibilities, and reviews issues relative to system documentation, maintenance, integrity, and reliability. (MBR)

Delineates the differences between simulators and training devices, and discusses the possibility of inadequate training when simulators are used as training devices. Guidelines for appropriate training device development using a behavioral learning approach are presented. (13 references) (CLB)

Documents a system to aid the in-class presentation of information. The various components of the system are described, and a description of several benefits afforded by such a system is presented. (Author/VT)

This response to suggestions that the technical services librarian may be replaced by a combination of paraprofessional staff and automated processes discusses the catalog librarian's role in staff training, systems analysis, integrated systems design, technical services management, and original cataloging. (CLB)

Describes use of RFPs (requests for proposals) to specify requirements for automated library systems and presents advice on when to use RFPs, how to construct the statements, and how to present library needs and priorities so that maximum success in choosing a vendor and system are achieved. (Author/CLB)

Discusses the need for careful systems analysis and design in the implementation of microcomputer based information systems. Checklists of system requirements and a bibliography of relevant journals, printed, and online sources are provided. (CLB)

Microcomputers are now affordable tools for managing schools and school districts--and fast becoming essential. This digest, designed to help school administrators begin computerizing their offices, depicts tomorrow's computerized office, introduces computer applications in management, and outlines procedures for computerizing an office. A…

Information systems are becoming more than computer systems, with new equipment and techniques combining with data processing to form a new field called information technology. The emerging discipline of systems engineering is discussed along with nine systems engineering techniques. An organization chart of an information services department is…

This report begins with a summary of the implications of the Systemic Evaluation project as a whole, and then provides a framework for the commonplaces of schooling, along with an extensive sampler of the ways they can be used for building an information system. The first chapter presents some common conceptions of schooling that have typically…

This paper defines problems of school officials in dealing with the new information society, and suggests a planning framework applicable to the design of school and district microcomputer systems. Educators' problems in addressing the demands and opportunities of the emergent information society include inadequate comprehension of a major shift…

Designed to improve the long-term operational efficiency of the Montgomery County, Maryland, Public Schools (MCPS) payroll system, this study begins with an executive summary, including a set of recommendations and a chapter-by-chapter synopsis. Following an introduction to the study and a general description of the payroll system in chapters 1…

Based on telephone interviews with 12 Association of Research Libraries (ARL) member libraries, this report presents the underlying reasons for the libraries' decisions relating to the design and implementation of automated library systems. The survey results are summarized, a list of respondents is provided, and profiles of present and planned…

Describes the selection of an automated library system for 11 university cluster libraries in Wisconsin, from the decision to automate and the development of a proposal request, through the selection process itself. Appendices include a chronology of events, participants in the process, a checklist of activities, and additional suggestions.…