This digest reviews three CD-ROM (compact disc-read only memory) versions of the ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center) database currently being delivered or tested and provides information for comparison. However, no attempt is made to recommend any one product. The advantages and disadvantages of the acquisition of CD-ROM databases are…

The objectives, activities, and results of a project to classify higher education undergraduate courses are summarized. The Classification System for Postsecondary Courses (CSPEC) is based on the structure of the Center for Education Statistics' Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) but provides a greater level of detail for course…

This manual on microcomputer-based database management programs provides a description of the key characteristics of database software as well as guidelines for designing a database, uses of database programs, and selecting the right software. Three sets of concepts related to database management are listed and explained: creating a database,…

This report summarizes the results of an international survey on the utilization of videotex and teletext which covered 20 countries, including Canada, Great Britain, France, Holland, Switzerland, the United States, and West Germany. Included are: (1) definitions and a comparison of the two media; (2) the methods used to collect the data…

This document defines and describes electronic databases and provides guidance for organizing a useful database and for selecting hardware and software. Alternatives such as using larger machines are discussed, as are the computer skills necessary to use an electronic database and the use of the computer in the classroom. Files, records, and…

This report describes the technical means for generating and justifying an educational program design via empirically-based analysis of Instructional Accomplishment Information System data bases. The conventional approach to educational program planning is to pursue design implementation first, operational implementation next, and then to hope…

Two articles provide: (1) instructions for gaining telecommunications access to CHILDES, a child language database; and (2) the conventions guiding transcript coding in the database. The first article provides access instructions for telecommunications systems, the commands a user would need to know, and brief notes on searching and other aspects…

A joint project of the University of Pittsburgh Library System and the School of Library and Information Science investigated the need for a rapid document delivery service within the University Library System (ULS). Two instruments were designed to answer questions about library patrons' uses of bibliographic citations retrieved in online…

Prepared by the Statewide Automation Committee of the New York State Education Department, this plan outlines strategic directions for library automation development in New York, as supported by state and federal funds, through the year 1989. This plan comprises 20 recommendations for accomplishing a three-part automation program: (1) statewide…

This manual is a "how to" training device for developing simple financial records using the AppleWorks spreadsheet subprogram with an Apple IIe or Apple IIGS Computer which has a Duodisk or two disk drives. The manual provides step-by-step directions, and includes 34 figures depicting the computer screen at the various stages of the…

The nine papers in this compilation are concerned with bibliographic control and rare and precious books and documents: (1) "The Problems of Serving Bibliographers, Historians and Librarians: The Nineteenth Century Short-Title Catalogue--NSTC" (F. J. G. Robinson); (2) "Experience with the Problems of Retrospective National…

"The Sourcebook," a database of exemplars of representative problems in natural language understanding, is being developed for use in evaluating natural language processing systems. A literature search of the computational linguistics literature was used to identify the exemplars, which are analyzed in terms of the general issues…

The purpose of the Common Communication Format (CCF) is to provide a detailed and structured method for recording a number of mandatory and optional data elements in a computer-readable bibliographic record for exchange purposes between two or more computer-based systems. However, it can also be useful within non-computerized bibliographic…

Examples from the evaluation of a program in which data collection systems were developed jointly by the program's staff and evaluators are described. The Louisiana SPUR (Special Plan Upgrading Reading) Project was evaluated by the Louisiana Department of Education Bureau of Evaluation. SPUR involves 63 of the state's 66 public school systems and…

Many individuals are concerned that the "knowledge explosion" in special education is making it difficult to keep up with research in the field. However, at the same time that knowledge has been expanding, efficient ways of locating knowledge have developed and additional sources of integrative reviews of research have appeared. The paper…