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