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Current Cities Volume 03 Number 10
_Current_Cites_
Volume 3, no. 10
October 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
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Hyper- and Multimedia
Polly, Jean Armour, and Elaine Lyon. "Out of the Archives and
Into the Streets: American Memory in American Libraries" Online
16(5) (September 1992):51-57. This is a report on the Library
of Congress' American Memory Project, "a multimedia collection of
electronic archival materials searchable by microcomputer," and
first reactions by the testing libraries. Included in this
article are hardware requirements and whom to contact for more
information. - VR
Information Transfer
Cawkell, A. E. "Selected Aspects of Image Processing and
Management: Review and Future Prospects" Journal of Information
Science: Principles & Practice 18(3) (1992):179-192. The people
involved in creating image databases tend to be split into two
groups, those dealing with "Image Processing & Recognition" and
those dealing with "Image classification and retrieval"
(including indexing). Cawkell emphasizes the need for cooperation
between these two groups and cites several research projects
currently supported by the British Library on developing and
managing image databases. - VR
Falk, Howard. "Computer Input Scanning Devices" The Electronic
Library 10(4) (August 1992):233-238. Falk reviews requirements,
capabilities, and resolution of flatbed, sheetfeed, printhead,
and hand-held scanning devices. - VR
Sieverts, E. G., et al. "Software for Information Storage and
Retrieval Tested, Evaluated and Compared. Part IV--Indexing and
Full-text Retrieval Programs" The Electronic Library 10(4)
(August 1992):195-207. Sieverts et al. report the test results
of three indexing programs, Ask-It, Texplore, and ZYindex, and
three full-text retrieval programs, KAware, TextMaster, and
WordCruncher. All programs run under MS-DOS. - VR
Story, Guy A., et al. "The RightPages Image-Based Electronic
Library for Alerting and Browsing" Computer 25(9) (September
1992):17-25. The RightPages electronic library prototype, used
at AT&T Bell Laboratories, offers its users electronic "stacks"
of journal images. What this means is that the user can view
electronically the cover page of journals he/she frequently
reviews, access tables of contents, browse through the first
page of an article, and order the article desired. Additionally,
staff will alert the user to the arrival of new articles matching
the users interest profiles. - VR
Networks and Networking
Brandt, D.Scott."Information Development--Collection Issues and
Campus-Wide Systems" Academic and Library Computing 9(8)
(September 1992):23-28. Brandt's two main points in this
article are that those administering campus-wide information
systems (CWIS) ought to use the expertise of librarians when
implementing and maintaining their systems, and that librarians
can easily adapt traditional rules and guidelines for collection
development in the electronic formats. Brandt makes the long-
overdue argument that CWIS's are the ideal place to combine the
efforts and expertise of both campus computing library
personnel. - DR
Boucher, Rick. "The Challenge of Transition: Management of the
NREN is a Concept that Brings Complexity with No Good Models"
EDUCOM Review 27(5) (September/October 1992):30-35. Boucher,
chairman of the Science Subcommittee in Congress, argues that
the future development of the NREN requires "an extraordinary
balancing of competing needs and objectives" and cooperation
between business, government, and consumers. The article
focuses mainly on two areas of transition: last-mile fiber-
optic links and the relationships between the backbone, the
regionals, and federal funding. - DR
Chapin, A. Lyman. "The Internet Architecture Board and the Future
of the Internet" EDUCOM Review 27(5) (September/October 1992):42-
45. Chapin describes the relationships and responsibilities of
the Internet Architecture Board (IAB - formerly the Internet
Activities Board), the Internet Engineering task Force (IETF),
and the Internet Research Task Force (IRTF). Information is also
provided on how RFC documents may be submitted and then become
Internet Standards. - DR
Dern, Daniel P. "Internet Running Out of IP Address Space?: Yes,
No, and Maybe" Internet World 3(7) (September 1992):13-15.
Dern discusses the problem of address space when the number
of Internet users is doubling each year. Dern briefly analyzes
a number of near- and long-term options under consideration to
address the problem both of the number of addresses available
and the problem of routing to all of the addresses. - DR
--. "Plugging Into the Internet: The Range of Options for
Internet Access is Almost as Broad as the Range of Internet
Resources" BYTE 17(10) (October 1992):149-152, 156. As Dern
puts it "Getting access to the Internet involves deciding what
you want to do and how much you're willing to spend, selecting
the appropriate service provider, and getting the appropriate
hardware and software." The author covers the many issues a
user needs to consider when planning to obtain Internet access.
Especially helpful here is Dern's description of the difference
between a terminal and direct connection to the Internet. Also
included is a sidebar by Merik Voswinkel on "Locating Internet
Access in Europe." - DR
Duderstadt, James J. "An Information Highway to the Future"
EDUCOM Review 27(5) (September/October 1992):36-41.
Duderstadt sees a cardinal shift in our society, as fundamental
as the transition produced by the Industrial Revolution. This
time, however, "brain power - is replacing financial and physical
capital as the key to our strength." And of course, the national
information infrastructure (NREN) is the medium of barter in
this new environment. - DR
Electronic Networking: Research, Applications, and Policy 2(1)
(Spring 1992) Special Issue on Accessing Information on the
Internet. Although this issue us no longer so current, it is
important enough to include here at this late date:
o Berners-Lee, Tim, et al. "World-Wide Web: The Information
Universe" p. 52-58. The World-Wide Web (WWW) is a hypertext-
based network access system which allows users to jump around
the globe using hypertext links. WWW allows users to create
their own pathways of exploration in the virtual world. This
articles explains how the system is organized and how it is used.
Also included are instructions for trying the Web out on your
own.
o Deutsch, Peter. "Resource Discovery in an Internet
Environment: the Archie Approach" pp. 45-51. One of the biggest
problems facing the network community is resource discovery
(finding what you want) and inherent in that problem is the
issue of finding the latest version of finding tools and the
documents themselves. The Archie system goes along way in
providing a short-term solution, as well as important
information and experimentation for a more long term solution
or set of solutions to this problem. Archie allows users to
perform a key word search on a database of information on
computer programs, text, and other files available on the network
for anonymous ftp. The database includes the names and locations
of the files, not the files themselves. One of the most
impressive features of the system is the automated updating
procedure that keeps the database current.
o Hill, Julia M. "The X.500 Directory Service: A
Discussion of the Concerns Raised by the Existence of a
Global Directory" pp. 24-29. After explaining the advantages
of implementing the X.500 service, Hill discusses some of the
not-so-technical issues facing implementors: privacy, security,
and data integrity. How will those in the directory be protected
from unwanted access to their information? How will organizations
be sure to include and keep safe only the data the subjects wish?
How can the community be sure that local directory administrators
are keeping the data current? Hill argues that unless these
issues are resolved, the implementation of the directory may never
occur.
o "Internet Gopher: An Information Sheet" pp. 69-71.
Produced by the Gopher development team, this is a good FAQ
([answers to] frequently asked questions) on the Gopher interface.
Gopher allows users to connect to various servers on the network
without needing the address of login instructions--Gopher handles
it. Included is information on how try out Gopher and how to get
your own client to run.
o Kahle, Brewster, et al. "Wide Area Information Servers: An
Executive Information Systems for Unstructured Files" pp. 59-68.
This article outlines both what the WAIS system does, as well as
the results of an experiment in having real users try out the
system in real life situations! The results indicate that novice
users given little instruction were successful and that those who
realized that relevance feedback was available took advantage of
it.
o Lynch, Clifford A. and Cecilia M. Preston. "Describing and
Classifying Networked Information Resources" pp. 13-23. Lynch and
Preston present an engaging discussion on the advantages of using
various classification schemes to describe networked resources
(from online catalogs to image files). Their contention is that
it makes most sense to start with the schemes that are already in
place and adaptable to this new use: LC subject headings and
call#'s and the RLG conspectus, or a combination of these three.
The authors do not think this will be the be all and end all of
descriptive schemes, as they put it, "there is no single right way
to organize such a directory [of resources]."
o McClure, Charles R. "From the Editor" pp.2-9. McClure
outlines the NREN legislation (The High Performance Computing Act
of 1991) and some the efforts that went in to its development. He
specifically addresses certain areas of the bill relating to
education, access, and dissemination of government information.
o Neuman, B. Clifford. "Prospero: A Tool for Organizing
Internet Resources" pp. 30-37. Prospero allows users and groups
of users to create logical file and directory systems of networked
resources based upon meaning and usage, rather than location or
ownership. Prospero allows users to integrate front-end resource
discovery of and access to heterogeneous file systems, such as
Sun's Network File System, the Andrew File System, and standard ftp.
Prospero systems may be created and maintained by organizations,
libraries, subject specialists, or other experts, and used by anyone
(with the creator's authorization).
o Scott, Peter. "HYTELNET as Software for Accessing the
Internet: A Personal Perspective on the Development of HYTELNET" pp.
38-44. Scott describes the development of his innovative software
that provides a hypertext directory of addresses of Internet
resources, and in some implementations, automated connections
to those resources. - DR
Ferl, Terry Ellen and Larry Millsap. "Remote Use of the
University of California MELVYL Library System: An Online
Survey" Information Technology and Libraries 11(3) (September
1992):285-303. Ferl and Millsap have provided two important
services in this article, first the data they have gathered are
extensive and quite interesting, but they have also included
enough background data on their study that others can use it as a
model. As for results, one of the most interesting things the
authors found was that the majority of users of the MELVYL(tm)
system do so from their office (typically faculty) or from their
home (typically students), not from within the library, even for
UC users! These data do in fact indicate that the virtual
library is becoming a reality. - DR
Gore, Albert, Jr. "The Information Infrastructure and Technology
Act" EDUCOM Review 27(5) (September/October 1992):27-29. This
article is a redaction of GoreUs speech on the floor of the
Senate on introduction of the IIT act of 1992 (a copy of the bill
itself is available via anonymous ftp from nic.merit.edu in
directory /nren/iita.1992 as file gorebill.1992.txt or by sending
e-mail to nis-info@nic.merit.edu, no subject, text: get
gorebill.1992.txt). In addition to describing the multitude of
benefits the country should reap through the development of the
NREN, this article includes a chart outlining the proposed
expenditures authorized by the act over the next five years,
totaling $1.15 billion. - DR
Hinnebusch, Mark "A Primer on Z39.50: Part SevenS Academic and
Library Computing 9(8) (September 1992):13-15. Hinnebusch uses
his "Integrated Library Systems" column to present a primer on
the some of the guts of Z39.50's data transfer syntax Abstract
Syntax Notation (ASN.1) as defined in OSI 8824. This is not
for the faint of heart. - DR
Krol, Ed. The Whole Internet: User's Guide & Catalog. Sebastopol,
CA: O'Reilley & Assoc., 1992. Krol brings us the next generation
of user guide for the Internet. This book is chock full of useful
information in a clear and concise format, although sometimes it
seems that depth of coverage has been sacrificed to breadth. But
breadth there is! Krol covers the background on what the Internet
is and how it works, including a chapter on what is allowed on the
net; descriptions and examples of remote login, ftp, e-mail, and
network news, finding software, finding someone, Gopher, WAIS, and
World Wide Web; problems one may encounter; an impressive topical
list of resources available; and getting a network connection.
This is clearly a handy volume both as an introduction to the net,
but also as a reference tool for resources and services that one
may not already be familiar with. The only real problem may be
that as the network develops and resources change, this guide may
become out of date before we'd like. - DR
Lukanuski, Mary. "Help is on the WAIS" American Libraries 23(9)
(October 1992):742-744. Lukanuski provides a quick introduction
to the Wide Area Information Server (WAIS) as a slick alternative
to what Steve Cisler of Apple calls "savage interfaces" of
database searching. Lukanuski does point out that although WAIS
is a nice interface, it is not without drawbacks, especially
considering its newness. As she says, easy multi-database
searching has a "WAIS to go." - DR
Molka, Judith A. "Surrounded by Standards, There is a Simpler
View" Journal of the American Society for Information Science
43(8) (1992):526-530. Molka takes us on a journey through the
myriad acronyms of the US and international (and other national)
information technology standards organizations. The author
explains the relationships that some of these organizations have
with each other (e.g., ISO and ANSI) and helps us to understand
the relationships between their standards (e.g., OSI and Z39.50).
The author also groups the standards into four functional areas:
Communications or Interconnection, Information and Resources
Sharing, Operating System Access, and the Human Computer
Interface. - DR
Noonan, Dana. "Special Collections on the Internet" Network-
News 7 (September 1992) [To subscribe, send the following
message to listserv@ndsuvm1 or listserv@vm1.nodak.edu:
"subscribe nnews firstname lastname" for example, subscribe
nnews David Robison]. Noonan offers a four page list of special
collections that are cataloged on Internet-accessible catalogs.
The author has verified many of the collections and provided
occasional descriptive notes. - DR
Phillips, Gary Lee. "Z39.50 and the Scholar's Workstation
Concept" Information Technology and Libraries 11(3) (September
1992):261-270. Have you been trying to figure out how the
glowing promise of Z39.50 interoperability will translate to the
desktop? Phillips provides some answers by explaining how users
with access to Z39.50 implementations will be able to take
dvantage of the wealth of resources that will hopefully be
available. In addition to detailing how scholars will be able to
easily collect and organize information from disparate sources on
their desktop computer, Phillips also provides charts that help
the reader understand the process. Also included is a
bibliography. - DR
Tillman, Hope. "Internet Restrictions: Why You Can't or Shouldn't
Access or Do Something" Internet World 3(7) (September 1992):11-
12. Tillman helps clear up some of the confusion that often
confronts new (and not so new) users of the Internet regarding
acceptable use of the networks that make up the Internet. - DR
Tomer, Christinger "Information Technology Standards for
Libraries" Journal of the American Society for Information
Science 43(8) (1992):566-570. Tomer provides us with a non-
technical description of IT standards, and Z39.50 in particular,
from the perspective of their importance to libraries. Tomer
covers the development of the standard as well as the
implementations that are currently in place (WAIS, Gopher, and
UC Berkeley's InfoCal server). Also discussed are some of the
limitations of the current Z39.50 standard and suggested
improvements. - DR
--. "Instructional Computing: Integrating Network-Based
Information Services into Instructional Settings" Academic and
Library Computing 9(8) (September 1992):16-22. In the first
installment of a planned series on instructional computing,
Tomer addresses the growing utility and importance of computer
mediated conferences (concentrating on BITNET). In addition to
the conferences themselves, Tomer also covers some of the
additional services, such as e-journals, available on the net.
- DR
Weiss, Martin and Carl Cargill. "Consortia in the Standards
Development Process" Journal of the American Society for
Information Science 43(8) (1992):559-565. In this article, the
authors provide us with some of the background of how
information technology standards consortia have developed and
where they seem to be heading. Weiss and Cargill also explain a
taxonomy of standards groups (implementation, application, and
proof-of-technology consortia) that helps us understand the
relationships between what we might consider to be competing
organizations, when in fact they are working in different areas
of standardization. - DR
Optical Disc Technologies
Au, Ka-Neng. "CD-ROM Interoperability" CD-ROM Librarian 7(8)
(September 1992):22-25. Au provides a summary of a two-day
symposium on CD-ROM standards presented by AFCEA International
(Armed Force Communications and Electronics Association). The
two major standards proposals discussed were CD-RDx which will
enable interoperability across platforms (MS-DOS, Windows, OS/2,
Unix, Macintosh) and across systems (stand-alone and networked)
and Structured Full-text Query Language (SFQL) based upon the
client-server model, which provides extensions to SQL for
access to full-text data. SFQL is both software and database
independent. Other standards outlined in the article are Silver-
Platter's Data Exchange Standard (DXS), Z39.50, the Rockridge
protocols, and proposals from the Frankfurt Group. - TR
Bowers, F. John and Neil R. Shapiro. "CD-ROM Standards:
Essentials for Progress" CD-ROM Librarian 7(8) (September 1992):
33-36. This article describes yet another CD-ROM standard being
jointly developed by the Air Transport Association (ATA) and the
Aerospace Industries Association (AIA), appropriately titled the
ATA/AIA standard. CD-ROM is currently being used by the airline
industry to replace the hundreds of thousands of pages of printed
maintenance data required for aircraft. The ATA/AIA standard
addresses three fundamental obstacles to CD-ROM compatibility:
hardware device dependence, file format dependence, and software
dependence. The standard supports client-server architecture and
SFQL (see above). - TR
Ciuffetti, Peter D. "CD-ROM Data Exchange Standard (DXS) Version
1.0 Overview" CD-ROM Librarian 7(8) (September 1992):26-32.
Ciuffetti provides an in-depth overview of SilverPlatter's
proposed DXS standard. The goal of DXS is to allow information
retrieval system designers to build systems that are user
interface independent. Ciuffetti includes an admirably coherent
explanation of client-server architecture. - TR
Cosden, Chris. "The Real World Advantages of Double Speed Drives"
CD-ROM Professional 5(5) (September 1992):66-67. Fourth
generation CD-ROM drive technology allows for variable increases
in the rotational velocity of the CD-ROM disc, up to twice the
current speeds. While past speed improvements have centered upon
the access times, these new machines improve upon the data
transfer rates. Cosden tests the new NEC double speed drive and
discovers the "biggest real-world improvement in a CD-ROM drive
since the first generation shipped in 1986." - TR
Herther, Nancy K. "The New Information Age for the Federal
Government: CP Interviews SIGCAT's Jerry McFaul" CD-ROM
Professional 5(5) (September 1992):17-21. USGS computer
scientist Jerry McFaul has played a major role in the CD-ROM
community since the very beginning, founding the Special Interest
Group for CD-ROM Applications and Technology (SIGCAT). In this
interview he discusses his background, the genesis and phenomenal
growth of SIGCAT, and the U.S. Government's enthusiasm toward CD-
ROM technology. He explains how CD-ROM has precipitated a
"revolution in the democratization of the Government's data." - TR
Koren, Judy. "Providing Access to CD-ROM Databases in a Campus
Setting Part II: Networking CD-ROMs via a LAN" CD-ROM
Professional 5(5) (September 1992):83-94. Koren concludes her
discussion of networking CD-ROMs with an explanation of the
rapidly evolving local-area network (LAN) environment. She
outlines popular LAN systems and CD-ROM towers used on the
majority of university campuses. Systems include industry giant
Novell, Network O/S, OS/2 LAN Manager, and LANtastic; LAN towers
include CD Net, CD-Connection by CBIS, Opti-Net, LANtastic,
MultiPlatter, Corel, and SCSI Express. Koren also discusses four
different configurations providing LAN access from the campus
network, Macintosh LANs, and network site licensing. - TR
Pemberton, Adam C. "Retail Distribution of CD-ROMs: The Sony
Affiliated Label Program (Or, If You Build It, Will They Come?)"
CD-ROM Professional 5(5) (September 1992):9-10. For the past
two years, CD-ROM industry watchers have been predicting mass
consumer market penetration of CD-ROM products. This prediction
may finally have a fighting chance of coming true, thanks to the
Sony Corporation. The Sony Affiliated Label Program is designed
facilitate the distribution of CD-ROM products to retail outlets.
Under the program, Pemberton explains, Sony will manufacture,
market, and distribute nearly 5,000 CD-ROM titles from leading US
publishers to software specialty stores, consumer electronic
stores, bookstores, record stores, and mass merchandisers. Sony
will coordinate and execute the packaging, manufacturing,
warehousing, drop shipments, retail support, co-op advertising,
invoicing, inventory adjustments and supplier payments for all
Affiliated titles. Pemberton concludes with the obvious
question: "will they sell?" - TR
General
Kelley, Kimberly Banks. "Managing Technology in Libraries"
Library Administration & Management 6(3) (summer 1992):141-145.
The changing role of libraries, forced by social needs and
economic pressures can be characterized by a shift in emphasis -
away from the role of the library as repository (collections)
and toward its role/place in the network of information
providers (access). In this article, Kelley identifies the
organizational evaluation and development which must occur in
order for libraries to effectively carve out a position in the
newly defined information marketplace. She maintains that the
development of a strategic technology policy is crucial. First,
such a policy requires a thorough review of the institution's
technology base and an examination of the valuable technologies
which may be brought into the organization. Second and of
equal importance, is the need for education and training in
areas of new technology. The role of management in these efforts
is key. While the number of managers is likely to become fewer to
make way for needed technology specialists, those remaining
will need a means for not only keeping abreast of technology,
but also cultivate the management skills necessary for managing
technology and the many choices which attend change. One
effective way to ensure that there is proper education and
development in new technology, according to Kelley, is to create
a department within the library which concerns itself with the
research and development in new technology. Such a department
would serve as both a technology "look out" and, combined with
apprenticeship, would serve as a source for "home grown"
technology experts. - LR
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Current Cites 3(10) (October 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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