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 document describes Oklahoma Library Technology Network electronic resources for elementary age children. The first section provides a history of Oklahoma statewide shared databases. Oklahoma statewide information database contacts are listed in the second section. The third section presents information on InfoTrac Kid's Edition Online…

The Database Advisor (DBA) is a tool designed to guide users to the most appropriate World Wide Web-based databases for their research. Developed in 1997 by the Science Libraries at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), DBA is a Web-based front-end to bibliographic and full-text databases to which UCSD has remote access. DBA allows the…

Discusses the lack of catalog access to local journal holdings and the feasibility of improving access by merging citations to journal articles with bibliographic information already included in online catalogs. The advantages of having libraries contribute serials indexing to a national database are discussed in terms of access and economics.…

Discusses the application of artificial intelligence to online information retrieval systems and describes several systems: (1) CANSEARCH, from MEDLINE; (2) Intelligent Interface for Information Retrieval (I3R); (3) Gausch's Query Reformulation; (4) Environmental Pollution Expert (EP-X); (5) PLEXUS (gardening); and (6) SCISOR (corporate…

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…

Created at the Library of the University of California, Berkeley, by a task force on machine readable data files (MRDFs), this policy provides guidance to materials selectors in acquiring MRDFs through purchase, gift, lease, network, or other cooperative arrangements. The guidelines offer a collection development framework and identify problems to…

Investigates the sociological backgrounds of German lawyers of the Holy Roman Empire through an analysis of the dissertations and disputations written during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Focuses on their university education, family circumstances, and careers. Creates an information data bank to carry out the project. Predicts further…

Discussion of online databases and their hardware and software requirements, interactive search techniques, and costs focuses on information services of interest to higher education. Bibliographic, full-text, and online conferencing databases are described, menu-driven and command-driven information systems are explained, and modems are discussed.…

Describes a survey of library systems and software vendors that examined the sources, management, and use of authority records in their systems and the functions of an authority control module within an integrated system. Several tables and graphs offer summaries and comparisons of vendors' offerings and capabilities. The questionnaire used is…

Describes Janet (the Joint Academic Network), a wide area network linking computers and users in the British academic community. Topics discussed include interactive working; file transfer; electronic mail; job transfer; and online access to library catalogs, bibliographic and numeric databases, and commercial online hosts in Great Britain or…

The Outdoor Resource Library Cataloging System is a computer software program designed primarily for outdoor programs with small to medium-sized resource centers. The software is free to nonprofit organizations and is available from the Idaho State University Outdoor Program. The software is used to construct a database of library materials, which…