Discusses design and evaluation concepts and methodologies in the context of comprehensive system design (CSD) and considers the concept of error throughout. Topics addressed include six core concepts of CSD; design processes; evaluation concepts; evaluation processes, including criterion-related validity, construct validity, and systemic…

Recovery of significant achievements by exemplary individuals and institutions in public education and librarianship informs our present understanding and motivates future efforts. This narrative history recounts some of the struggles and successes of a great city library when the very conception of a free, public library was still being defined.…

Presents a general definition of a system; outlines a collection of properties identified through a review of the literature to be used as a criterion for determining whether an aggregation of objects is a system; and tests a computer-based system against the checklist to see how it measures up. (MBR)

Includes two columns that discuss comprehensive systems design in education, including the design architecture and the dynamics of design; and the use of metaphors in explaining teacher planning and classroom interactions, including mental planning and imagery and the relationships between metaphor and practice. (Contains 22 references.) (LRW)

Describes digital community information systems (CIS) and the need for improvements in system design. Proposes a layered evaluation framework to guide the evaluation of digital CIS from the perspective of information retrieval, following a selective review of digital CIS and evaluation approaches. Contains 59 references. (Author/LRW)

Discussion of the systems development life cycle (SDLC) that supports operational and managerial planning of automation projects covers challenges of library automation, evolution and scope of SDLC, lack of dissemination of SDLC literature within library and information science community, and corrective measures to meet library automation demands.…

Discussion of instructional systems development (ISD) focuses on recent developments in cognitive task analysis and describes the Integrated Task Analysis Model, a framework for integrating cognitive and behavioral task analysis methods within the ISD model. Three components of expertise are analyzed: skills, knowledge, and mental models. (96…

Analyzes developments in the study of user needs to determine areas of consensus in the field, particularly areas of greatest value to practicing librarians. Topics discussed include the user; conceptual frameworks for information and knowledge; information seeking; the use of information and knowledge; system design; and future research needs.…

Provides overviews of expert systems and library material selection, and describes six steps in the process of the development of the Monograph Selection Advisor, a demonstration prototype expert system that provides advice on monograph selection decisions. (17 references) (MES)

This paper considers conceptual alternatives for the development of information systems for management and planning in schools. Four problem areas which have been encountered in the introduction and implementation of such systems are identified, including lack of information, lack of understanding, lack of tools for the redress of problems, and…

Describes online catalog research being conducted in Europe in the areas of interaction and interface design, subject access, functional improvement through the application of information retrieval techniques, and library networks. Three operational online catalogs, not available outside Europe, are discussed. (30 references) (CLB)

Part of the Communications Design Center's (CDC) on-going research on communication and document design, this report emphasizes the importance of a multi-level computer help system that goes beyond simple command descriptions to include assistance with goals and strategies within the application domain--in this case, automated authoring. The help…

Reviews the background, concepts, and role of hypermedia systems and analyzes essential, expected, and desirable features of hypermedia in order to provide a basis for system design and evaluation. Four hypermedium shells and systems are described, and approaches to user interface problems are discussed. (48 references) (MES)

The Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) is the most comprehensive reform legislation nationally, bringing substantial change to all levels of the educational system. A group of researchers who have spent time in schools in Kentucky and policy analysts knowledgeable about Kentucky and other state education reform efforts convened in October 1992…

Discussion of computer-related anxiety and stress focuses on how management, system designers, and technical communicators can help users relieve stress when using computers. Highlights include a review of relevant research; issues for management; systems design, including needs assessment and standards; and instructional design, including…