Proposals are made for practical approaches to the design of electronic office systems to provide for the effective storage and retrieval of the documents that they generate. Problems of records management and requirements to be met by the designer of an electronic office system are highlighted. Nineteen references are cited. (EJS)

The principal human factors engineering issue in robotics is the division of labor between automation (robots) and human beings. This issue reflects a prime human factors engineering consideration in systems design--what equipment should do and what operators and maintainers should do. Understanding of capabilities and limitations of robots and…

A major factor in the amazing success of the microcomputer is its inherent ability to free the user from dependence on a large central computing facility with its attendant frustrations. Almost from the beginning, however, there has been pressure to integrate the micro with a more powerful host facility. There are both technical and political…

Identifies organizational risks of end-user computing (EUC) associated with different stages of the end-user applications life cycle (analysis, design, implementation). Generic controls are identified that address each of the risks enumerated in a manner that allows EUC management to select those most appropriate to their EUC environment. (5…

It is recognized that growing management information systems will require increased user involvement in acquiring, maintaining, and manipulating essential institutional data. A technique called Service/Requirements Analysis has been developed for incorporating user input into system design and development. (MSE)

Describes the characteristics and application of a methodology for developing a strategic, long-range organizational information plan that will permit coordination of information subsystems within a university's computerized information system. The University of Minnesota's application of such a methodology provides illustrative examples. (PGD)

Defines in general terms the nature of computers, describes the various types of computers, discusses the characteristics and applications of the types of computers mentioned, reviews some basic facts about computer technology and computer hardware, and outlines a set of options for libraries considering acquiring a computer system. (JL)

Presents the roles of the federal government, business, professional organizations, state and local governments and the "information entrepreneur" in advancing the state-of-the-art in social service systems applications. Federal government will continue to act as catalyst for systems development but information entrepreneurs and others will play…

Software collection development recommendations from principals and educational computing specialists focus on district control of software collections, budgeting, what to purchase (e.g., games versus educational programs), computer literacy, and computers as time savers for instructors. Recommended software programs are profiled, and an annotated…

Focusing on management decisions in academic libraries, this article compares management information systems (MIS) with decision support systems (DSS) and discusses the decision-making process, information needs of library managers, sources of data, reasons for choosing microcomputer, preprogrammed application software, prototyping a system, and…

This paper defines problems of school officials in dealing with the new information society, and suggests a planning framework applicable to the design of school and district microcomputer systems. Educators' problems in addressing the demands and opportunities of the emergent information society include inadequate comprehension of a major shift…

The need for timely, accurate, and locally relevant career information has been escalating. Within the last 15 years, computer-based systems have been developed that put occupational descriptions, labor market information, plus education, training, and financial aid information into formats usable by students and adults in school and nonschool…

Instructors should be concerned with how to incorporate the World Wide Web into an information systems (IS) curriculum organized across three areas of knowledge: information technology, organizational and management concepts, and theory and development of systems. The Web fits broadly into the information technology component. For the Web to be…