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Volume 3, no. 3
March 1992
Library Technology Watch Program
University of California, Berkeley
Edited by David F.W. Robison
ISSN: 1060-2356
Contributors:
Teri Rinne, Vivienne Roumani, Lisa Rowlison, Mark Takaro, Roy Tennant
Electronic Publishing
Amiran, Eyal, Elaine Orr and John Unsworth. "Refereed Electronic Journals
and the Future of Scholarly Publishing." Advances in Library Automation
and Networking 4 (1991):25-53. Stressing the need for academic
institutions to take a leading role in the development and support of
electronic publishing, the authors approach the subject from several key
angles ranging from the technological to the philosophical. The article
describes the work of organizations (e.g. the Association for Computers in
the Humanities, the International Standards Organization, to name two)
who are developing standards for the formatting and citing of electronic
texts; and other academic organizations (such as the American
Philosophical Association) who have convened subcommittees to prepare
bibliographies and other such documents on the electronic texts and
electronic serials and articles which are of interest. Included is a lengthy
and interesting discussion of the medium of e-mail and the powerful role
the modem has come to hold. This discussion in particular, puts into
perspective the need for libraries to provide access to electronically
published information, and the responsibility each of us has to educate
ourselves and those around us in the use of technologies which will put us
on this golden road to virtually unlimited information. Also included are
two appendices: one on LISTSERV commands and the other, a list of
electronic publishers and archives. -- LR
Powell, James "New List: VPIEJ-L Scholarly Electronic Journals / Electronic
Pub." Posted on NEW-LIST@NDSUVM1.BITNET (March 13, 1992). The owner
of this new discussion list announced a new forum for the discussion
of "electronic publishing issues, especially those related to Scholarly
Electronic Journals. Topics for discussion include SGML, PostScript, and
other e-journal formats; as well as software and hardware considerations
for creation of, storage, and access to e-journals. Publishers, editors,
technical staff, programmers, librarians, and end-users are welcome to
join." To subscribe send the following message to LISTSERV@VTM1.BITNET
or LISTSERV@VTVM1.CC.VT.EDU: SUB VPIEJ-L your_full_name. -- DR
Expert Systems & Artificial Intelligence
Bailey, Charles W., Jr. "Intelligent Library Systems: Artificial Intelligence
Technology and Library Automation Systems" Advances in Library
Automation and Networking 4(1991):1-23. After a brief discussion of the
nature of intelligence, Mr. Bailey presents several problems which
presently hinder the development of intelligent systems (e.g. the
complexity of incorporating semantic and pragmatic capabilities into
natural language systems). While it is clear that further AI research and
development is necessary for the creation of truly sophisticated intelligent
systems, several valuable systems have been built and there exists a
fruitful ground for application in the field of library science. Unfortunately
there are several factors within our field which, according to Mr. Bailey,
hinder experimentation and development of intelligent systems within the
library community: a limited pool of expertise; the limitations imposed by
our chosen development tools; our lack of training in AI; and lastly,
something he aptly calls "risk aversion." The article ends with an insightful
look to the future of intelligent systems, detailing areas where
development is likely to be fruitful and suggesting AI tools and techniques
which will be of value in such developments.-- LR
Hyper- and Multimedia
Marmion, Dan "Hypertext/Hypermedia for Libraries" in Advances In
Library Automation and Networking: A Research Annual. Volume 4, 1991.
Greenwich, Conn. : JAI Press, 1991. A rich overview that condenses a great
deal of the history and theory of hypertext and hypermedia systems into a
very readable chapter. After moving through second-generation
hypermedia systems, the chapter surveys some current library
applications, outlines the advantages that hypertext systems offer for
library patrons and points towards future potential for hypermedia
applications in libraries. -- MT
Flanders, Bruce "Multimedia Programs to Reach an MTV Generation"
American Libraries 23(2) (February 1992):135-137. An article directed
towards the general library audience conveys the author's impressions of
two IBM multimedia products: Columbus: Encounter, Discovery and Beyond
and the, perhaps mis-named, Illuminated Books and Manuscripts. IBM's
Educational Systems will certainly make a splash with these products
(expected in June 1992) which need OS/2 (or DOS 4.0) and Micro Channel
Architecture support provided by a new workstation. High-end hardware
requirements aside, IBM seems determined to catch Apple in the
multimedia arena, although the $2,000 price tag on each title may cause
some to balk. The titles in Illuminated Books include Tennyson's Ulysses,
Shakespeare's Hamlet, The Declaration of Independence, Dr. King's Letters
From Birmingham Jail and John Neihardt's Black Elk Speaks. Flanders
presents a more in-depth view of the products in "IBM's Impressive
Multimedia Educational Programs" CD-ROM Librarian 7(1) (January
1992):32-36. -- MT
Saettler, Matt "Multimedia Programming Interface and Data
Specifications 1.0" (Source: cd-rom-l@uccvma.ucop.edu) Issued as
a joint design by IBM Corporation and Microsoft Corporation and
available via anonymous ftp from ftp.uu.net (137.39.1.9) in the
directory /vendor/microsoft/multimedia. Available as well from
Compuserve in the MULTIMEDIA or MSOPSYS BBSs and from Microsoft
Online. Descriptions of the Resource Interchange File Format
(RIFF) and the Multimedia Control Interface (MCI) which afford
developers extensible command sets and formats for the IBM
platform. A Multimedia Developer Registration Kit available from
Microsoft's Multimedia Systems Group lists currently defined
elements. Saettler entertains comments and questions at:
matts@microsoft.com. -- MT
Information Transfer
Bove, Tony. "Voyager's Expanded Books" Bay Area Computer Currents
(February 11-24, 1992):35-36. Bove gives an enthusiastic description of
the Mac PowerBooks which, with the Voyager's Expanded Books series,
allows not only searching features, but also typing annotations in the
margins of pages and marking pages for quick page access. Bove implies
that this type of electronic book is "even better than the real thing," and it
is inexpensive. -- VR
Denton, Barbara. "E-Mail Delivery of Search Results via the Internet"
ONLINE 16(2) (March 1992):50-53. Denton describes in detail Sematech
Library staff's procedures in delivering Dialog searches to their users via e-
mail, as well as the benefits and limitations of this method of delivery. --
VR
Flanders, Bruce. "Taking Scanning to UMAX." Apple Library Users Group
Newsletter 10(1) (January 1992):74-75. Scanning technology continues to
grow finding new applications and new users. Flanders describes a
sophisticated and advanced OCR device, ReadStation, produced by UMAX
Technologies, which he claims is the most accurate device available. -- VR
Miller, Michael J. "Communicating a Document: Not by Text Alone" PC
Magazine 11(2) (January 28, 1992):81-82. Miller describes systems
designed to improve character recognition to transmit documents "intact,
including fonts, graphics, and formatting." -- VR
Thompson, Keith M. "No Frills, Less Hassle: Three Products for File Transfer,
Printer Sharing, Electronic Mail" PC Magazine 11(3) (February 11,
1992):297-98. This brief article describes an alternative to LANs for those
who do not need the full power, by reviewing three wireless products that
provide printer-sharing, e-mail, and file-transfer. -- VR
Treloar, Andrew. "Wordscan Plus." Apple Library Users Group Newsletter
10(1) (January 1992):66-70. This is a review of Wordscan Plus, "the first
of a new generation of powerful" OCR software. -- VR
Networks & Networking
Caplan, Priscilla "Providing Access to Online Information Resources: a Paper
for Discussion" Posted on PACS-L@UHUPVM1.BITNET (March 11, 1992) as
well as on USMARC-L@MAINE.BITNET and CNIDIR-L@UNMVM.BITNET.
Responding to MARBI Discussion Papers 49 and 54, Caplan offers a new
proposal for the categorization of electronic documents. She suggests at
least two categories of documents: "electronic data resources" and "online
systems/services." The first category would act more like typical
bibliographic data, whereas the second would need to be described by
something like the community information format. -- DR
Coalition for Networked Information "Call for Statement of Interest and
Experience" Posted on CNIDIR-L@UNMVM.BITNET (February 20, 1992) and
on PACS-L@UHUPVM1.BITNET and GOVDOC-L@PSUVM.PSU.EDU. The Coalition asks
list participants and others for help in its endeavors. CNI is looking
for individuals, institutions, or organizations that are willing and
able to contribute toward the Coalition's goals. Specifically, they are
looking for help in developing cost/benefit analyses of alternative models
for the Government Printing Office Wide Area Information Network Data
Online (GPO WINDO) Act. For more information on this project check out
this posting, or contact Joan Lippincott, Assistant Director, Coalition for
Networked Information (joan@cni.org / joancni@umdc).
"Hearing on the National Science Foundation Network" U.S. House of
Representatives, Subcommittee on Science (March 12, 1992). [Available as
a Postscript file via anonymous FTP from nic.cic.net as
/pub/reports/nsfnethearing.ps courtesy of CICNet, Inc.] This reporting of
hearings before the Congressional subcommittee of Science addresses some
of the questions surrounding the privatization of the Internet as the NREN
is pursued.J Testimony was heard from representatives of Douglas E. Van
Houweling of Merit; Dr. Eric S. Hood, President, Federation of American
Research Networks and Executive Director, North WestNet; Dr. A. Nico
Habermann and Dr. Stephen S. Wolff of the National Science Foundation;
Michael M. Roberts, Vice President, EDUCOM; Mitchell Kapor, President,
Electronic Frontier Foundation and Chairman, Commercial Internet
Exchange; William L. Schrader, President and CEO, Performance Systems
International, Inc.; and the Honorable Robert Traxler, Chairman of the
Independent Agencies Subcommittee of the House Appropriations
Committee. -- DR
Kahin, Brian "Publication of Building Information Inferase" Posted on PACS-
L@UHUPVM1.BITNET (March 5, 1992). Kahin has posted an announcement
from Harvard and McGraw-Hill describing the publication of a new book:
Building Information Infrastructure. According to the announcement, the
book "presents the NREN as a practical enterprise in developing
information infrastructure that must be informed by economic, legal, and
technological insights. -- DR
Kirk, Thomas G. and Noreen S. Alldredge "Coalition for Networked
Information: The Second Year, parts 1-2" C&RL News (January & February,
1992):10-11, 98-99. A report on the activities and accomplishments of CNI
in the past year. Among other activities, CNI increased its membership
from 117 to 143 organizations and institutions, an ad hoc group was set up
to address Z39.50 and CWISP client/server information retrieval protocols,
and the Working Group for Management, Professional & User Education has
begun developing a "packet of information for use in formulating and
addressing institutional and organizational issues arising from the
emergence of a national networked information infrastructure and
environment." -- DR
Meeks, Brock N. "House Subcommittee to Investigate National Science
Foundation's NSFNET" Communications Daily (February 21, 1992) as posted
in truncated form by Gordon Cook on COM-PRIV@PSI.COM (February 28,
1992). This article gives some of the background on the hearings cited
above. According to the Subcommittee's Chairman, the NSF "will be called
on to answer questions 'for the record' on policy and management issues
raised in articles published by Communications Daily." -- DR
Optical Disc Technologies
Bouley, Raymond J. "The Life and Death of CD-ROM" CD-ROM Librarian 7(1)
(January 1992):10-17. Bouley provides an overview of the research into
the longevity of CD-ROMs. He discusses the differences between longevity,
durability, and stress-resistance, as well as the different types of
accelerated aging test methods. Since not all the research results are
available yet, he strongly urges the library community to listen carefully
for the announcement of these results. As it now stands, the preferred
preservation medium in Bouley's estimation is an optical disc composed of
etched glass substrate coated with gold alloy. -- TR
"CD-ROM Consistent User Interface Guidelines: A Final Report" CD-ROM
Librarian 7(2) (February 1992):18-29. This is the final proposal of the CD-
ROM Consistent Interface Committee (CD-CINC), a working group of the
Special Interest Group on CD-ROM Applications and Technology (SIGCAT).
This proposal is now being submitted for consideration as an industry-wide
standard. CD-CINC was formed to investigate what could be done to
encourage some consistency across user interfaces, particularly with
respect to functionality and terminology. The proposal's guidelines identify
thirteen basic user functions, grouped into three areas: top-level,
operational, and navigational. The proposal also encourages the use of good
design principles and provides guidelines for developing CD-ROM
installation procedures. A useful bibliography of related materials is
appended to the proposal. -- TR
Flanders, Bruce "Protecting the Vulnerable CD-ROM Workstation: Safe
Computing in an Age of Computer Viruses" CD-ROM Librarian 7(1)
(January 1992):26-29. With over 400 known viruses in the MS-DOS
environment, virus protection has become a matter of increasing
importance to librarians; CD-ROM workstations that allow users to
download data to a floppy disk are particularly vulnerable. Flanders
evaluates two leading virus protection software packages available-the
Norton Anti-Virus and Central Point Anti-Virus. -- TR
Stewart, Mary R. "Users, Standards, and Access: In Search of the Standard
User" CD-ROM Librarian 7(2) (February 1992):10-17. This article focuses
on the need for accurate observations of the library user before developing
a standard user interface for CD-ROMs. Stewart contends that without a
more complete understanding of the current user, user culture, and
capabilities, we create or perpetuate our systems and standards around a
"standard" user, a mythical creature as rare as the "average person" or
"normal behavior" Stewart challenges library and information professionals
to become more than armchair or reference desk philosophers,and act as
anthropological observer of the library user. -- TR
General
DIAC-92. The Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility's DIAC
Symposium "Are Computers Part of the Solution or ...?" This symposium
will be held on the Berkeley campus May 2-3, 1992. For further
information, contact Doug Schuler: dschuler@cs.washington.edu, (206)865-
3832.
Mendelsohn, Loren D. "Technology Transfer Policy: its Role as a Scientific
and Technical Information Policy and its Impact on Technological Growth"
JASIS 43(1) (January 1992):80-88. This article gives us an interesting
overview of the history of the technology transfer policy in the U.S.,
presents a summary of comparative foreign technological capabilities, and
makes recommendations to U.S. policy makers for future technology
transfer policies. -- VR
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Current Cites 3(3)(March 1992) ISSN: 1060-2356
Copyright (C) 1992 by the Library, University of
California, Berkeley. All rights reserved.
All product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of
their respective holders. Mention of a product in this publication
does not necessarily imply endorsement of the product.
Copying is permitted for noncommercial use by computerized
bulletin board/conference systems, individual scholars, and
libraries. Libraries are authorized to add the journal to their
collections at no cost. This message must appear on copied
material. All commercial use requires permission from the editor,
who may be reached in the following ways:
drobison@library.berkeley.edu // drobison@ucblibra // (510)642-7600
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