465 lines
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465 lines
23 KiB
Plaintext
_Current_Cites_
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Volume 3, no. 11
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November 1992
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Library Technology Watch Program
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University of California, Berkeley
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Edited by David F.W. Robison
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ISSN: 1060-2356
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Contributors:
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Teri Rinne, Vivienne Roumani, Lisa Rowlison, Mark Takaro, Roy Tennant
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Electronic Publishing
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Brandt, D. Scott. "'Neither Fish Nor Fowl' - The Persisting
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Elusiveness of Electronic Information" Academic and Library
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Computing 9(9) (October 1992):16-19. Brandt addresses the
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related problems of creating policies on collecting of and access
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to electronic resources in libraries. He notes that collection
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of e-documents that are purchased or licensed are typically
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treated as traditional purchases. The more complex issue arises
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with "free" or publicly accessible objects. There are the
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traditional questions of appropriateness to the institution, but
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also ones of hidden cost in providing access to these resources.
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Brandt suggests that libraries treat these "free" documents as
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gifts, or ILL transactions where the library does recognize costs,
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but somewhat lower costs than those associated with traditional
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purchases. - DR
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McMillan, Gail. "Technical Processing of Electronic Journals"
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Library Resources & Technical Services 36(4) (October 1992):
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470-477. Acknowledging the fact that "the libraries' online
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catalog is the best single place for scholars and students...
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to find out what their options for information resources are,"
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McMillan describes the procedures the Library at Virginia
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Polytechnic Institute uses for the technical processing of
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e-journals. The decision to provide full technical processing
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for e-journals guarantees traditional online access to works
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published via this new medium. Although the format of
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publication may be new and high-tech, with a few modifications
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the processing of e-journals easily fits into the adaptable
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procedures originally designed for the more common serial
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formats. - LR
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Hyper- and Multimedia
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Aslib Information 20(10) (October 1992) An issue from the
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Association for Information Management (UK) largely devoted to
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developments in multimedia computing:
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o Callaghan, Jane. "British Interactive Multimedia
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Association" pp. 385-386. The author describes the composition
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and activities of BIMA.
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o Martin, Gillian. "The Impact of Multimedia Systems on
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Libraries" pp. 372-374. This article addresses the question of
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whether multimedia systems will replace books by looking at both
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the future impacts of multimedia in libraries and on the future
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of the book as we know it. As we move towards the "virtual
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libraries" of the future, conventional lending libraries will
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need to reassess the needs of their clientele. As for books,
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their role in libraries will change to reflect a growing reliance
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on other technologies for learning and reference.
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o Richie, Ian. "Of Course Multimedia is Hot -- So Be
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Careful or You'll Burn Yourself" pp. 375-376. A thought-
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provoking and cautionary piece that weighs the merits of packaged
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multimedia systems and user-created platforms. The author
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illustrates the near-desperation of manufacturers seeking to
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create a major market where as yet only a minor one exists and
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warns against becoming too infatuated with the technology.
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o Rickard, Stephen. "McGraw-Hill: A Strategic Approach to
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Multimedia Publishing" pp. 378-380. An examination of pedagogical
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and technological considerations to be made in the publishing of
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multimedia products. The emerging notion is that multimedia may
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become more widely used by the public as the barrier of system
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costs begins to lessen in tandem with the drop in high-end
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computer prices.
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o Wynne, Richard. "Multimedia Authoring: Not for the Faint-
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Hearted" pp. 382-384. As system costs continue to decrease, the
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potential for authoring of multimedia products in smaller
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environments increases. The author describes the work of
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MedMedia in creating story boards and scripts which have resulted
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in two acclaimed packages released in 1992: 'The Nature of Genes'
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and 'The Etiology of Cancer'. The collaboration of authors with
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a production team may be indicative of a path to successful
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multimedia publishing. - MT
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Beer, Jeffrey. "3-Dimensional Desktop Animation: Fake Reality is
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Coming to a PC Near You" CD-ROM Professional 5(6) (November
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1992): 33-38. Autodesk's 3-D Studio (Release 2) is a three-
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dimensional modeling and animation product for off-the-shelf
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desktop platforms. Its capabilities have already begun to change
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the shape of business for doctors, lawyers, designers, and the
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film industry as the modeling capabilities more closely and
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convincingly reflect reality. Even the movement of virtual
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cameras and lighting arrays is made easy by the program which
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promises to raise the level of multimedia production in the DOS
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world. - MT
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Culshaw, John. "American Memory: Taking the Library of Congress
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to the Masses" CD-ROM Librarian 7(9) (October 1992):14-21. The
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prototype project American Memory is presently being tested in a
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variety of sites across the country. This package combines
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photographs, motion pictures, sound recordings, and printed items
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from the Library of Congress into a multimedia system that allows
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users to sample LC's vast collections from a Macintosh
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workstation. Interestingly, the replacement of information
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surrogates like catalog records with the information itself in
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this type of product brings up the question of how clients will
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make use of their retrievals. The experience of the staff at the
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University of Colorado at Boulder would seem to indicate that
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users will continue to rely on intermediaries for reconciliation
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of their needs with what the system provides. - MT
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Ito, Russell. "The Multimedia Mac: The Macintosh IIvx" MacUser
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8(12) (December 1992):126-131. This revision of the popular Mac
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IIci holds great promise for multimedia in its upgrade of hardware
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and incorporation of a 5.25 inch drive bay for CD-ROM or other
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magneto-optical drive. The $3,000+ list price almost begins to
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look reasonable when one factors in the software and the 10 CD-ROM
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titles that will be bundled with the CD-ROM IIvx. - MT
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Miller, Carmen. "Dr. Thomas A. Furness III, Virtual Reality
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Pioneer" ONLINE 16(6) (November 1992):14-27. Virtual Reality
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(VR) is explained thoroughly in this interview with Dr. Furness
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III, Director of the Human Interface Technology Laboratory. VR
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enables the user to interact with data "in a way that provides
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the ability to "enter" and navigate through a computer-generated
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3-D "world" or environment...and interact with objects within
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that environment." - VR
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--. "Virtual Reality and Online Databases: Will 'Look and Feel'
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literally mean 'Look' and 'Feel?'" ONLINE 16(6) (November 1992):
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12-13. Miller is convinced that we have to engage and interact
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in a three-dimensional world of computers in order to change the
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way we think and learn, thus better assimilating the vast
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information available to us. - VR
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Rosebush, Judson. "Adventures in QuickTime" CD-ROM Professional
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5(6) (November 1992):17-23. A thorough description of the product
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that brings video to the desktop. The notion of time in the
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product extends well beyond the name, as users can coordinate
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aspects of the presentation accurately with the assistance of the
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QuickTime clock. As an extension of the operating system,
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QuickTime begins to integrate compression, cut and paste features
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for each media element and cross-platform control of media
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presentations in a solid framework. - MT
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Information Transfer
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DeLoughry, Thomas J. "Project Aims to Save Visual Images by
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Storing Them on Compact Disks" The Chronicle of Higher Education
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(October 28, 1992):A22. The Eastman Kodak Company, Cornell
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University, and the University of Southern California are
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involved in a project to store visual images on compact disks.
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This method of storage will have interesting implications for
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the preservation and access of the visual collections of the
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libraries involved. - VR
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Holden, Lynn. "The Interdisciplinary Teaching Network (ITeN):
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Ancient Egypt Prototype Application" ASIS Bulletin 19(1)
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(October 1992):10-11. The Interdisciplinary Teaching Network
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(ITeN) project is "organized in a HyperCard-like computer
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environment to permit linking program segments in many different
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ways." The project is intended to bring to the world of
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instruction and research a computerized multidisciplinary
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learning environment. - VR
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Santosuosso, Joe. "Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) for
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Libraries and Publishers" ASIS Bulletin 19(1) (October 1992):15-
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17. EDI promises to improve the exchange of messages, data, and
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invoices among businesses. The Faxon company experience with EDI
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indicates that this electronic format would offer improvement to
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some library operational functions, especially in the serials
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orders/acquisition area. - VR
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Wilson, David L. "Teaching With Technology" The Chronicle of
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Higher Education (28 October 1992):A27. Wilson reports on three
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cases of computerized instruction: The University of Redlands,
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German instruction; Catonsville Community College, geology and
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astronomy instruction; and Santa Barbara City College, music
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appreciation instruction. - VR
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Networks and Networking
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Barron, Billy. "How to Find Out Someone's E-Mail Address Without
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Using the Telephone" CCNEWS Articles Abstracts 5(26 (November 6,
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1992) [available by sending the following message to
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LISTSERV@BITNIC: GET ADDRESS BARRON_B]. Barron has compiled this
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two page list of resources (electronic and otherwise) for locating
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the e-mail addresses of people without calling them. While you
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may get stumped on a particular address, this list gives you a
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head start. - DR
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Bortman, Henry. "Ubiquitous Computing" MacUser 8(12) (December
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1992):243-244, 248-249. Bortman brings us up-to-date on some of
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the developments in wireless connections for computers. While
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some of the connections are still in development (e.g., instant
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infrared LANs), others, like a PowerBook-cellular phone interface,
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are shipping. - DR
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Clinton, Bill. "A Technology Policy for America: Six Broad
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Initiatives" EFFector Online 3(8) (November 4, 1992). As part of
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a broad based proposal to enhance the USs R&D position, now
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president-elect Clinton explains that "Federal funding for the
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National Research and Education Network is one example of how the
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federal government can serve as a catalyst for private sector
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infrastructure investment. We will also provide additional
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funding to network our schools, hospitals and libraries." There
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is a clear theme in this proposal that a strong R&D initiative
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will benefit all Americans in the long run. - DR
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Dern, Daniel P. "Interview with Dan Lynch, President and Founder,
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INTEROP" Internet World 3(8) (October 1992):14-16. INTEROP has
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become *the* Internet conference, with over 55,000 attendees at
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the Fall '92 conference. In this interview, Lynch talks about how
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it all got started and where he sees the net going. While
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decrying arguments over commercialization and protocols, Lynch
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describes the Internet as the "glue for building a huge worldwide
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society of people who cooperate with each other." - DR
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desJardins, Richard. "Internet 2000: A Protocol Framework to
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Achieve a Single Worldwide TCP/IP/OSI/CLNP Internet by the Year
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2000" ConneXions: The Interoperability Report 6(10) (October
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1992):24-31. desJardins seeks to broker a peace between the OSI/
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CLNP (international) and TCP/IP (US) communities by appealing to
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the moderates of each camp. He proposes a compromise protocol
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framework dubbed "Internet 2000" that combines parts of both
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protocol suites as well as offer a solution to the problem of the
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depletion of address space. - DR
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Hinnebusch, Mark. "A Primer on Z39.50 - Part 8" Academic and
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Library Computing 9(9) (October 1992):24-28. In the last of his
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Z39.50 primer series, Hinnebusch describes an actual search and
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retrieval using the Z39.50 protocol. In this example Hinnebusch
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goes into technical detail of the process and includes pseudo-code
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for the programming types. The protocol is supposed to make all
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of this invisible, but it doesn't hurt to have at least and idea
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of what's going on behind the screen. - DR
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Internet: Getting Started. Managing Editor, April Marine. Menlo
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Park: SRI International, 1992. Already in its second printing
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(with revisions), this reference source on the Internet covers a
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broad range of topics not normally covered in single sources.
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Brought together are chapters on the organizational workings of
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the net, how one joins (including sections on obtaining an IP
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address, installing a router, etc.), costs, lists of service
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providers, non-US networks and service providers. The second
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part covers some of the background, including the list of RFCs
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and description of the RFC process, Internet applications,
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organizations, and a classified list of resources for further
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information. There's lots more than can be covered here, but
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suffice it to say, the serious networker should have this book
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around. - DR
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Kunze, John A. "Nonbibliographic Applications of Z39.50" The
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Public Access Computer Systems Review 3(5) (1992):4-30
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[available by sending the following message to
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LISTSERV@UHUPVM1: GET KUNZE PRV3N5 F=MAIL]. Kunze uses the
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example of the UC Berkeley InfoCal server (a not-quite-CWIS) to
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demonstrate some of the developments in non-bibliographic record
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syntax and attributes. Since Kunze is a member of the Z39.50
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Implementors Group, the article presents us with an opportunity
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to understand some of the process of the ongoing development of
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the standard, even if we don't understand all of the technical
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details - DR
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LaQuey, Tracy, with Jeanne C. Ryer. The Internet Companion: A
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Beginner's Guide to Global Networking. Forward by Senator Al
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Gore. Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley, c1993. LaQuey and Ryer
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have put together an excellent guide to networking for the
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beginner. The authors provide the uninitiated or newly initiated
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with both motivating decriptions of the power of the network as
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well as the tools for getting connected and guides for sucessful
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activity on the net. Rather than trying to list all of the neat
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resources that are available, the authors have described the key
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sources for further information. The coverage of issues is quite
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broad, and I learned some new things about the types of
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connections available. For only US$10.95, this is a great buy.
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- DR
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Nelson, Nancy Melin. "ISDN Test Call: Advent of National ISDN"
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Academic and Library Computing 9(9) (October 1992):12. Nelson
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reports on the first interstate call using the developing ISDN
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network. This technology offers simultaneous transmission of
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voice, data, video, graphics, and signaling over a single
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telephone line. The national ISDN network was expected to be
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launched on November 16th, 1992 and is designed to work between
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any manufacturer's switching system and any vendor's telephone
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equipment. - DR
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Strauss, Howard Jay. "CWISes: Myth, Mania, or Miracle" Academic
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and Library Computing 9(9) (October 1992):13-16. In the first
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of a series of columns called "Data Day," Strauss explains how
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a Campus-Wide Information System can be used as a marketing tool
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by libraries and other campus information providers. He also
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argues that while the library will be providing large chunks of
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information, and the computer center may provide technical
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support, the campus public information office may be the best
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department to actually administer the CWIS since they already
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have experience in creating a public face for the institution.
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- DR
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Tyckson, David. "The Settling of the Internet" EFFector Online
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3(7) (October 22, 1992). Causing a sensation when it hit the
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net, Tyckson argues that the Internet hit a turning point last
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summer and moved from the pioneering to the settling stage.
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While he applauds this maturation of the medium, he also notes
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the loss of a certain freedom and enthusiasm as "the
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formalization process will tend to discourage 'skywriting' as we
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have known it in the past." - DR
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Optical Disc Technologies
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Beheshti, Jamshid and Andy Large. "Networking CD-ROMs: Response
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Time Implications" CD-ROM Professional 5(6) (November 1992):70-77.
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A commonly-held assumption is that networked CD-ROMs produce
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slower response times than their standalone counterparts. Beheshti
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and Large of McGill's Graduate School of Library and Information
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Studies confirmed this assumption in an experiment designed to
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answer the question: what are the response time implications for
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CD-ROM searching as additional workstations are networked?
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Although response times increased as the number of workstations
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increased, the degradation was not uniform across different CD-
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ROMs or when using different kinds of search statements. While
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simple, non-truncated single index term searches performed
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satisfactorily on simultaneously accessed CD-ROMs, the more
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complex searches characterized by multiple, truncated index terms
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joined by boolean operators yielded unsatisfactory response times.
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- TR
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Bowers, Richard A. "Retail Channels Opening to CD-ROM" CD-ROM
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Professional 5(6) (November 1992):26-31. Bowers outlines major
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new CD-ROM retail distribution programs necessitated by the
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market shift from libraries to general consumers. He concentrates
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on the Multimedia Publisher's Group (MPG), Compton's New Media
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(CNM), and Sony Electronic Publishing Company (SEPC). - TR
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Hartigan, John M. "Price Versus Performance in the Optical Media"
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CD-ROM Professional 5(6) (November 1992):8-9. Hartigan cautions
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against the apples and oranges comparison between optical and
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magnetic media. The performance of CD-ROM is often measured
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against what magnetic media does best, ignoring the attributes
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such as crash-proof media, data integrity, portability, and low
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publishing costs. Hartigan defines optical media as enabling
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technologies that allow us to do things not possible before
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rather than an improvement over an existing technology. Therefore,
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the price/performance equation of optical media must be adjusted
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in terms of systems need rather than compared to other methods
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of delivery. - TR
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Herther, Nancy. "Mergers, Consolidations and More: CD-ROM
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Companies Position for Future Market Share" CD-ROM Professional
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5(6) (November 1992):40-49. Herther outlines the mergers,
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buyouts, reorganizations and other changes that have occurred in
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the CD-ROM industry over the past year. Partially a reflection of
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the economy and the ten-year maturation of the industry, the
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degree and extent of the changes are significant. - TR
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--. "New Leadership and a New Direction for Meridian Data" CD-ROM
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Professional 5(6) (November 1992):60-64. "CD-ROM has the
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potential of becoming the next floppy disk," predicts Whitney G.
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Lynn, Meridian Data's new president. In this interview with CD-ROM
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Professional editor Nancy Herther, he discusses the future focus
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of Meridian Data and the dynamics of the CD-ROM industry. He
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characterizes the industry as market-driven, once a niche of the
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publishing business and currently making a transition to the
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corporate desktop. Ultimately, he sees CD-ROM as a universal
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peripheral device. - TR
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McQueen, Howard. "File Server-Based CD-ROM Networking: Using SCSI
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Express" CD-ROM Professional 5(6) (November 1992):66-68. McQueen
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describes a networking configuration developed by Micro Design
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International called SCSI Express Novell 386, which operates
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exclusively on NetWare 3.11. McQueen targets the network-literate
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in this technical article which provides guidelines for evaluating
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this new product for immediate or future use. - TR
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Sargeant, Eric W. "Getting the Most for your CD-ROM Dollars: the
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CD-ROM Bundle" CD-ROM Professional 5(6) (November 1992):50-56.
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Sargeant offers comparison shopping tips for CD-ROM bundles
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(application software sold in conjunction with CD-ROM hardware).
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He points out that the best bundle deals are clearly being
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offered via mail order. Current lists of retail bundles are
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provided. - TR
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Tamule, Harold B., et. al. "A New Look at CD-ROM Prices" CD-ROM
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Librarian 7(9) (October 1992):22-26. For librarians faced with
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fixed or shrinking budgets, the authors construct a price index
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for the CD-ROM market. Among the conclusions drawn is that CD-ROM
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titles aimed at academic and research markets are now only 4% more
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expensive than they were four years ago. This percentage compares
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quite favorably both to the inflation rate and the book publishing
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industry's price index. - TR
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Volkers, A.C.W., et. al. "Multiple Usage of CD-ROMs Using Meridian
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Data's CD-Net: Performance in Practice" CD-ROM Professional 5(6)
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(November 1992):91-98. In the second article this month
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investigating response times of networked CD-ROMs, networks fared
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much better. The experiment's platform/venue was a 16-workstation
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Novell-based Meridian Data CD-Net located in the Medical Library
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of Erasmus University Rotterdam. One especially surprising result
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was that the CD Net system was about twice as fast as the
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standalone CD-ROM workstation previously used. Other tests
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included all workstations searching the same disc, all
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workstations active with different operations and the effects of
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multiple, simultaneous downloading sessions. - TR
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General/News Bits
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DeLoughry, Thomas J. "Scholarly Societies Courted in Effort to
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Spread Faculty Use of Technology" The Chronicle of Higher
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Education (October 28, 1992):A21, A24-A25.
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Ensor, Pat. "The Community Information Format, Or MARC Goes
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Alien!" Technicalities (12)9 (September 1992):9-11. In 1990,
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NISO standard Z39.2, which we all know and love as the standard
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for information interchange of bibliographic data (that is, the
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framework for MARC) was broadened in scope to encompas non-
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bibliographic materials, specifically to accomodate records for
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community information. While this change has many uses (e.g.
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cataloging information on services and governmental agencies) one
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use which will effect technologists is the use of this format for
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cataloging online database services, and other stores of electronic
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information. - LR
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Watkins, Beverly T. "Scholars Are Urged to Collaborate in Today's
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'Technology Revolution'" The Chronicle of Higher Education
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(October 28, 1992):A25.
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Wilson, David L. "Libraries: U. of Iowa Turns Part of Library
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into an 'Information Arcade': Library of Congress Sets Up On-Line
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Information Service" The Chronicle of Higher Education (November
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4, 1992):A19.
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Current Cites 3(11) (November 1992) ISSN: 1060-2356
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Copyright (C) 1992 by the Library, University of
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California, Berkeley. All rights reserved.
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All product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of
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their respective holders. Mention of a product in this publication
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does not necessarily imply endorsement of the product.
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Copying is permitted for noncommercial use by computerized
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bulletin board/conference systems, individual scholars, and
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libraries. Libraries are authorized to add the journal to their
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collections at no cost. This message must appear on copied
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material. All commercial use requires permission from the editor,
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who may be reached in the following ways:
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drobison@library.berkeley.edu // drobison@ucblibra // (510)642-7600
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