In information retrieval (IR), the aim of genetic algorithms (GA) is to help a system to find, in a huge documents collection, a good reply to a query expressed by the user. Analysis of phenomena seen during the implementation of a GA for IR has led to a new crossover operation, which is introduced and compared to other learning methods.…

Describes the Marine Corps University (Virginia) Library's collections and reserves. States that the library's resources focus on military doctrine, history, arts, and sciences, and that they include Web- and CD-ROM-based specialized military databases. Describes the library's mission to serve the university community and Marine Corps patrons…

This study examined the increase in collaboration in the literature of academic librarianship, explores the relationship between collaboration and article quality as well as author productivity, compares collaborative patterns of college versus university librarians, and considers factors that lead to successful collaboration. (Contains 56…

Discussion of the increasing price of journal subscriptions and the resulting impact on library budgets focuses on libraries in less developed countries. Describes international efforts between developed and developing nations to get scholarly research published, indexed and abstracted, converted to electronic form, and made accessible worldwide.…

Discusses objections in the library community to the Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act (UCITA), a legal framework being considered by state governments regarding computer information, transactions, and software. Topics include copyright issues; user needs for access to information; license agreements; and costs that may prevent…

A periodical database was searched to investigate the occurrence of favorable and unfavorable book reviews to determine the role of reviews in library selection. Compares book reviews with other types of reviews, examines relationships between review evaluations and other review characteristics, and compares the number of favorable and unfavorable…

Librarians and library users were interviewed about their perceptions of actual reference encounters in academic libraries. Results demonstrate that a communication-centered approach to reference encounters provides rich insights into the interpersonal dynamics between librarians and users. An appendix presents some interview responses. (JMV)

Discusses copyright law and its effect on libraries' ability to provide equal and timely access to information. Highlights include fair use, publishers' revenue-based approach to copyright, copying guidelines for librarians, copyright use fees and the cost of access, and a hypothetical index of copyright access fees for journal articles. Contains…

Argues that a deleterious effect of increased use of online databases in academic debate is the change in the nature of information available to debaters and corresponding changes in ideological assumptions in argumentation. Examines the link between debate training and argumentative proficiency in a democracy. Foresees the likely consequences of…

Replies to another article in this issue by Robert Tucker. Argues that Tucker's view of how debaters research is limited. Suggests that his argument relies on a skewed view of the nature of electronic resources. States that Tucker's argument is grounded in a misperception of the nature of the free marketplace of ideas and its role within a…

Responds to a reply to this author's article in this issue. Identifies the four significant points of difference in the two arguments and examines each point. Reiterates the author's initial arguments. (PA)

Documents an evolving attempt to manage a values argument writing assignment in a large enrollment plant science class. Explores how developing library skills improved students' writing. Contains 22 references. (DDR)

Examines the traditional, historical applications of abstracts and summary notes by individual authors in typical databases in order to assess and develop applications for Internet information retrieval. Highlights include information seeking; guidelines for writers; models of abstracts and summary notes; metadata; and Internet standards,…

This article addresses issues that relate to the changing functional relationship between the reference librarian and the user, based on the observation that the advance of information technology, particularly the Internet, has altered the values, attitudes, and beliefs of library users, and, as a consequence, their micro-culture. (Author/LRW)

Presents a methodology for educators to assess coverage, overlaps, and gaps in their curricula, of validating their present course offerings, and of monitoring subject-matter trends by using descriptors from commercial bibliographic databases. Describes a study that modeled the curricula for Drexel University's College of Information Science and…