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Current Cities Volume 04 Number 03
_Current_Cites_
Volume 4, no. 3
March 1993
Information Systems Instruction & Support
The Library
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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From the Editor: Beginning with this issue, Current Cites is
Information Systems Instruction & Support of the UC Berkeley
Library. While made up largely of the same staff as the
Library Technology Watch Program, this change reflects a new
commitment on the part of the Library to encourage, develop,
and support the growing number of electronic information
systems and resources on our desktops. - DR
Electronic Publishing
Brandt, D. Scott. "Accessing Electronic Journals" Academic
and Library Computing 9(10) (November/December 1992):17-20.
Brandt describes the way four client/server systems (WAIS,
Gopher, WWW, and TechInfo) are being used to provide access
to electronic journals. While these systems are currently
being used successfully, each provides certain advantages as
well as disadvantages, and none is perfect. - DR
Cover, Robin. "SGML Software (exists)" posted on VPIEJ-L@
VTVM1 (February 19, 1993). Cover argues that SGML readers/
browsers are currently available. They vary widely both in
price and utility. Cover recommends the Electronic Book
Technologies' DynaText which is available for most major
platforms. While most of us do not have browsers around right
now, SGML browser software is already a 250 million dollar
industry, and expected to grow rapidly in the next few years.
Cover also discusses how the use of SGML might affect the way
text is created on a formal, conceptual level. - DR
Franks, John. What is an Electronic Journal? Posted in four
parts on PACS-L@UHUPVM1 (January 21 1993), January 1993. Franks
offers an analysis of various schemes for distributing electronic
journals: the vanity press model, the data base model, the
software model, the subnet model, and the subsidized model.
Focusing specifically on scholarly journals distributed over the
Internet for which authors and editors are not paid, Franks
examines the advantages and disadvantages of each model. One of
the main points made in this paper is that for electronic
journals to be successful, they must leverage the advantages of
the electronic format. Franks finds that too often, the
distribution models conflict with these very advantages. - DR
Hawkins, Donald T., et al. "Forces Shaping the Electronic
Publishing Industry of the 1990s" Electronic Networking:
Research, Applications, and Policy 2(4)(Winter 1992):38-60.
Hawkins and his colleagues at AT&T Bell Laboratories believe that
electronic publishing will "be a significant part of consumers'
lives by the end of the decade." In this article they describe
the range of products that fall under the rubric of electronic
publishing (as distinguished from electronic-aided publishing),
the state of the traditional publishing industry today, and how
electronic publishing can mitigate some of the problems
traditional publishers are facing in today's market. The authors
focus on seven forces that effect publishing and electronic
publishing, specifically, both currently and will in the future:
technology, economics, demographics, social trends, government
policies, applications growth, and industry trends. They end the
article with a list of recommendations for successful electronic
publication. - DR
Hockey, Susan. "Developing Access to Electronic Texts in the
Humanities" Computers in Libraries 13(2) (February 1993):41-43.
Hockey describes the continuing evolution of the Center for
Electronic Texts in the Humanities (CETH). Among the Center's
initiatives are the development of a text encoding standard, the
Text Encoding Initiative (TEI) employing Standard Generalized
Markup Language (SGML), and an Internet-accessible textbase
(Brown University's Women Writer's Project). - DR
Kriz, Harry M. and Dave Beagle. "Electronic Journal System"
posted on PACS-L@UHUPVM1 (March 3, 1993). Kriz and Beagle
report on a local system developed to automatically receive and
archive and electronic journal (CHIP News) and then make the text
publicly-accessible with full search capabilities. The system is
fully automated and reports its progress daily to the
bibliographer in charge. If a problem is encountered, the
bibliographer is notified and appropriate action is suggested.
While this system was designed specifically for CHIP News, it is
clearly an interesting model for the processing of other
electronic journals. - DR
LOC Workshop on Electronic Texts: Proceedings / edited by James
Daley. Project Gutenberg, February 1993 [available via anonymous
ftp from mrcnext.cso.uiuc.edu as locet10.txt in directory
etext/etext93]. Daley has compiled an impressive document (well
over 100 pages) covering the proceedings of this June 1992
conference at the Library of Congress. Speakers from all areas
of electronic publishing came together and discussed their work,
their hopes, their plans, and what they thought the Library of
Congress could do to foster the electronic library. Included here
are discussions of imaging, searching coded texts, computer
networks, CD-ROM production and dissemination, preservation of
materials through conversion to electronic format, and the study
of the use of electronic materials by scholars. A key element of
the conference, and the proceedings, were the discussions among
the participants. For instance, the CD-ROM advocates and the
network advocates could help each other understand the benefits of
each technology, and together see where each has its place.
Clearly this was a breakthrough conference, even if resolutions
were not made. - DR
Love, James. "Update On Windo/Gateway Legislation" Taxpayer
Assets Project, Information Policy Note, February 28, 1993
[posted on CPSR@GWUVM on March 3, 1993]. Love reports on the
replacement bill for last year's GPO/WINDO legislation, now
called GPO Access (though the name may change). The bill is
intended to give the public improved access to government
information in electronic form. According to Love, the new bill
is not as strong as previous versions and Love decries the
support given by the American Library Association and the very
fact congress is proceeding with a watered down effort. - DR
Rawlins, Gregory J.E. "The New Publishing: Technology's Impact
on the Publishing Industry Over the Next Decade" Public-Access
Computer Systems Review 3(8) (1992):5-63 [available by sending
the following e-mail messages to LISTSERV@UHUPVM1: GET RAWLINS1
PRV3N8 F=MAIL and GET RAWLINS2 PRV3N8 F=MAIL]. While
concentrating on book publishing, Rawlins examines a wide range
of issues related to electronic publishing in the coming decade,
predicting a full-scale revolution. Rawlins explores issues of
copy protection and copyright, the information economy,
electronic publishing formats, book selling, libraries, and the
advantages of electronic publication. Some of his discussion is
a bit quixotic and the issue of appealing displays is almost
ignored. On the other hand, this article provides an interesting
view of some of the possibilities and struggles that lay ahead.
- DR
Taubes, Gary. "Publications by Electronic Mail Takes Physics by
Storm" Science 259 (February 26, 1993):1246-1248. Taubes
describes how the use of an e-mail bulletin board to distribute
high-energy physics preprints has fundamentally altered how many
physicists do their work. By now there are more than 8000 users
of this bulletin board system in a number of subdisciplines of
physics. Publishers of scientific journals are taking note, and
some are getting into the electronic act themselves. While
physics was ripe for this type of transformation (established use
of non-peer reviewed preprints and the pressure of timelines),
there are valuable lessons here for other disciplines. - DR
Van Goethem, Jeri and Richard Jasper. "Okerson Talk Spotlights
'Proprietary Obstacles' Facing Electronic Publishing" ALCTS
Network News 5(15) (March 11, 1993). Van Goethem and Jasper
report on a talk given by Ann Okerson, director of the
Association for Research Libraries' Office of Scientific and
Academic Publishing, at ALAs 1993 mid-winter conference on
information ownership and management in the era of electronic
publication. Okerson contends that authors, libraries, and
publishers must reexamine the issues of copyright and ownership
with an eye to updating these relationships and reestablish the
balance between interests of the parties involved. - DR
Information Transfer
Bjorner, Susanne. "Expand Your Serial Holdings List for Less Than
$5" ONLINE 17(2) (March 1993):96-98. Bjorner explains how she
created her own online serials holding file by searching the
electronic FullText Sources Online and retrieving 713 full-text
titles in Data-Star and Dialog databases. - VR
Bluh, Pamela. "Document Delivery 200: Will It Change the Nature of
Librarianship?" Wilson Library Bulletin 67(6) (February 1993):49-
51, 112. This article addresses users' expectations of future
document delivery services and the challenge facing interlibrary
loan librarians. - VR
DeLoughry, Thomas J. "Professors Report Progress in Gaining
Recognition for Their Use of Technology" Chronicle of Higher
Education (March 3, 1993):A19-A21. Colleges and Universities are
beginning to offer credit toward promotion and tenure to faculty
who develop instructional software or who integrate technology
into their teaching. - VR
Everett, David. "Full-Text Online Database and Document Delivery
in an Academic Library: Too Little Too Late?" ONLINE 17(2) (March
1993):22-25. Everett points out that an increase in full-text
databases is imperative if they are to succeed in meeting the
demands of academic libraries. - VR
George, Lee Anne. "Fee-Based Information Services and Document
Delivery" Wilson Library Bulletin 67(6) (February 1992):41-44,
112. Speed and customization are the two most desirable
qualities offered by fee-based document delivery. George suggests
when and how to use this service, and describes its future in the
network environment. - VR
Hawkins, Donald T. "Have You Seen Your First PDA Yet?" ONLINE
17(2) (March 1993):81-83. As the title suggests, personal data
assistants PDAs are new, small devices "combining the
capabilities of a telephone and a PC. The major feature of PDAs
and the most attractive to users is their portability and ability
to communicate using cellular technology." - VR
Jackson, Mary E. "Document Delivery Over the Internet" ONLINE
17(2) (March 1993):14-21. Jackson describes three electronic
document delivery systems, Ariel, the RLG document transmission
workstation; EDDS (Electronic Document Delivery Service) which is
the second phase of the DDTP project (Digitized Document Delivery
Transmission Project) involving North Carolina State University
Library and Computing Center, and NAL (National Agricultural
Library); and the Ohio University Network Fax Project. - VR
Monaghan, Peter. "Multimedia Teaching Techniques Gain Momentum at
Washington State U." Chronicle of Higher Education (February
24, 1993):A19-A20. Washington State University professors are
finding students very receptive to multimedia technology as a
teaching method. - VR
Rush, James E. "In the Name of Access: The Economics of
Information Dissemination" ASIS Bulletin (December/January 1993):
13-15. Rush insists that charging for information both from the
part of producers and libraries is beneficial to the information
industry, the general public, and for the protection of
intellectual property. - VR
Networks and Networking
Berman, Jerry and Daniel J. Weitzner. "Keys to Privacy in the
Digital Information Age" Electronic Networking: Research,
Applications, and Policy 2(4) (Winter 1992):2-5. In this opinion
piece, Berman and Weitzner describe efforts by the (US) National
Security Agency (NSA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation
(FBI) to block the use and sale of technologies that provide high
quality data protection. As the Director and Senior Staff Counsel
of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, respectively, they also
describe the efforts of the EFF in blocking the NSA and FBI
initiatives. They argue that "In the information age, concerns
for protecting individual privacy should take precedence over
outmoded national security concerns left over form the Cold War."
- DR
Foster, Steve and Fred Barrie. veronica FAQ. Posted in two parts
on PACS-L@UHUPVM1 (January 25, 1993) [available via gopher at
veronica.scs.unr.edu, in the veronica directory]. Foster and
Barrie have published this very helpful set of answers to
frequently asked questions about veronica, the interactive gopher
index (or meta-burrow) that aides users in resource discovery.
As developers of the software, Foster and Barrie provide insight
into how veronica works, why it acts the way it does, and why
some things don't work the way we want them to. If you don't
already know, veronica is an acronym for "very easy rodent-
oriented net-wide index to computerized archives." - DR
Heterick, Robert C. Hearing on Higher Performance Computing and
Networking. United States House of Representatives. Committee
on Science, Space and Technology Subcommittee on Science,
February 2, 1993 [available by sending the following e-mail
message to LISTSERV@BITNIC "GET TESTIMON HETERICK CCNEWS].
Heterick, the President of EDUCOM, testified before congress that
more of the funding for the NREN should be spent on getting more
schools and libraries connected to the network, that EDUCOM
supports many of the recommendations of the Computer Systems
Policy Project [see Current Cites 4(2) (February 1993)], and that
there is general concern over "the lack of progress in developing
a plan for the evolution of NSFNET" and the lack of public review
of current plans. - DR
Jordan, John and Lee Brintle. "Coalition for Communication:
Developing a Public Communication System" Computers in
Libraries 13(2) (February 1993):29-32. Jordan and Brintle
describe their new initiative to create a coalition-based,
public-access, non-profit network communications system.
Loosely modeled on the Public Broadcast system, they hope to
offer the Public Communication System (PCS), employing
specialized servers and a very friendly client (Panda) over
the Internet/NREN. Fees would be paid by institutions and users
on a cost-recovery basis. The system would also allow the public
users to create conferences and publicly shared databases on the
PCS servers. Included in this article are a call for
participation, and an interesting description of the Panda
client. - DR
McClure, Charles R., William E. Moen, and Joe Ryan. "Design for
an Internet-Based Government-Wide Information Locator System"
Electronic Networking: Research, Applications, and Policy 2(4)
(Winter 1992):6-37. In a follow-up to a 1990 study, McClure,
Moen, and Ryan describe their new study of Federal (information)
locator databases (FLDs) that already exist in order to offer
insight into the planning process for creating an interagency
government-wide locator system. They propose a distributed,
virtual government-wide information inventory/locator system
(GIILS) based at least in part on the wide-area information
system (WAIS). The authors specifically propose that government
agencies contribute data to the system in a Z39.50 compliant
format to ensure a coherent distributed database. - DR
Ramirez, Anthony. "Data Can Move 45,00 Times Faster, for a Price"
New York Times 142 (March 10, 1993):C4 (Western edition).
Ramirez describes the advanced capabilities of asynchronous
transfer mode (ATM) which allows the high-speed transfer of any
data of any type over typical telephone lines. ATM accomplishes
this feat by establishing a standard packet size, but varying the
number of packets sent per second according to the amount of
traffic on the line. Seen as a competitor to ISDN, Ramirez
quotes some high-powered executives who believe that ATM will
become the standard for networking in the future. - DR
Technology for America's Economic Growth: A New Direction to
Build Economic Strength. Distributed on
clinton-news-distribution@campaign92.org [available from
listserv@cni.org by sending the following e-mail message: GET
CNI-BIGIDEAS WHOUSE.PAPER]. This document outlines the Clinton
administrations plans for government inspired technological
investment and growth. Among the recommendations are: access to
the Internet/NREN by K-12 schools; creation of a Task Force on
Information Infrastructure to work with government agencies and
the private sector to improve telecommunications; the creation of
an Information Infrastructure Technology Program to assist
industry in the development of relevant hardware and software;
provide funding for networking projects in states, school
districts, libraries, and other non-profit organizations; and to
promote the dissemination of government information at a
reasonable cost. Perhaps most exciting, however, is the fact
that so many parts of the document refer to the use of the
Internet/NREN and other applications of information technology,
indicating a clear understanding of the crucial role they will
play in the coming years. - DR
Optical Disc Technologies
Bash, Alexandra. "Keeping the CD Station Rolling: Tips to Enhance
and Extend the Life of Your CD-ROM Workstation" CD-ROM
Professional 6(1) (January 1993):36-41. This article outlines
basic procedures to prolong the life of CD-ROM workstations.
Tips range from simple mechanical precautions to others which
require the purchase of software to help keep workstations in
optimum condition. - TR
Bell, Steven J. "Providing Remote Access to CD-ROMs: Some
Practical Advice" CD-ROM Professional 6(1) (January 1993):43-46.
Bell starts by outlining the multiple solutions to the remote
access dilemma, and then concentrates on remote communications
software (RCS) as the recommended solution. The article
describes the steps necessary to implement RCS and concludes that
achieving a well-run remote access operation demands significant
thought, planning, and effort. - TR
Bowers, Richard A. "OPA Puts CD-ROM on the Nets" CD-ROM World
8(1) (January 1993):36-37. The Optical Publishing Association
(OPA) is loading a number of their files onto CompuServe's CD-ROM
Forum in an effort to bring the publication and technology
components of the CD-ROM industry closer to the consumer. This
article describes the types of files made available and provides
information about how to get them. - TR
Breeding, Marshall. "The Healthy LAN: Tips and Advice on the Care
and Maintenance of CD-ROM Networks" CD-ROM Professional 6(1)
(January 1993):75-84. This article focuses on the issues
involved in the support and maintenance of a LAN in a library
environment and includes tips on how to effectively manage
CD-ROM products on a network. According to the author, the
overall intent of the article lies in providing ways that a
network administrator can use preventative maintenance to catch
problems, whenever possible, before they happen. Breeding also
suggests ways to effect software changes and updates easily with
the least possible interruption of access to the network by
library users. The hardware maintenance section includes tips on
cabling, CD-ROM equipment and workstation equipment; the software
maintenance section includes advice on mounting search software
and mitigating virus threats. - TR
Brueggeman, Peter. "19 Tips for Enhancing CD-ROM Performance"
CD-ROM Professional 6(1) (January 1993):17-22. As the title
suggests, the author offers 19 useful tips for enhancing CD-ROM
performance. These tips fall within three general categories:
hard disks, microcomputers, and CD-ROM drives. Also included is
a list of best software for disk caching and optimizing. - TR
Desmarais, Norman. "A New Way to Share Special Moments: The
Kodak Photo CD System" CD-ROM World 8(1) (January 1993):50-59.
This article on the Kodak Photo CD describes not only the
original product, but also includes descriptions of new formats
being introduced by Kodak. One of the more interesting new
discs is the Kodak Photo CD Portfolio Disc which allows users to
create special discs that merge images with text, graphics and
sound. Desmarais also discusses the commercial applications of
the Photo CD. - TR
Jackson, Kathy. "Separating the Wheat from the Chaff: Finding
Out What You Really Need to Know About CD-ROM and Related
Technology" CD-ROM Professional 6(1) (January 1993):142-144.
In her last column for CD-ROM Professional, Jackson shares
her secrets on how to keep up with the flood of information
dealing with technology. Among her tips is to subscribe to
Current Cites!
Kinder, Jackie and Laurie Preston. "CD-ROM Management: Planning
for Success" CD-ROM Professional 6(1) (January 1993):24-25.
This article examines the major managerial issues that must
be considered in order to expedite successful decision-making
in regard to CD-ROM. The authors advocate solid initial
planning and the appointment of a CD-ROM administrator with
both technical expertise and knowledge of information
resources and how they affect users. A checklist of questions
is included to help identify the appropriate configuration for
CD-ROM management in any type of organization. - TR
Nicholls, Paul and Patricia Sutherland. "The State of the Union:
CD-ROM Titles in Print 1992" CD-ROM Professional 6(1) (January
1993):60-64. CD-ROM continues on its phenomenal growth curve
in 1992, according to the results of an annual survey based
upon an analysis of the two main printed directories to
commercially-available CD-ROM titles: CD-ROM Directory and
CD-ROMs in Print. Among the interesting findings is that there
was a 65% increase in CD-ROM titles over last year. If the
present trend continues, 5,000 titles will be available early
in 1993. Although this will still not quite match the number
of online databases available, CD-ROM could surpass these
toward the end of 1993. Predicted trends include robust growth
in available titles, more full text and reference titles, more
horizontal and humanities titles, wider access to CD-ROM by the
Macintosh, growing availability of multimedia titles and
steadily declining disc prices. - TR
Rugg, Tom. "A Local Area Network Glossary" CD-ROM Professional
6(1) (January 1993):80-84. An excellent glossary of technical
jargon associated with LANs, adapted from the glossary in Rugg's
book, LANtastic Made Easy. - TR
Schwartz, Candy. "Evaluating CD-ROM Products: Yet Another Check-
List" CD-ROM Professional 6(1) (January 1993):87-91. This
article is a very useful and exhaustive checklist of criteria for
evaluating CD-ROM products. Categories of criteria covered:
hardware/software requirements, company/administrative,
documentation, installation/set-up, overall ease of use,
searching, search results, search management, and content
evaluation. - TR
Starr, Karen. "The Building Blocks of a CD-ROM Local Area
Network" CD-ROM Professional 6(1) (January 1993):65-68. This
article concentrates on selecting, implementing and evaluating
CD-ROM local area networks. The information included is intended
to serve as a checklist of items that need to be considered when
selecting a LAN. Also included is a listing of networking
products currently available on the market. - TR
Tomaiuolo, Nicholas. "An Overview of General Health Sciences
Compact Discs for Libraries" CD-ROM World 8(1) (January 1993):
38-49. This article provides a general overview of CD-ROM
products available in the health sciences in terms of coverage,
features, usage, and price. - TR
General
Negroponte, Nicholas. "HDTV: What's Wrong with this Picture?"
Wired 1(1) (1993):112. Negroponte argues that the rush for
high-definition television is a misguided effort. Pointing out
that computer makers are busy adding video and other multimedia
capabilities, Negroponte encourages television makers and
developers to consider issues of programming in the digital age
(that is, making the TV smart enough to get the programs the user
wants), rather than presentation. As he puts it, "the future of
video is no different from the that of audio or data; it will be
nothing but a bit stream." - DR
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Current Cites 4(3) (March 1993) ISSN: 1060-2356
Copyright (C) 1993 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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