Discusses restrictions regarding use of bibliographic data bases, cites their rationale in terms of cooperation in input creation, economics and administrative control, and notes their effect on use. (Author/CWM)

Examines some of the primary outlets for IAC (Information Access Company) databases on the Web and evaluates when and why each source might be more appropriate to different situations. Features for DIALOG Web, DataStar Web, DIALOG Select, Dow Jones, and InSite Pro are compared. (Author/LRW)

To elucidate natural spoken conversation as a genre type, the characteristics of dyadic discourse as a "communicative genre" is focused on by examining the primary intent of utterances and the four phases of the dominant exchange structure via an interactive functional analysis of an extensive database of ordinary conversations (student,…

Developments in the representation of music, in notated and acoustic forms, in computerized databases suggest a need for nontext searching. Examines aspects of music notation and sound and reviews literature concerned with basic considerations of musical document representation; systems for encoding music for storage, regeneration, and analysis;…

Although some patent questions should be left to professionals, others can be answered using Internet-based patent databases. Provides an overview of Internet sites, including addresses, descriptions, costs, and evaluations of free and fee-based sites and guidelines for when do-it-yourself online patent searching is and is not appropriate. (PEN)

A property records system organizes data to be utilized by a camp's facilities department and integrated into other areas. Start by deciding what records to keep and allotting the time. Then develop consistent procedures, including organizing data, creating a catalog, making back-up copies, and integrating procedures. Use software tools. A good…

The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Curriculum Management & Information Tool (CurrMIT) is a relational database containing curriculum information from medical schools throughout the United States and Canada. This article gives an overview of the technology upon which the system is built and the training materials and workshops…

Discussion of image database systems focuses on semantic queries and shows how an image is abstracted into a hierarchy of entity names and features; how relations are established between entities visible in the image; and how a "fuzzy" matching technique is used to compare semantic queries to image abstractions. (Author/LRW)

Automated geographic information systems (GIS) consist of integrated digital databases containing information about geographic features; hardware, software, and people used in the analysis of features; and descriptions of features. Currently no standard method of accessing widely scattered geographic data exists. Argues that this can solved by…

Discusses genetic algorithms in information retrieval, especially for relevance feedback, and evaluates the efficacy of a genetic algorithm with various order-based fitness functions for relevance feedback in a test database. Compares results with the Ide dec-hi method, one of the best traditional methods. (Contains 56 references.) (Author/LRW)

Discusses the impact of digital technology on copyright issues. Topics include the balance between copyright holders and users; pending amendments to the Copyright Act; legislation relating to databases; copyright regulations and reports; court cases; and future possibilities that special librarians should be aware of. (LRW)

Discusses course-related academic library Web pages and their use in library instruction. Describes course-related Web pages at the University of Nevada-Reno library that are designed on a template that includes main features of the library Web site, subject-specific online indexes and databases, links to electronic journals, and recommended Web…

Investigates the acquisition of elements that instantiate the grammatical category of "inflection"--copula "be," auxiliary "be" and 3sg present agreement--in longitudinal transcripts from five children, aged from 1 year and 6 months to 3 years and 5 months in the corpora examined. Aimed to determine whether inflection emerges as a unitary…

Describes the structure and functioning of a computerized database of student information within an admissions testing program (the University of Port Elizabeth's Admissions and Placement Assessment Programme). Discusses how it could serve as a model to foster development and accountability through information sharing. (EV)

Discussion of information retrieval from online databases focuses on sorting techniques to help the user analyze the increasing number of references that may result from a search. Link analysis and Datalink software are described, and examples using keyword factorial analysis and research pole analysis are presented. (16 references) (LRW)