Discussed is the reporting quandary at higher education institutions. These points are appraised: the clearinghouse function, data definitions, and the data base management function. The author warns against the suggestion that the institutional research office should assume the responsibility for all reports prepared by and departing from the…

To assess the potential user population for Project TALENT data and to identify barriers to usage of the data for secondary analysis, a small telephone survey of leading large-scale survey researchers was undertaken. The survey was designed to elicit suggestions for strategies for reducing barriers to use of the data. Four levels of barrier were…

The experiences with ERIC which are profiled for three public school systems reflect specific user requirements in different environments. In "Meeting Professional Education Information Needs: A Profile of How the Alexandria, Virginia City Public Schools Use the ERIC System," Dale Brown discusses the types of searches used by…

This is the fourth in a series of eight reports of a research study for the National Agricultural Library (NAL) on the effective utilization of bibliographic data bases in machine-readable form. It describes the general functional and software requirements of an NAL system using external sources of bibliographic data. Various system design…

Social science data, existing in a format that can be manipulated by computing machinery, can be used for many purposes in addition to those for which they were initially collected. Scholars and government planners should hve ready and equal access to such material and these groups will be best served if they are informed regarding the…

Higher education is now and will increasingly be faced with requests for data from a variety of sources to which it is accountable. Such data may ultimately be used in decision-making regarding the appropriation of public and private resources. Comparisons of costs and other measures among institutions will be the byword. Thus it is important that…

The purpose of this Guide is to help those receiving data and data products from the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) to make better use of the material obtained. In addition, it should help data requesters to intelligently formulate inquiries based on a knowledge of the capabilities (and limitations) of the data base. Chapter I of the…

Describes a study of the computer searches performed by 14 education specialists on the ERIC database. Interviews with users indicate they felt retrieved materials were relevant, the database provides access to materials not obtainable through other sources, and the proportion of irrelevant items in the output is not significant. (MBR)

Defining a numeric database as a computer-readable collection of data predominantly numeric in nature, this article reviews techniques and technologies having a positive influence on the growth of numeric databases, such as videotex, mini- and microcomputers, artificial intelligence, improved software, telecommunications, and office automation.…

Advocates an American Declaration for the information age to guide development of the information industry. The information revolution is discussed in terms of technological advancement, copyright issues, international policy, and telecommunications. Information is compared to money as a universal commodity. (SW)

Presents an overview of the 1990 census and its many components, including sources of census data, format availability such as CD-ROM and databases, and ways in which census data are used. The effect of new technology, especially CD-ROM, on users and reference librarians is considered. (Author/LRW)

It is proposed that numerous national surveys of faculty since the late 1960s provide institutional researchers and others with rich sources of descriptive data to help address the shifting national issues and institutional concerns related to faculty resources. An annotated list of 12 major faculty surveys is appended. (MSE)

Schools gather, store and use an increasingly large amount of data. Keeping track of everything from bus routes to building access codes to test scores to sports equipment is done with the help of electronic database programs. Large databases designed for budgeting and student record keeping have long been an integral part of the educational…

The use of student outcomes data in higher education is discussed. Consideration is given to a widely recognized taxonomy of student outcomes developed by Alexander Astin and his associates, and a classification of outcomes developed by Oscar Lenning and his associates at the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS). Issues…

This paper highlights the findings of two studies conducted by Market Opinion Research for Data Courier Inc., both of which focused on textual or bibliographic business information. The first study consisted of interviews with 535 known searchers of the ABI/INFORM file, a product of Data Courier Inc. The purpose was to determine the habits, needs,…