Eight articles describe the development, content, and structure of databases outside of the United States. Features discussed include library involvement, authority control, shared cataloging services, union catalogs, thesauri, abstracts, and distribution methods. Countries and areas represented are Latin America, Australia, the United Kingdom,…

Outlines the file structure requirements for a microcomputer-based information retrieval system using FoxPro, a relational database management system (DBMS). Issues relating to the design and implementation of such systems are discussed, and two possible designs are examined in terms of space economy and practicality of implementation. (15…

Provides an overview of 50 bibliographic databases and library cataloging services currently available on CD-ROM. Entries include the name of the database; producer; frequency of updates; period covered; number of items included; subscription price; and a summary of the contents. Addresses of producers are also provided. (MES)

Presents two groups of text encoding problems encountered by the Brown University Women Writers Project while using Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) to create a database of book transcriptions: dual emendation and correction, and multiple hierarchies. Offers several possible approaches to these encoding problems and analyzes the issues…

Applies a prefix trie index, or trie hashing, to the problem of providing fast search times, fast load times, and fast update properties in a bibliographic or full-text retrieval system with inverted files. Statistics are given for a test database consisting of an online catalog at the University of Western Ontario. (Author/LRW)

Reviews selected research on the performance of bibliographic and full-text databases. A mathematical model for clarification of the relationship between user behavior and the performance measures of recall and precision is presented. (five references) (MES)

Describes a new signature file method, called the multiorganizational scheme, for accessing information from large databases containing both formatted and free-text data. Implementation issues are discussed, and computational results based on a mathematical model are presented, as well as results using a library database. (43 references) (MES)

Examines how online versions of databases vary on different systems. Differences are grouped into three categories: obvious differences, including easily available information such as updating, dates covered, and price; database choice, including subfile structure, field structure, and content; and system choice, including support and system…

Contends that large databases contain hidden knowledge, or literature that is logically linked but not bibliographically linked, that contains academically interesting commonalities not retrievable by normal searching methods. Based on search methods for discovering previously unknown causes of medical syndromes, a method for discovering new…

This article reports on a study of first-year applied science students at the University of New England in 2007 to determine whether the addition of structured library assistance to an online unit improved the use of journal articles in student assignments. It was found that students using the search strategies provided were more likely to cite…

The seven papers in these proceedings focus on the characteristics and potentials of non-bibliographic databases in the context of library and commercial networks. Following an introduction by Sandra K. Paul, this report presents the individual papers: (1) "User Perspectives and Requirements: Creator of Non-Bibliographic Databases Has To Share…

Discussion of information retrieval and the derivation of new knowledge from bibliographic databases focuses on medical journal literature. Topics discussed include the incomplete coverage of medical literature on databases; searching by free text or title words versus searching by assigned subject headings; and the implications of these factors…

Surveys new developments in legal bibliographical documentation. Traces the development of database systems. Discusses the addition of personal computing to traditional information retrieval systems and the problems that this creates. Examines the most recent methods of information dissemination--the CD-ROM and Hypertext systems. (RW)

Places the question of the relatively limited storage capacity of optical data disks when applied to very large databases into practical perspective, and considers some of the possibilities offered by the integration of different databases on a single CD-ROM. The advantages and disadvantages of three production options for integrated databases are…

Argues that users' needs should play a more prominent role in the design or choice of an online catalog in a specific library, and outlines requirements which enhance ease of use. Areas discussed include operational control, search formulation control, access points, output control, user assistance, and hardware requirements. (nine references)…