208 lines
10 KiB
Plaintext
208 lines
10 KiB
Plaintext
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_Current_Cites_
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Volume 2, no. 2
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February 1991
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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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Clifford Lynch, Teri Rinne, Vivienne Roumani,
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Lisa Rowlison, Mark Takaro, Roy Tennant
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Expert Systems
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Minasi, Mark. "More Complex Knowledge Representation." AI Expert
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(January 1991):15-19. Mr. Minasi offers brief and intelligible
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descriptions of the various methods of knowledge representation
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used in A.I.: semantic nets, object-attribute-values (OAV), frames
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and scripts.
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Vizine-Goetz, Diane, Stuart Weibel and William Oskins. "Automating
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Descriptive Cataloging." Expert Systems in Libraries. Norwood,
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New Jersey: Ablex Publishing, 1990. Ch.10, pp.123-134. In an effort
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to further automate the cataloging process, the folks at OCLC are
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developing a descriptive cataloging expert system. This chapter
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gives details of the OCLC Automated Title Page Cataloging Project
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and an analysis of the system's performance. While the project can
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so far claim only a moderate (73%) success rate, the possibility of
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this project developing into a future service from OCLC is quite
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exciting.
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Walters, Samuel T. "Expert Systems and Artificial Intelligence in
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Reference." Expert Systems in Libraries. Norwood, New Jersey:
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Ablex Publishing, 1990. Ch.3, pp. 24-40. This chapter offers an
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excellent use and development of expert systems. Mr. Walters does a
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fine job in explicating the use and value of expert systems in
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reference work. Additionally, he offers valuable practical advice for
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the development of systems.
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Information Transfer
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Balas, Janet. "Pictures from Space." Computers in Libraries 10(10)
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(November 1990):29-30. Balas describes the mechanics of
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transferring picture files to a microcomputer via modem using the
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GIF format, a software program.
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Busby, Brian. "Pro-Cite in a Special Library." Computers in Libraries
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10(10) (November 1990):44-48. Busby describes in detail the
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bibliographic information management software, Pro- Cite, and its
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capabilities. He also relates his experience using Pro-Cite at the
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Information Resources Facility of the University of Wisconsin
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Biotechnology Center.
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Edwards, Shirley J. "The TransImage 1000 Handscanner." CD-ROM
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Professional 4(1) (January 1991):54-57. Edwards, Head, Indexing
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Branch at NAL, reports on a study conducted at NAL using optical
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character recognition (OCR) technology to process bibliographic
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records. She compares time and accuracy using the traditional
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keying of information versus scanning. The result was that keying
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was generally more efficient mainly due to the number of errors
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resulting by scanning. Edwards leaves us with a hope: "NAL staff has
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identified a scanning system that it believes will meet our
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requirements for speed and accuracy."
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Lesk, Michael. "Image Formats for Preservation and Access"
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Information Technology and Libraries 9(4) (December 1990):300-
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308. As the title well describes, this article is about the role of
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digital imagery technology as it relates to preservation efforts and
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access. If this area interests you continue reading through the
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Special Section for more information on the same topic.
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Meeks, Brock. "PC Fax: Shaping the Product to Fit the Marketplace."
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Link-Up 7 (5) (September/October 1990):22-23. Meeks does a good
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job describing faxcards capabilities and manufacturers' efforts in
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trying to improve faxcards.
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Networks and Networking
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Branscum, Deborah. "Ethics, E-Mail, and the Law: When Legal ain't
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Necessarily Right." MacWorld (March 1991):63-83. Branscum begins
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this article with a two-page story about an e-mail administrator
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who alleges she was fired for protesting her company's monitoring
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of e-mail. This story brings up numerous issues of privacy and
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property rights in a new arena. Such issues will continue to be the
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subject of much debate for at least the next decade.
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Electronic Frontier Foundation, Inc. EFF News . January 1991-. The
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Electronic Frontier Foundation is committed to protecting free and
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unfettered access to electronic information as well as protecting
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the privacy of users. They frequently file amicus briefs on behalf
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of computer users who have been arrested for "hacking." EFF News is
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distributed electronically.
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Gier, Sue. "How to Use Electronic Mail and Bulletin Boards
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Effectively." The Computer Connection, January 1991. Available
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from the CCNEWS archive (CCNEWS@BITNIC.BITNET). This guide to
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effective e-mailing starts with a look at which tools are most
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effective for different kinds of communication. The author then
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gives a detailed description of the etiquette of electronic
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communication. (We have also included a copy of
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the Unofficial Smilie Dictionary.) :-)
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West, Richard P. and Richard N. Katz. "Implementing the Vision: a
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Framework and Agenda for Investing in Academic Computing."
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EDUCOM Review 25(4):32-37. West and Katz, who both work at UC
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Information Systems and Administrative Services, foresee the
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future of academic information delivery and communication
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becoming increasingly tied to network-based information
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exchange. Further, they write, "To facilitate this shift, all elements
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of the academic information infrastructure will undergo change."
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Some of their ideas of the future are illustrated here.
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Optical Disc Technologies
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Hutchison, Roger. "Benchmark testing of CD-ROM drives." CD-ROM
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Professional 4(1) (January 1991):31-34. This is the first in a series
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of articles which will compare the results of independent
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performance tests on several of the more common brands of CD-ROM
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drives. This month's comparison finds the Toshiba XM 3201 out-
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performing the Texel DM 3020. Part II will compare several portable
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CD-ROM drives; Part III will compare the Sony and Hitachi drives.
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Jasco, Peter. "Data transfer capabilities of CD-ROM software: part I."
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CD-ROM Professional 4(1) (January 1991):63-66. This two-part
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study maintains that CD-ROM software designers need to place a
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greater emphasis on more powerful output options for data transfer.
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Currently, very few CD-ROM products offer appropriate facilities for
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formatting the results of a search. This month's installment
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reviews the scope of output and downloading requirements; the
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March installment will discuss the exchange formats most
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commonly used for importing data.
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Morrow, Blaine Victor. "Do-it-yourself CD-ROM LANs: a review of
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LANTASTIC and CD-CONNECTION." CD-ROM Librarian 5(10)
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(November 1990):12-24. This article provides highly technical and
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detailed descriptions of two local area network systems for CD-
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ROMs. Appended to the article is an unofficial listing of CD-ROM
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products that work with both systems and a useful glossary of
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networking terms.
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Zink, Steven. "Toward more critical reviewing and analysis of CD-
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ROM user software." CD-ROM Professional 4(1) (January 1991):16-
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22. This article calls for a more critical and rigorous evaluation of
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user software interfaces not only as a source of evaluation
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information for potential buyers, but also as a means of actively
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influencing manufacturers of library CD-ROM products to devote
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more resources to making user interfaces more intuitive. The author
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asserts that clumsy user interfaces prevent many current products
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from reaching their true potential. Congressional Information
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Service's MASTERFILE 2 is used as an example of a product's less-
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than-perfect user interface which was revised in response to
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customer concerns.
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General
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Anderson, Charles. "Using Technology: Gain Without Pain?" Wilson
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Library Bulletin (January 1991):92-95, 146. Mr. Anderson raises the
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question, "what is computer literacy and to what degree must
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librarians be computer literate?" His analogy to the automobile is
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quite telling: must we know all about the internal workings of the
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machine merely to drive well? It appears that, as with most other
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areas of librarianship, those who really like and show a talent for
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computers, become the resident experts. However, as libraries
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become more and more involved with electronic formats and
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systems, the librarian's role as facilitator will require that s/he
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become increasingly more computer literate.
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Clarkson, Mark. "An Easier Interface." BYTE 16(2) (February
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1991):277-282. Describes the Information Visualizer technology
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under development by Robetson, Card and Mackinlay at Xerox PARC
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(including illustrations), which is one of the first really new
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approaches to graphical user interfaces I have seen in some time.
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There are a number of technical papers coming out on these
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developments, but this article presents an easily accessible
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overview of the approach, which includes a model of the user
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interface as windows into a series of "rooms" or virtual workspaces,
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which can contain a number of types of moving, three-dimensional
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graphical displays of information. - Clifford Lynch.
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Ryan, Bob. "Dynabook revisited with Alan Kay." BYTE 16(2) (February
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1991):203-208. Alan Kay, who originally envisioned the Dynabook in
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the late 1960s (a sort of portable personal computer/information
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access device) looks backwards, talks about today's computers, and
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looks forward to the 1990s. Includes some very provocative
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discussion about the need to develop intelligent software agents as
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a key component of user interfaces in the 1990s. - Clifford Lynch.
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-------------------------------------------------------------------
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Current Cites 2(2) (February 1991) 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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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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