Examines the relative benefits and searching philosophies of five major search systems (DIALOG, ORBIT, BRS, NLM, and DOE/RECON) as a selection aid. Differences in command language, full text searching capability, use and expression of Boolean operators, and searching mechanisms are discussed, and comparison charts and system/database comparisons…

Discusses methods for designing search strategies for maximum recall, including minimizing the number of concepts intersected, isolating key subtopics, adapting the strategy to the database, and minimizing problems with search words and codes. (Author/RAA)

Explains search commands for SERIDU, an online bibliographic search system developed at Brussels Free University. These commands and output formats are compared with Euronet commands (from which they were derived), with existing INFODOC storage system commands, and with the planned BIDULE system commands. An evaluation of SERIDU is included. (SW)

Discusses the benefits to patrons and librarians of integrating online database searching with traditional reference services, and makes recommendations for maximizing those benefits. (Author/JD)

Outlines the history, form of membership, legal incorporation, and technical aspects of the College Libraries Activity Network of New South Wales (CLANN) and describes Insearch DIAL (Division of Library and Information) Services and its place in the information services network. (RAO)

Announces a project for national bibliographic control under the sponsorship of the Council on Library Resources. Areas explored will be the possibility of linking various bibliographic utilities and networks, cooperative planning, review of the Library of Congress' Network Development Office project as a potential nationwide database, and the…

Introduces the reader to the Oceanic Abstracts database, its scope, subject areas, related databases, users, search strategies, and workshops. Included are a complete listing of its subject headings; its abbreviations/prefixes/symbols; its specifications; and a tabulated searchguide for 1964 to the present. (JD)

Provides an overview of the Dow Jones News/Retrieval Database, describing its scope, users, history and development, foreign news categories, problems, and searching hints. Also included are an example of a typical search, a tabulated searchguide, and the database specifications. (JD)

A comparison of the Magazine Index (MI) and the New York Times Information Bank (IB) showed the two data bases have little in common, mainly due to differences in focus, indexing, vocabulary, use online, and output. For business and government users, IB is the best choice; for more general and academic purposes, MI provides access to more…

With reference to the "BIOSIS Previews" magnetic tape service of BioSciences Information Service (BIOSIS), marketing patterns of on-line bibliographic products are examined and future possibilities are discussed, with emphasis on geographic distribution of usage, organizations and institutions employing on-line service, and their…

Addresses the problem of overlap between the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) and Psychological Abstracts data bases, especially in areas of educational psychology. The article compares costs and article selection and offers guidelines for searchers based on duplication from test searches. (JD)

A computerized interactive database disseminates information on all instructional improvement projects, helping to avoid duplication of work, and even encouraging additional development and cooperation. (MP)

Describes an extensible object-oriented view system that supports the integration of both structured and unstructured data sources in either the multidatabase or data warehouse environment. Discusses related work and data mining issues. (AEF)

Discussion of student modeling and intelligent tutoring systems focuses on the development of the ASSERT algorithm (Acquiring Stereotypical Student Errors by Refining Theories). Topics include overlay modeling; bug libraries (databases of student misconceptions); dynamic modeling; refinement-based modeling; and experimental results from tests at…

Describes a seven-year experience with developing the Tufts Health Sciences Database, a database-driven information management system that combines the strengths of a digital library, content delivery tools, and curriculum management. Identifies major effects on teaching and learning. Also addresses issues of faculty development, copyright and…