Academic libraries must provide accessible electronic and information technology to patrons using assistive technology to access library materials. Accessibility of scholarly material is particularly important in the STEM disciplines, where attrition rates of students with disabilities is higher than in other fields. In this study, the…

Introduction: To provide valuable services in the future, libraries will need to create better information systems and set up an infrastructure more in line with the current technologies. The "Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records" conceptual model provides a basis for this transformation, but there are still a number of…

Discusses the shift of information access from a data-centered to a user-centered model and describes the Daltext system, a prototype user-centered information system that allows the user to determine how the data will be viewed (i.e., within a datastream model, a set model, a relational model, and/or a hierarchical model). (Contains 30…

Raison d'Etre, a hypermedia design history application, provides access to a database of video clips containing perspectives of design team members during the course of a project. Describes the user needs analysis; methods of collecting information and organizing the database; and the implications for design education, research, and practice. (AEF)

Argues that the selection of a database is a significant factor in the success and cost effectiveness of an online search, and provides guidelines for determining whether the content of a database is relevant for a particular search and whether the database is accessible, affordable, and suitable for the search. (LAE)

Discusses the use of natural language processing to help organize multimedia data. The MARIE system, which uses captions to embody the classificatory information and heuristic advice necessary to search a database of photographs, is explained. Advantages include improved speed of access and the ability for improved user interaction. (Contains 21…

Examines the consequences of and implications resulting from the conversion of the Human Relations Area Files (HRAF) Microfiche Archive to optical data disk storage. The discussion focuses on changes made in data content, structure, and display, and the effect on user access and utility. (six references) (CLB)

Describes the development of California Institute of Technology Libraries' local database of articles from science and engineering journals and its integrated document request and delivery feature. It is noted that not all journals received by the libraries are in the database, backfiles are limited, and coverage is not comprehensive. (five…

Computerized systems have dramatically altered the way that information can be organized, published, searched and retrieved. This paper: (1) examines the components of subject access in online systems; (2) identifies the potential for subject access enhancements, such as enriching the contents of the database and improving user-system interaction,…

This study evaluates two databases, "Historical Abstracts" and REESWeb, to determine their effectiveness in supporting academic social science research. While many performance evaluations gather quantitative data from isolated query and response transactions, this study is a qualitative evaluation of the databases in the context of…