177 lines
8.7 KiB
Plaintext
177 lines
8.7 KiB
Plaintext
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_Current_Cites_
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Volume 2, no. 3
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March 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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Teri Rinne, Vivienne Roumani, Lisa Rowlison, Mark Takaro, Roy Tennant
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Expert Systems
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Harmon, Kenneth. "Software for Expert Systems." Expert Systems In
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Libraries. Norwood, New Jersey: Ablex Publishing, 1990. Chapter 2,
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pp. 12-23. After a clear and quick review of the fundamentals of
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expert system architecture, Mr. Harmon summarizes the 3
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techniques of ES development: 1) programming the system in Prolog,
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Lisp or Smalltalk; 2) using an ES environment (basically a large ES
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shell used mostly for large computers) and 3) using one of the many
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PC shells: Expert-Ease, ESP advisor, VP-Expert, etc. It is this last
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option which is the most feasible for expert system development in
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libraries.
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Smith, Karen. "POINTER: The Microcomputer Reference Program for
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Federal Documents." Expert Systems In Libraries. Norwood, New
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Jersey: Ablex Publishing, 1990. Chapter 4, pp. 41-50. This program
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offers its users minimal level reference assistance in federal
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government documents. Although POINTER has sometimes been
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called an expert system, Ms. Smith explains that it is not. Despite
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the fact that POINTER does not reason independently (a key feature
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of an expert system) it is likely to be a valuable reference tool -
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especially in settings where Reference Librarians are not always
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available. Furthermore, through this paper Ms. Smith illustrates,
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though perhaps not intentionally, the differences between
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conventional programming and an expert system.
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Hyper- and Multimedia
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Cisler, Steve. "Sound Advice: New Uses for Audio on the Macintosh."
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Online 15(2) (March 1991):84-86. An often-overlooked aspect of
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multimedia technology receives treatment here in the MacMonitor
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column authored by Apple's Librarian Steve Cisler. Several
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sound/audio applications are discussed, opening up the possibilities
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of annotating voice mail, creating audio dictionaries connected to
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the print or online forms and storing audio data in digital form on
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hard disks. Compression technologies present one obstacle to mass
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storage of sound, but the potential for sound to become a
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manipulable form of data similar to text and graphics presents
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exciting new prospects for audio technologies to begin catching up
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to their print counterparts.
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Nairn, John. "The Proposed Disk Description Protocol (DDP) Standard:
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Background and Overview." CD-ROM Professional 4(2) (March
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1991):56-57. DDP is a proposed standard for the submission of
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multimedia data to CD-ROM disk mastering facilities. While the
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method for submitting text, record and still-image data is fairly
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straight-forward, multimedia data is more complex in its structure.
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As no common format exists, the current process is difficult and
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error-prone, necessitating a standard before the diversity of ad-hoc
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submission methods become too entrenched.
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Oberhauser, Otto C. "Multimedia Information Storage and Retrieval
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Using Optical Disk Technology: Potential for Library and Information
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Services" Osterreichisches Institut fur Bibliotheksforschung,
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Dokumentations- und Informationswesen, 1990. Beginning with a
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thorough overview of optical disk technologies, this comprehensive
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monograph surveys applications of multimedia optical disk media in
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Europe, Asia and North America. The focus is on current projects
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from libraries and museums, but extends also to projects that are
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related to the work of reference librarians in many fields. The
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well-organized study includes some local projects and provides a
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glimpse of the type of work that these paired technologies make
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possible.
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Networks and Networking
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Flanders, Bruce L. "KICNET: Interlibrary Loan in a Wide-Area Network
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in Kansas" Online 15(2) (March 1991): 55-60. The Kansas State
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Library system found that creating and managing their own e-mail
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network for interlibrary lending requests was both easier and
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cheaper than using OCLC, phone, fax, or mail (or a combination of
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these modes of communication). The software they selected,
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cc:Mail, seems to have been a key part of their success. KICNET
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currently handles an average of 1,600 messages daily for 150
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libraries. The cost per message is approximately $0.05.
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Malkin, G. and A. Marine "FYI on Questions and Answers: Answers to
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Commonly asked 'New Internet User' Questions" Network Working
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Group RFC 1206 (February 1991): 32 p. The goal of this paper is to
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document the most commonly asked questions and answers in the
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Internet. And that it does. This document can also be useful to
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those with some Internet experience but want more information.
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Also included are a glossary and list of suggested readings.
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Available via anonymous ftp from nnsc.nsf.net (128.89.1.178)
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with pathname rfc/rfc1206.txt.
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Optical Disc Technologies
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Jensen, Mary Brandt. "CD-ROM Licenses: What's in the Fine or Non-
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Existent Print may Surprise You" CD-ROM Professional 4(2) (March
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1991):13-16. This article provides a concise overview of CD-ROM
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licensing agreements. As most CD-ROM products are licensed rather
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than sold to users, rights and obligations differ quite dramatically
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when compared to the purchase of printed products. This article
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explores the restrictions associated with control of the disks and
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software, back-up copies and warranties, down-loading, multiple
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user access, and confidentiality. The author points out that the
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terms in the standard CD-ROM agreement are merely an offer made
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by the producer, and all the terms should be negotiable.
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Kesselman, Martin "CD-ROM Trends" Wilson Library Bulletin 65(5)
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(January 1991):84-86. This article outlines recent trends and
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developments regarding CD-ROM and other optical media. Among the
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newest optical consumer products, slated for release this
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Christmas, is the Sony Data Discman. The postcard-sized Discman
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includes a 3-inch CD-ROM player, keyboard, and liquid-crystal
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display screen. It also includes a video adapter that allows the data
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to be displayed on a TV screen and an earphone for listening to
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conventional audio CDs.
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LaGuardia, Cheryl, et al. "CD-ROM Networking in ARL Academic
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Libraries: a Survey." CD-ROM Professional 4(2) (March 1991):36-39.
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This article presents the results of a survey conducted by UCSB
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Library staff. While all responding libraries have some CD-ROMs in
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place, ranging from 2-85 workstations, a relatively small number of
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local-area networks were in place, 21 out of 78 responses.
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However, 50 libraries not currently networking CD-ROMs, plan to do
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so by 1992 at the latest. Only five libraries have definitely decided
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against networking: one because of cost considerations, while the
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other four plan to mount databases on their local mainframe instead.
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General
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Pollack, Andrew "Universal Computer Code Due: Rivals Join Forces to
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Design Standard for All Languages"New York Times 140(48,517)
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(February 20, 1991):1, 5. Twelve companies, including IBM, Apple,
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Microsoft, Sun and Xerox, are joining forces to create a universal
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computer code that will allow computers using any (human) language
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to communicate. The first release of Unicode should occur this
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spring with a limited set of 27,000 of characters. Eventually, this
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code system will be able to accommodate any language in existence,
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including those that use ideograms and those that are no longer
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spoken.
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News Bits
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Hughes, Carol. "Opening a Universitywide Dialogue about Electronic
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Information Resources" College and Research Libraries News
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52(2)February 1991:84-87.
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McMullen, Barbara E. and John F. McMullen. "Xerox Introduces Network
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Fax Server" Computer Currents. 8(19) (February 26, 1991):6.
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-------------------------------------------------------------------
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Current Cites 2(3) (March 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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