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Current Cities Volume 03 Number 11
_Current_Cites_
Volume 3, no. 11
November 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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Electronic Publishing
Brandt, D. Scott. "'Neither Fish Nor Fowl' - The Persisting
Elusiveness of Electronic Information" Academic and Library
Computing 9(9) (October 1992):16-19. Brandt addresses the
related problems of creating policies on collecting of and access
to electronic resources in libraries. He notes that collection
of e-documents that are purchased or licensed are typically
treated as traditional purchases. The more complex issue arises
with "free" or publicly accessible objects. There are the
traditional questions of appropriateness to the institution, but
also ones of hidden cost in providing access to these resources.
Brandt suggests that libraries treat these "free" documents as
gifts, or ILL transactions where the library does recognize costs,
but somewhat lower costs than those associated with traditional
purchases. - DR
McMillan, Gail. "Technical Processing of Electronic Journals"
Library Resources & Technical Services 36(4) (October 1992):
470-477. Acknowledging the fact that "the libraries' online
catalog is the best single place for scholars and students...
to find out what their options for information resources are,"
McMillan describes the procedures the Library at Virginia
Polytechnic Institute uses for the technical processing of
e-journals. The decision to provide full technical processing
for e-journals guarantees traditional online access to works
published via this new medium. Although the format of
publication may be new and high-tech, with a few modifications
the processing of e-journals easily fits into the adaptable
procedures originally designed for the more common serial
formats. - LR
Hyper- and Multimedia
Aslib Information 20(10) (October 1992) An issue from the
Association for Information Management (UK) largely devoted to
developments in multimedia computing:
o Callaghan, Jane. "British Interactive Multimedia
Association" pp. 385-386. The author describes the composition
and activities of BIMA.
o Martin, Gillian. "The Impact of Multimedia Systems on
Libraries" pp. 372-374. This article addresses the question of
whether multimedia systems will replace books by looking at both
the future impacts of multimedia in libraries and on the future
of the book as we know it. As we move towards the "virtual
libraries" of the future, conventional lending libraries will
need to reassess the needs of their clientele. As for books,
their role in libraries will change to reflect a growing reliance
on other technologies for learning and reference.
o Richie, Ian. "Of Course Multimedia is Hot -- So Be
Careful or You'll Burn Yourself" pp. 375-376. A thought-
provoking and cautionary piece that weighs the merits of packaged
multimedia systems and user-created platforms. The author
illustrates the near-desperation of manufacturers seeking to
create a major market where as yet only a minor one exists and
warns against becoming too infatuated with the technology.
o Rickard, Stephen. "McGraw-Hill: A Strategic Approach to
Multimedia Publishing" pp. 378-380. An examination of pedagogical
and technological considerations to be made in the publishing of
multimedia products. The emerging notion is that multimedia may
become more widely used by the public as the barrier of system
costs begins to lessen in tandem with the drop in high-end
computer prices.
o Wynne, Richard. "Multimedia Authoring: Not for the Faint-
Hearted" pp. 382-384. As system costs continue to decrease, the
potential for authoring of multimedia products in smaller
environments increases. The author describes the work of
MedMedia in creating story boards and scripts which have resulted
in two acclaimed packages released in 1992: 'The Nature of Genes'
and 'The Etiology of Cancer'. The collaboration of authors with
a production team may be indicative of a path to successful
multimedia publishing. - MT
Beer, Jeffrey. "3-Dimensional Desktop Animation: Fake Reality is
Coming to a PC Near You" CD-ROM Professional 5(6) (November
1992): 33-38. Autodesk's 3-D Studio (Release 2) is a three-
dimensional modeling and animation product for off-the-shelf
desktop platforms. Its capabilities have already begun to change
the shape of business for doctors, lawyers, designers, and the
film industry as the modeling capabilities more closely and
convincingly reflect reality. Even the movement of virtual
cameras and lighting arrays is made easy by the program which
promises to raise the level of multimedia production in the DOS
world. - MT
Culshaw, John. "American Memory: Taking the Library of Congress
to the Masses" CD-ROM Librarian 7(9) (October 1992):14-21. The
prototype project American Memory is presently being tested in a
variety of sites across the country. This package combines
photographs, motion pictures, sound recordings, and printed items
from the Library of Congress into a multimedia system that allows
users to sample LC's vast collections from a Macintosh
workstation. Interestingly, the replacement of information
surrogates like catalog records with the information itself in
this type of product brings up the question of how clients will
make use of their retrievals. The experience of the staff at the
University of Colorado at Boulder would seem to indicate that
users will continue to rely on intermediaries for reconciliation
of their needs with what the system provides. - MT
Ito, Russell. "The Multimedia Mac: The Macintosh IIvx" MacUser
8(12) (December 1992):126-131. This revision of the popular Mac
IIci holds great promise for multimedia in its upgrade of hardware
and incorporation of a 5.25 inch drive bay for CD-ROM or other
magneto-optical drive. The $3,000+ list price almost begins to
look reasonable when one factors in the software and the 10 CD-ROM
titles that will be bundled with the CD-ROM IIvx. - MT
Miller, Carmen. "Dr. Thomas A. Furness III, Virtual Reality
Pioneer" ONLINE 16(6) (November 1992):14-27. Virtual Reality
(VR) is explained thoroughly in this interview with Dr. Furness
III, Director of the Human Interface Technology Laboratory. VR
enables the user to interact with data "in a way that provides
the ability to "enter" and navigate through a computer-generated
3-D "world" or environment...and interact with objects within
that environment." - VR
--. "Virtual Reality and Online Databases: Will 'Look and Feel'
literally mean 'Look' and 'Feel?'" ONLINE 16(6) (November 1992):
12-13. Miller is convinced that we have to engage and interact
in a three-dimensional world of computers in order to change the
way we think and learn, thus better assimilating the vast
information available to us. - VR
Rosebush, Judson. "Adventures in QuickTime" CD-ROM Professional
5(6) (November 1992):17-23. A thorough description of the product
that brings video to the desktop. The notion of time in the
product extends well beyond the name, as users can coordinate
aspects of the presentation accurately with the assistance of the
QuickTime clock. As an extension of the operating system,
QuickTime begins to integrate compression, cut and paste features
for each media element and cross-platform control of media
presentations in a solid framework. - MT
Information Transfer
DeLoughry, Thomas J. "Project Aims to Save Visual Images by
Storing Them on Compact Disks" The Chronicle of Higher Education
(October 28, 1992):A22. The Eastman Kodak Company, Cornell
University, and the University of Southern California are
involved in a project to store visual images on compact disks.
This method of storage will have interesting implications for
the preservation and access of the visual collections of the
libraries involved. - VR
Holden, Lynn. "The Interdisciplinary Teaching Network (ITeN):
Ancient Egypt Prototype Application" ASIS Bulletin 19(1)
(October 1992):10-11. The Interdisciplinary Teaching Network
(ITeN) project is "organized in a HyperCard-like computer
environment to permit linking program segments in many different
ways." The project is intended to bring to the world of
instruction and research a computerized multidisciplinary
learning environment. - VR
Santosuosso, Joe. "Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) for
Libraries and Publishers" ASIS Bulletin 19(1) (October 1992):15-
17. EDI promises to improve the exchange of messages, data, and
invoices among businesses. The Faxon company experience with EDI
indicates that this electronic format would offer improvement to
some library operational functions, especially in the serials
orders/acquisition area. - VR
Wilson, David L. "Teaching With Technology" The Chronicle of
Higher Education (28 October 1992):A27. Wilson reports on three
cases of computerized instruction: The University of Redlands,
German instruction; Catonsville Community College, geology and
astronomy instruction; and Santa Barbara City College, music
appreciation instruction. - VR
Networks and Networking
Barron, Billy. "How to Find Out Someone's E-Mail Address Without
Using the Telephone" CCNEWS Articles Abstracts 5(26 (November 6,
1992) [available by sending the following message to
LISTSERV@BITNIC: GET ADDRESS BARRON_B]. Barron has compiled this
two page list of resources (electronic and otherwise) for locating
the e-mail addresses of people without calling them. While you
may get stumped on a particular address, this list gives you a
head start. - DR
Bortman, Henry. "Ubiquitous Computing" MacUser 8(12) (December
1992):243-244, 248-249. Bortman brings us up-to-date on some of
the developments in wireless connections for computers. While
some of the connections are still in development (e.g., instant
infrared LANs), others, like a PowerBook-cellular phone interface,
are shipping. - DR
Clinton, Bill. "A Technology Policy for America: Six Broad
Initiatives" EFFector Online 3(8) (November 4, 1992). As part of
a broad based proposal to enhance the USs R&D position, now
president-elect Clinton explains that "Federal funding for the
National Research and Education Network is one example of how the
federal government can serve as a catalyst for private sector
infrastructure investment. We will also provide additional
funding to network our schools, hospitals and libraries." There
is a clear theme in this proposal that a strong R&D initiative
will benefit all Americans in the long run. - DR
Dern, Daniel P. "Interview with Dan Lynch, President and Founder,
INTEROP" Internet World 3(8) (October 1992):14-16. INTEROP has
become *the* Internet conference, with over 55,000 attendees at
the Fall '92 conference. In this interview, Lynch talks about how
it all got started and where he sees the net going. While
decrying arguments over commercialization and protocols, Lynch
describes the Internet as the "glue for building a huge worldwide
society of people who cooperate with each other." - DR
desJardins, Richard. "Internet 2000: A Protocol Framework to
Achieve a Single Worldwide TCP/IP/OSI/CLNP Internet by the Year
2000" ConneXions: The Interoperability Report 6(10) (October
1992):24-31. desJardins seeks to broker a peace between the OSI/
CLNP (international) and TCP/IP (US) communities by appealing to
the moderates of each camp. He proposes a compromise protocol
framework dubbed "Internet 2000" that combines parts of both
protocol suites as well as offer a solution to the problem of the
depletion of address space. - DR
Hinnebusch, Mark. "A Primer on Z39.50 - Part 8" Academic and
Library Computing 9(9) (October 1992):24-28. In the last of his
Z39.50 primer series, Hinnebusch describes an actual search and
retrieval using the Z39.50 protocol. In this example Hinnebusch
goes into technical detail of the process and includes pseudo-code
for the programming types. The protocol is supposed to make all
of this invisible, but it doesn't hurt to have at least and idea
of what's going on behind the screen. - DR
Internet: Getting Started. Managing Editor, April Marine. Menlo
Park: SRI International, 1992. Already in its second printing
(with revisions), this reference source on the Internet covers a
broad range of topics not normally covered in single sources.
Brought together are chapters on the organizational workings of
the net, how one joins (including sections on obtaining an IP
address, installing a router, etc.), costs, lists of service
providers, non-US networks and service providers. The second
part covers some of the background, including the list of RFCs
and description of the RFC process, Internet applications,
organizations, and a classified list of resources for further
information. There's lots more than can be covered here, but
suffice it to say, the serious networker should have this book
around. - DR
Kunze, John A. "Nonbibliographic Applications of Z39.50" The
Public Access Computer Systems Review 3(5) (1992):4-30
[available by sending the following message to
LISTSERV@UHUPVM1: GET KUNZE PRV3N5 F=MAIL]. Kunze uses the
example of the UC Berkeley InfoCal server (a not-quite-CWIS) to
demonstrate some of the developments in non-bibliographic record
syntax and attributes. Since Kunze is a member of the Z39.50
Implementors Group, the article presents us with an opportunity
to understand some of the process of the ongoing development of
the standard, even if we don't understand all of the technical
details - DR
LaQuey, Tracy, with Jeanne C. Ryer. The Internet Companion: A
Beginner's Guide to Global Networking. Forward by Senator Al
Gore. Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley, c1993. LaQuey and Ryer
have put together an excellent guide to networking for the
beginner. The authors provide the uninitiated or newly initiated
with both motivating decriptions of the power of the network as
well as the tools for getting connected and guides for sucessful
activity on the net. Rather than trying to list all of the neat
resources that are available, the authors have described the key
sources for further information. The coverage of issues is quite
broad, and I learned some new things about the types of
connections available. For only US$10.95, this is a great buy.
- DR
Nelson, Nancy Melin. "ISDN Test Call: Advent of National ISDN"
Academic and Library Computing 9(9) (October 1992):12. Nelson
reports on the first interstate call using the developing ISDN
network. This technology offers simultaneous transmission of
voice, data, video, graphics, and signaling over a single
telephone line. The national ISDN network was expected to be
launched on November 16th, 1992 and is designed to work between
any manufacturer's switching system and any vendor's telephone
equipment. - DR
Strauss, Howard Jay. "CWISes: Myth, Mania, or Miracle" Academic
and Library Computing 9(9) (October 1992):13-16. In the first
of a series of columns called "Data Day," Strauss explains how
a Campus-Wide Information System can be used as a marketing tool
by libraries and other campus information providers. He also
argues that while the library will be providing large chunks of
information, and the computer center may provide technical
support, the campus public information office may be the best
department to actually administer the CWIS since they already
have experience in creating a public face for the institution.
- DR
Tyckson, David. "The Settling of the Internet" EFFector Online
3(7) (October 22, 1992). Causing a sensation when it hit the
net, Tyckson argues that the Internet hit a turning point last
summer and moved from the pioneering to the settling stage.
While he applauds this maturation of the medium, he also notes
the loss of a certain freedom and enthusiasm as "the
formalization process will tend to discourage 'skywriting' as we
have known it in the past." - DR
Optical Disc Technologies
Beheshti, Jamshid and Andy Large. "Networking CD-ROMs: Response
Time Implications" CD-ROM Professional 5(6) (November 1992):70-77.
A commonly-held assumption is that networked CD-ROMs produce
slower response times than their standalone counterparts. Beheshti
and Large of McGill's Graduate School of Library and Information
Studies confirmed this assumption in an experiment designed to
answer the question: what are the response time implications for
CD-ROM searching as additional workstations are networked?
Although response times increased as the number of workstations
increased, the degradation was not uniform across different CD-
ROMs or when using different kinds of search statements. While
simple, non-truncated single index term searches performed
satisfactorily on simultaneously accessed CD-ROMs, the more
complex searches characterized by multiple, truncated index terms
joined by boolean operators yielded unsatisfactory response times.
- TR
Bowers, Richard A. "Retail Channels Opening to CD-ROM" CD-ROM
Professional 5(6) (November 1992):26-31. Bowers outlines major
new CD-ROM retail distribution programs necessitated by the
market shift from libraries to general consumers. He concentrates
on the Multimedia Publisher's Group (MPG), Compton's New Media
(CNM), and Sony Electronic Publishing Company (SEPC). - TR
Hartigan, John M. "Price Versus Performance in the Optical Media"
CD-ROM Professional 5(6) (November 1992):8-9. Hartigan cautions
against the apples and oranges comparison between optical and
magnetic media. The performance of CD-ROM is often measured
against what magnetic media does best, ignoring the attributes
such as crash-proof media, data integrity, portability, and low
publishing costs. Hartigan defines optical media as enabling
technologies that allow us to do things not possible before
rather than an improvement over an existing technology. Therefore,
the price/performance equation of optical media must be adjusted
in terms of systems need rather than compared to other methods
of delivery. - TR
Herther, Nancy. "Mergers, Consolidations and More: CD-ROM
Companies Position for Future Market Share" CD-ROM Professional
5(6) (November 1992):40-49. Herther outlines the mergers,
buyouts, reorganizations and other changes that have occurred in
the CD-ROM industry over the past year. Partially a reflection of
the economy and the ten-year maturation of the industry, the
degree and extent of the changes are significant. - TR
--. "New Leadership and a New Direction for Meridian Data" CD-ROM
Professional 5(6) (November 1992):60-64. "CD-ROM has the
potential of becoming the next floppy disk," predicts Whitney G.
Lynn, Meridian Data's new president. In this interview with CD-ROM
Professional editor Nancy Herther, he discusses the future focus
of Meridian Data and the dynamics of the CD-ROM industry. He
characterizes the industry as market-driven, once a niche of the
publishing business and currently making a transition to the
corporate desktop. Ultimately, he sees CD-ROM as a universal
peripheral device. - TR
McQueen, Howard. "File Server-Based CD-ROM Networking: Using SCSI
Express" CD-ROM Professional 5(6) (November 1992):66-68. McQueen
describes a networking configuration developed by Micro Design
International called SCSI Express Novell 386, which operates
exclusively on NetWare 3.11. McQueen targets the network-literate
in this technical article which provides guidelines for evaluating
this new product for immediate or future use. - TR
Sargeant, Eric W. "Getting the Most for your CD-ROM Dollars: the
CD-ROM Bundle" CD-ROM Professional 5(6) (November 1992):50-56.
Sargeant offers comparison shopping tips for CD-ROM bundles
(application software sold in conjunction with CD-ROM hardware).
He points out that the best bundle deals are clearly being
offered via mail order. Current lists of retail bundles are
provided. - TR
Tamule, Harold B., et. al. "A New Look at CD-ROM Prices" CD-ROM
Librarian 7(9) (October 1992):22-26. For librarians faced with
fixed or shrinking budgets, the authors construct a price index
for the CD-ROM market. Among the conclusions drawn is that CD-ROM
titles aimed at academic and research markets are now only 4% more
expensive than they were four years ago. This percentage compares
quite favorably both to the inflation rate and the book publishing
industry's price index. - TR
Volkers, A.C.W., et. al. "Multiple Usage of CD-ROMs Using Meridian
Data's CD-Net: Performance in Practice" CD-ROM Professional 5(6)
(November 1992):91-98. In the second article this month
investigating response times of networked CD-ROMs, networks fared
much better. The experiment's platform/venue was a 16-workstation
Novell-based Meridian Data CD-Net located in the Medical Library
of Erasmus University Rotterdam. One especially surprising result
was that the CD Net system was about twice as fast as the
standalone CD-ROM workstation previously used. Other tests
included all workstations searching the same disc, all
workstations active with different operations and the effects of
multiple, simultaneous downloading sessions. - TR
General/News Bits
DeLoughry, Thomas J. "Scholarly Societies Courted in Effort to
Spread Faculty Use of Technology" The Chronicle of Higher
Education (October 28, 1992):A21, A24-A25.
Ensor, Pat. "The Community Information Format, Or MARC Goes
Alien!" Technicalities (12)9 (September 1992):9-11. In 1990,
NISO standard Z39.2, which we all know and love as the standard
for information interchange of bibliographic data (that is, the
framework for MARC) was broadened in scope to encompas non-
bibliographic materials, specifically to accomodate records for
community information. While this change has many uses (e.g.
cataloging information on services and governmental agencies) one
use which will effect technologists is the use of this format for
cataloging online database services, and other stores of electronic
information. - LR
Watkins, Beverly T. "Scholars Are Urged to Collaborate in Today's
'Technology Revolution'" The Chronicle of Higher Education
(October 28, 1992):A25.
Wilson, David L. "Libraries: U. of Iowa Turns Part of Library
into an 'Information Arcade': Library of Congress Sets Up On-Line
Information Service" The Chronicle of Higher Education (November
4, 1992):A19.
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Current Cites 3(11) (November 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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