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Current Cities Volume 05 Number 04
_Current_Cites_
Volume 5, no. 4
April 1994
Information Systems Instruction & Support
The Library
University of California, Berkeley
Edited by Teri Andrews Rinne
ISSN: 1060-2356
Contributors:
John Ober, Richard Rinehart, Teri Rinne, Roy Tennant
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Electronic Publishing
Dodge, Daniel R. "Using SGML to Streamline Print and CD-ROM Production"
CD-ROM Professional 7(2) (March 1994):77-82. -- Dodge chronicles one
organization's quest for a cost effective system to produce a CD-ROM
database from the same source as the printed documentation. The main
objective was to produce both printed output and the CD-ROM database from
a single authoring database. After significant research, SGML (Standard
Generalized Markup Language) was selected as the only viable option since
it provide enough flexibility and adaptability to accommodate changing
requirements and it is based upon open system standards. This article
outlines the advantages SGML has over other types of publishing systems,
describes the system components, and provides an overview of the SGML
process as well. -- TR
Gossage, Lew and Bill Bayer "Moving College Textbooks to CD-ROM"
CD-ROM Professional 7(2) (March 1994):90-92. -- This article
examines the impact electronic technology will have on the college
textbook industry with a case study of the production of the first-
ever CD-ROM accounting textbook. Major issues involved were the
the time required to develop such an extensive hypertext application,
the importance of timing the completion of all components of the
CD-ROM, and the portability of the final versions of the print
material. The most time-consuming and and expensive part of the
process was the need to convert the text into SGML (Standard
Generalized Markup Language) and the graphics into the appropriate
bitmap format for use in a Windows hypertext format. -- TR
Multimedia and Hypermedia
Kocho, Keith "Adding Multimedia to Your Network: Can it be Done?"
CD-ROM Professional 7(2) (March 1994):111-113. -- Adding network
access to multimedia information on a LAN presents a host of
problems. Current solutions are expensive, where they exist at all.
Multimedia information is usually stored in very large files, and
in formats requiring continuous access: both bad news for the average
LAN server. Besides overworking the server, the continuous requests
for information, such as video, over a LAN network also tax the
limits of popular network types, such as Ethernet. Using a hearty
PC multimedia-equipped server, information can be output at up to
20-30 MB/second, but that's 2 to 3 times faster than an Ethernet
connection will allow. One solution to the bandwidth hurdle is to
set up the multimedia server on a separate, high-speed (FDDI) network,
but this is so costly that creating multiple access points becomes
prohibitive. Another hardware solution is to use a dedicated server
for multimedia files. The Starlight MediaServer, for example, serves
up files in a way most likely to deliver acceptable results over a
normal network. A dedicated multimedia server manages and stores files
differently from a 'standard' file server, and utilizes appropriate
transmission and switching protocols, like Starlight's MTP. New or
imported technologies, like ATM, and bandwidth improvements on Ethernet
should make future implementation of multimedia on LANs and even WANs
a little less daunting. -- RR
Emigh, Jacqueline "Live Picture Introduced for Macintosh: Silicon
Graphics Server Support Announced" Computer Currents 11(23)
(April 19, 1994):27,33. -- Live Picture is a high-end 48-bit color
imaging package being delivered to the American market by a coalition
of companies. Using the new 'Paramount' interface, users create a new
layer each time a new function is selected. Layers can be moved, edited,
hidden or removed at any time. Layers are used for painting, image
insertion, distortion, colorizing, etc., and can be visually represented
individually in thumbnails. Live Picture uses FITS technology that
processes data only once so that each layer is written as a mathematical
expression that can be accessed and changed discretely from the others,
making it network-friendly. It also displays only as much information
about an image as screen size and zoom level demand, also cutting down
on transmission times. Live Picture's IVUE file format will be supported
on Silicon Graphics network servers. -- RR
Malloy, Judy "Interactive Installation Art: Blurring the lines between
Artist and Audience" MicroTimes 121 (April 5 1994):306-314. -- The computer
industry's 'multimedia' has a venerable parallel in the art world's 'mixed
media.' But are you ready for M4 (multimedia mixed media)? Actually computer
use by artists has been going on for some time, often being integrated
into the art form of 'installations' (site-based, rather than object-based
art pieces). Idealists in both the computer and art worlds share the goal
of making everyone into participating creators, and 'interactivity' is the
bridge between passive viewing and authorship. Installation art invites
interaction by allowing the audience into its space or activity, while
computers can often measure the audience's specific responses, and even give
feedback to them: Art that talks back. The fact that many of the 'sites'
mentioned in this article as being chosen for artworks were in cyberspace
instead of a gallery doesn't change the unifying goal of the artists, just the
audience. The article is an overview of some current and recent projects in
this hybrid field, and also lists resources including email addresses for the
artists mentioned. -- RR
NETWORKS AND NETWORKING
Educom Review: Special Issue on National Networking 29(2) (March/April 1994)
(Also available by gopher at [URL:gopher://internet.com:2100/])
-- The editors have selected a well-balanced set of eleven papers by
authors with national reputations. Each paper is a digestible two to
six pages, and is clearly written. Although the focus of the group
is on the developing network's "impact on education" readers will find
useful overviews and analyses of the National Information Infrastructure
(NII), as well as thoughtful reports and analyses of current and future
networking issues such as new high-speed network technology, network
ethics, privacy, and scholarly work. The table of contents includes "The
First Law of Change" by Robert C. Herrick, Jr., "Walking the
Tightrope" by Fred W. Weingarten, "Legislation and the NII" by Robert
G. Gillespie, "The NII and the New World Trade Agreement" by
Olliver Smoot, "Building the NII: Challenges for Higher Education" by
Michael M. Roberts, "Toward a National Learning Infrastructure" by
William H. Graves, "Rethinking the Integrity of the Scholarly Record in
the Networked Information Age" by Clifford A. Lynch, "Campus Nets
for the Nineties" by Raymond K. Neff, "The Fourth Law of Robotics"
by John Markoff, "Convergence and Community: An Ethical Challenge"
by Richard O. Mason, "Privacy and the National Information
Infrastructure" by Marc Rotenberg. -- JLO
Kessler, Jack "Baby Bell Minitel? Internet Competition from the French
Connection" Connexions: The Interoperability Report 8(4) (April 1994):2.
-- In a breezy, informal style, Kessler documents the hugely popular
French service Minitel and compares it to the Internet and U.S. Internet
use. Noting that Minitel's technological limits may be offset, for the
French public, by features such as entertainment value, ease of use, low
cost, and ubiquity, Kessler argues that it may serve as a model of future
commercial network services to the U.S. general public. The article is a
departure from Connexions usual technological/engineering bent, but serves
as a good companion piece to Mackie-Mason's analysis of the economics of
the Internet. -- JLO
MacKie-Mason, Jeffrey K. and Hal Varian "Economic FAQs About the
Internet" (available via anonymous ftp [URL:ftp://gopher.econ.lsa.umich.edu]
gopher [URL:gopher://gopher.econ.lsa.umich.edu] and World Wide Web
[URL:http://gopher.econ.lsa.umich.edu/]) To be published in
The Journal of Economic Perspectives, Summer 1994. -- The authors'
responses to frequently asked questions contain many Internet facts
of interest, for example that 80% of the money MERIT spent in 1993
to manage the NSFnet went to lease payments on lines and routers.
Halfway through the article the authors admit that in answering
questions like "What economic problems does the Internet face?"
they move to "FEOs" - firmly expressed opinions. These opinions focus
on the present and future congestion problems of the Internet and
review pricing as the logical allocation scheme. A good overview of
the economics of the Internet, especially when read in conjunction
with the authors' other papers - "Economics of Internet" and "Pricing
the Internet" - available electronically at the same source. -- JLO
McClure, Charles R., et. al., Connecting Rural Public Libraries to the
Internet; The Project GAIN Report Liverpool, NY: NYSERNet, 1994. -- A
regional networking organization in New York (NYSERNet) administered a
grant-supported project to connect five rural public libraries and one
Indian Nation school to the Internet via SLIP connections. The report of
this project both serves as interesting case history and also an excellent
summary of issues and recommendations relating to providing Internet access
to rural public libraries. Many of the lessons learned in this project,
however, are also more broadly applicable, and therefore this brief document
(43p. plus appendices) deserves a diverse readership. -- RT
"Mosaic: The Killer Internet Application" Internet Business Journal
1(9) (March 1994). -- This issue is entirely devoted to Mosaic, as a
"special report". Various brief articles and sidebars are stuffed into
a small space below large screen shots of Mosaic accessing various
World Wide Web servers. While the text itself is only of moderate
interest (and makes such annoying errors as assuming that one would
only wish to retrieve the MS Windows version of the Mosaic software),
the screen shots identify some interesting examples of using the
World Wide Web to offer commercial services on the Internet. -- RT
Optical Disc Technologies
Brueggeman, Peter "Earth Science CD-ROMs: A Collection Buyer's
Guide" CD-ROM Professional 7(2) (March 1994):45-53. -- Brueggeman
provides a comprehensive overview of non-bibliographic earth science
CD-ROMs, chronicling the earth science community's long and active
history with CD-ROM technology. Scientific interest in global change
is spurring production of CD-ROMs with relevant datasets. Datasets
on CD-ROM can be numeric and/or images and usage of the datasets
range from basic to sophisticated. This article outlines the diverse
data available to scientists, discusses microcomputer requirements,
and adventures associated with printing images. It is interesting to
note that serendipity plays a major role in locating new earth science
CD-ROMs; it is best accomplished by monitoring the journals, newsletters,
and bulletin boards used by the scientific community rather than the
library community. Useful sidebars include a listing of essential
resources for earth science CD-ROMs and an earth science CD-ROM
sampler. -- TR
Desmarais, Norman "Watch Your Wallets!" Computers in Libraries
14(3) (March 1994):38-39. -- Desmarais appropriately begins
this article citing a popular poster making the rounds at
Providence College: "Because of financial constraints, the light
at the end of the tunnel will be turned off until further
notice." Indeed, as the costs of information resources continue
to increase while the acquisitions budget remain stagnant or
decrease, libraries are faced with a rather grim scenario.
Desmarais examines the various pricing structures being pursued
by publishers and information providers to protect themselves
from the threat of decreasing revenues resulting from the
shift away from ownership of materials to access to information.
There appears to be a shift in pricing structures away from a
lease arrangement to a pay-per-use basis, similar to pay-per-view
TV. Among the pay-per-use structures discussed are use of a dongle
device to meter computer access to data on a CD-ROM (every time
somebody prints or saves a record to disk, the dongle decreases
by a predetermined amount), metering usage through software,
selective access, and the "self-destructing" discs which prevent
access beyond a predetermined date. -- TR
Lediaev, Lucy and Lex van Sonderen "Using and Developing with
CD-Interactive: Frequently Asked Questions are Answered"
CD-ROM Professional 7(2) (March 1994):83-88. -- This article
addresses the unique concerns faced by CD-I users and developers
in a question and answer format. CD-I is the first multimedia
technology aimed at a mass audience, lending itself well to
informational titles, games, encyclopedias, educational
materials, and many business applications. Among the issues
addressed by the authors are authoring systems, standards,
Photo CDs, Karaoke CDs, multisession capabilities, and
emulators. -- TR
GENERAL
Palmini, Cathleen C. "The Impact of Computerization on Library
Support Staff: A Study of Support Staff in Academic Libraries in
Wisconsin" College & Research Libraries 55(2) (March 1994):119-
127. -- A voluntary survey of academic library support staff in
Wisconsin solicited their opinions of automation. Not unsurprisingly,
some of their major concerns include adequate training, workstations
designed to help prevent repetitive stress injuries, and
responsibilities that mix contact with the public with technical
services functions. As this article reveals, although support staff
often feel that there is inadequate time to keep up with the work
load or with changes in technology, they also realize that the
changes have often led to better service to patrons. -- RT
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Current Cites 5(4) (April 1994) ISSN: 1060-2356
Copyright (C) 1994 by the Library, University of
California, Berkeley. All rights reserved.
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trinne@library.berkeley.edu // trinne@ucblibra // (510)643-9494
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