The seven papers in this collection describe parliamentary library services and activities in both developed and developing countries: (1) "The Electronic Catalogue of the Library of the Deutscher Bundestag" (Ernst Kohl, West Germany); (2) "Library of the Assembly of the Republic: Modernization Efforts" (A. Cabral, Portugal);…

Papers on administrative libraries which were presented at the 1985 International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) conference include: (1) "Administrative Libraries and Universal Availability of Information: Comments from a Developing Country" (Diekolola Awosika, Nigeria); (2) "Automatic Indexing and the Dissemination of…

Part of a larger effort in creating a computer-based European Documentation and Information System for Education (EUDISED), the present document contains four papers proposing specifications for procedures and formats to be incorporated in the documentation standards of EUSIDED. The first is a "Preliminary Study for the Design of a Coding…

Two accomplishments have increased the feasibility of taking preparatory steps for the construction of machine intelligence systems which can acquire knowledge about facts or descriptions of facts through man-machine dialogue in the user's natural language. One is a better understanding of the relationship between perception, language, and…

The vice president of a computerized information center discusses her career history, the development of information services and the database industry, current information technologies and the role of artificial intelligence, characteristics of indexers and abstractors employed, the kind of training needed by abstractors and indexers, and…

Describes study conducted with British undergraduate library science students that compared natural language indexing and searching with controlled language searching on a computerized database. The use of the ERIC Thesaurus and Sears List of Subject Headings is explained, recall and precision measures are reported, and further research is…

Reports a study that analyzed natural language search statements constructed by 22 Getty Visiting Scholars as they researched humanities topics on DIALOG. Results show a greater use of names, geographical areas, chronological periods, and discipline terms than scientists use, with implications for the design of humanities online systems and…

Suggests ways that the school library media specialist can help students become more successful as users of online information. Four types of barriers to becoming informed are described: (1) indicative access barriers (indexing systems and relevance); (2) physical access to documents identified in a search; (3) linguistic barriers; and (4)…

Papers on bibliography, cataloging, and classification presented at the 1984 IFLA general conference include: (1) "Bibliographic Control: Zimbabwe's Present Practices and Hopes for the Future" (Angeline S. Kamba, Zimbabwe); (2) "Classification and Subject Cataloguing in Kenya" (Margaret N. Muriuki, Kenya); (3)…

The 15-year history of the development of library automation is traced, and four major obstacles which had to be overcome are identified: the lack of funds for development, programing, and testing; the need for a common data base; the need for cooperative arrangements among institutions; and the need for widely-available on-line processing. Seven…

Examines the use of various statistical techniques for generating domain-oriented multiword vocabulary terms for natural language database systems. Conclusions show the vocabulary clustering effect should be considered when making significance calculations and that a simple ratio of subject matter relative frequency to total sample relative…

Describes the experiences of Rhode Island's Higher Education Library Information Network (HELIN) Consortium in purchasing electronic journals and databases. Discusses criteria and guidelines developed to help in the decision making process, including coverage, indexing, search features, help features, screen design, full text availability,…

As more professionals come to rely on computer-based online information systems, knowledge of foreign languages and cultures plays a crucial role in the accurate storage, management, and retrieval of needed information. In the storage and management of information, foreign language knowledge is important in word choice and thesaurus control,…

Examines how informetric characteristics of information retrieval (IR) system databases can be used to help system designers decide what type of file structures would provide the best performance. The development of appropriate models describing database contents is highlighted in this first part of a two-part study. (30 references) (LRW)

Discussion of the development of periodical collections in college libraries describes strategies for building the collection, including collection use studies, collection development policies, and bibliographic instruction programs. It is suggested that access to the collection be enhanced by improvement of available indexing such as CD-ROM…