This special issues comprises nine papers presenting a wide selection of approaches to handling subjectivity, vagueness, and imprecision in information retrieval (IR) and database management necessary for success in designing, developing and implementing effective tools for information access. (LRW)

Compares the performance of inverted and signature file organizations in handling incrementally specified Boolean queries to an information retrieval system. The discussion covers the impact of more sophisticated signature file organizations, related problems, and possible future work. (65 references) (CLB)

Colleges and universities have increasingly invested in specialized software and hardware designed to enhance and facilitate the instructional process for faculty and students. One type of technological assistance is commonly known as course management software (CMS). Once learned, these CMS packages can greatly enhance and enrich the classroom…

Describes the use of microcomputer database management systems to facilitate the instructional uses of learning strategies relating to information processing skills, especially recall. Two learning strategies, cross-classification matrixing and node acquisition and integration, are highlighted. (Author/LRW)

Client visits to an academic community nursing center (n=25,495) were coded and analyzed. Results show expansion of nursing practice and services, strong case management, and management of illness care. The usefulness of computerized clinical documentation system and of the Lundeen conceptional model of community nursing care was demonstrated.…

Office professionals (n=490) completed a questionnaire related to their familiarity with database software, availability and type of database software used, how the software package was learned, frequency of use, features and applications used, and type of information stored. Findings show that database software is quickly becoming commonplace,…

Reports the results of an empirical study in Brunei Darussalam that identified the types of skills required for entry-level computer programmers. Investigated whether skills were related to organizational size; determined that communications skills were the top requirement, followed by database management systems skills; and discovered a decline…

This report presents the results of a research and development effort for SpeechRater? Version 1.0 (v1.0), an automated scoring system for the spontaneous speech of English language learners used operationally in the Test of English as a Foreign Language™ (TOEFL®) Practice Online assessment (TPO). The report includes a summary of the validity…

Beyond collecting traditional circulation statistics, tracking in-house use of library materials is a significant measure of how patrons use our resources. In our pilot project, Lending Services staff members conducted nightly pick-ups of library materials left on tables, in carrels, in study rooms, as well as books cast aside in the stacks areas…

This study used classification tree analysis to examine who is and who is not willing to use online employer-provided retirement investment advice. Using data from the Retirement Confidence Survey (Employee Benefit Research Institute, 2004), the study focused on who was more likely to use online retirement investment advice when it was available…

Describes a model that displays structures necessary to map between the conceptual and external levels in database management systems, using an algorithm that maps the syntactic representations of tuples onto semantic representations. A technique for translating tuples into natural language sentences is introduced, and a system implemented in…

Discussion of graph-drawing algorithms compares and evaluates five algorithms for generated automatic graphic display of sentence dependency structures that have been implemented in the TEXTNET text structure management system. Evaluation criteria are discussed, and a test of the algorithms with a database of newspaper articles is described. (16…

Purpose: This article seeks to address the interface between individual learning facilitators that use course management systems (CMS) data to support decision-making and course design and institutional infrastructure providers that are responsible for institutional business intelligence. Design/methodology/approach: The design of a data warehouse…

Benchmarking is one of several alternate methods of performance evaluation, which is a key aspect in the selection of database systems. The purpose of this report is to provide a performance evaluation methodology, or benchmarking framework, to assist in the design and implementation of a wide variety of benchmark experiments. The methodology,…

Recommends the use of microcomputers for computer-assisted indexing; describes five case studies; and provides a list of representative software programs including title, producer, compatible hardware, price, and a short description. (EM)