Through the decades, the kinds of materials found in libraries have grown and changed, adapting to the needs of library users as well as economic, social, and even environmental factors. Similarly, the presentation format for cataloging content has changed. Another change is about to emerge in cataloging, and its name is FRBR (Functional…

This paper examines the problems involved in subject retrieval from full-text databases of secondary materials in the humanities. Ten such databases were studied and their search functionality evaluated, focusing on factors such as Boolean operators, document surrogates, limiting by subject area, proximity operators, phrase searching, wildcards,…

Briefly describes the ERIC system, focusing on the Clearinghouse on Reading and Communication Skills. Describes the scope of the clearinghouse, the kinds of publications available, and the role of the user in the functioning of the clearinghouse. (RS)

From 1992 to 1995 the IFLA Study Group on Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) developed an entity relationship model as a generalised view of the bibliographic universe, intended to be independent of any cataloguing code or implementation. The FRBR report itself includes a description of the conceptual model (the entities,…

The information industry continues to consolidate, just as agribusiness has consolidated and now dominates farming. Both the family farm and the small information company still exist but are becoming rarer in an age of mergers, acquisitions, and increased economies of scale. Small companies distinguish themselves by high quality, special themes,…

In our attempts to track changes in geological practice over time and to isolate the source of these changes, we have found that they are largely connected with the germination of new geologic subdisciplines. We use keyword and title data from articles in 68 geology journals to track the changes in influence of each subdiscipline on geology over…

While the traditional uses of InterLibrary Loan (ILL) can be cumbersome, much of the work is now done electronically. Google and WorldCat can tell patrons which libraries in their areas owns the the titles they want, but they cannot always tell patrons whether there is a copy on the shelf available for loan. Several ILS vendors and OCLC are…

Describes the object-oriented paradigm (modeling a system by the objects that constitute it and the class relationships between objects) and presents examples of its application to automated library systems, including a model of a hierarchical and relational bibliographic database. Advantages and disadvantages of the paradigm for information…

Discussion of the classification of documents from bibliographic databases focuses on a method of vectorizing reference documents from LISA (Library and Information Science Abstracts) which permits their topological organization using Kohonen's algorithm. Analyzes possibilities of this type of neural network with respect to the development of…

The purpose of this paper is to conduct a review of reviews to identify characteristics of effective sex and relationship education (SRE) interventions and/or programmes in young people to improve sexual health and identify barriers and facilitators for implementation. Six bibliographic databases were searched from 1986 to 2006 for systematic…

Proposes the creation of a form of bibliographic access to contemporary Latin American literature and culture that could help to overcome the serious deficiencies inherent in the resources that are currently available to researchers. (CB)

The link between classification and knowledge is explored. The strengths and limitations of four classificatory approaches (hierarchies, trees, paradigms, and faceted analysis) are described in terms of their ability to reflect, discover, and create new knowledge. Examples are provided of the way in which knowledge and the classification process…

Drawing upon an efficacious method for discovering previously unknown causes of medical syndromes and searching in the Humanities Index, an illuminating new humanities analogy between the epistemological ideas of Robert Frost and the ancient Greek philosopher Carneades was found by constructing a search statement in which proper names were coupled…

The development of the conceptual "Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records" (FRBR) Model enables records to be considered in terms of contextual relationships. Developments in software can capitalise on this to significantly improve the display of works through surfacing of these relationships. This paper reports on an investigation of…

This article presents an archive of articles and books published in other venues during the past year and serves as a valuable tool to readers of "Reading in a Foreign Language" (RFL). The "Articles" section treats any topic within the scope of RFL and second language reading. Articles are organized by topic and are listed in…