The reactions of users to each of the INSPEC services are being sought as part of the normal development of these services and through a series of user studies. It was the aim of this study to assess the respective roles of individual profile selective dissemination of information (SDI), standard profile SDI, current-awareness publications and…

Defends choice of abstracting service and directories as two types of reference tools for use in establishing bibliographic control over new discipline or interdisciplinary area as yet devoid of reference materials. Attributes of abstracting service (provision of current-awareness) and directory (lists organizations in field) are discussed.…

Explains listservs and describes how to locate listservs relating to the law. Topics include how to use listservs as current awareness tools; how to locate listserv archives; and how to use listservs as databases of information. Sidebars provide pertinent Web site addresses. (LRW)

ERIC is accessible to educational researchers in Australia through the microfiche collections listed in this directory or through AUSINET (The Australian Information Network) and search services provided by Lockheed and System Development Corporation. The National Library Education Information Service also offers a monthly SDI service from ERIC.…

Describes the kinds of online sources to use and processes involved in finding information on emerging markets and new industry trends. Highlights include relevance ranking in DIALOG searches; press releases; news sources; news alert services; market research reports; tracking research in progress; company information; and tracking subsidiaries.…

Provides current awareness sources, both paper-based and on the Internet, that are useful for keeping up on recent developments in federal information policy legislation. Coverage includes columns regularly appearing in the professional literature, trade publications, listservs, newsgroups and bulletin boards, lobbyists, and sources for tracking…

Analyzes information-seeking behavior by university academics at Moi University (Kenya). Results established that faculty depend on the library and on colleagues for information in spite of a lack of awareness of information services and nonuse of current awareness services. A copy of the questionnaire used is appended. (Author/LRW)

This article describes the duties of a research librarian appointed to provide a comprehensive information service to the administration of an academic institution. Information, in the sense used here, refers to published information about other institutions and the outside world, not internal data on finance, staff, and students. The resultant…

World Wide Web "meta sites," or collections of subject-specific hyperlinks, can expedite Internet searching. One can find meta sites by consulting: search engines that offer site ratings or selective retrieval; library-constructed Web sites; Internet-related journals; and subject experts. A compilation of meta sites, with descriptions…

Describes consumer or business-oriented online services that provide access to current news information and offers a less expensive alternative to standard online databases. Online clipping services are discussed, their costs are examined, and profiles of five services are compared: CompuServe, CompuServe as a gateway to IQuest, DELPHI, DIALCOM,…

Describes the Internet Scout Project which provides Internet users, particularly those in higher education, with current, selective, and well-annotated pointers to information about resources, network tools, and Internet news items. Offered through regular e-mail updates, titles include The Scout Report, The Scout Report Signpost, Net-Happenings,…

A selective dissemination service (SRIM) of the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) features semimonthly dissemination of microfiche copies of documents newly added to the NTIS collection, on the basis of interest profiles. The service was used to test a university subsystem wherein a number of individual profiles were combined and…

Discusses chemical information services offered in industrial chemical libraries, based on experiences at the 3M Library. Topics include qualifications of chemical information professionals; corporate culture; clients; services, including reference, current awareness, confidentiality, and end-user support; and information resources, including…

This essay reviews current policy issues regarding statewide educational databases. It begins by defining the major characteristics of a database and raising two questions: (1) Is it really necessary to have a statewide educational database? (2) What is the primary rationale for creating one? The limitations of databases in formulating educational…

One way a business can meet the challenge of gathering information from different sources and platforms is to develop a news filtering and integration system. Topics include creation of a planning team; identification of user requirements; considerations of infrastructure, primarily system compatibility; and the process of analyzing, evaluating,…