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             Public-Access Computer Systems News

Volume 4, Number 6 (1993)                         ISSN 1050-6004

Editors: Dana Rooks (LIBL@UHUPVM1) and Linda Thompson
(LIB1J@UHUPVM1).

Issued on an irregular basis by University Libraries, University
of Houston, Houston, TX 77204-2091.
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CONTENTS

COUNTERPOINT MAKES ADVANCE TEXT OF COMMERCE BUSINESS DAILY
AVAILABLE ON GLOBAL INTERNET, 1
OCLC WINS INTERNET AWARD, 2
LEADING TELCO CEOS JOINTLY SUPPORT CLINTON-GORE TECHNOLOGY
INITIATIVE, 3
SILVERPLATTER AND CAMBRIDGE SCIENTIFIC ABSTRACTS FORM STRATEGIC
ALLIANCE, 4
GEAC ACQUIRES COMPUTER LIBRARY SERVICES INTERNATIONAL, 5
SIGMA THETA TAU AND OCLC TO PRODUCE ELECTRONIC NURSING JOURNAL, 5
CHARTING THE PATHS PUBLISHED BY RLG, 6
ACADEME THIS WEEK ON INTERNET, 7


COUNTERPOINT MAKES ADVANCE TEXT OF COMMERCE BUSINESS DAILY
AVAILABLE ON GLOBAL INTERNET

The Commerce Business Daily (CBD), a daily listing of all U.S.
Government procurement invitations, research and grant
opportunities, contract awards, subcontracting leads, sales of
surplus property and foreign business opportunities is now made
available the day prior to publication via the global Internet by
Counterpoint Publishing.

Counterpoint's CBD service makes the full text of the CBD
available to Internet users on the business day before the paper
volume is released.  The Internet CBD is available to any
Internet connected host.  Subscribers may choose from telnet
access, Gopher and WAIS access and NNTP (Usenet News Access).
Gopher and WAIS software are available via the Internet for all
popular computing operating systems.  Both of these software
systems enable subscribers to search the CBD file for keywords.

Subscribers who elect to use NNTP access will receive the entire
CBD file as a daily service.  These subscribers may use any local
full text software available for their computers.

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Internet subscribers may purchase either Gopher/WAIS access or
NNTP service.  For ordering information, or a demonstration of
the product contact Counterpoint Publishing, Inc. 84 Sherman
Street, Cambridge, MA 02140, telephone 800-998-4515, Internet
address fedreg@internet.com.

Counterpoint Publishing also produces the daily Federal Register
via the Internet as well as the popular weekly Compact Disc
Federal Register and Compact Disc Code of Federal Regulations.


OCLC WINS INTERNET AWARD

The "Meckler Internet Applications" award was presented to OCLC
on March 1 at the Computers in Libraries conference in
Washington, D.C.  The award is presented annually to an
individual or organization for significant contributions related
to the use of the Internet.  This year it recognizes OCLC for its
broad range of Internet involvement, including providing
reference services on the Internet, doing research about the
Internet, and planning for future uses of the Internet, said
Marshall Breeding, library network and microcomputer analyst at
Vanderbilt University, editor-in-chief of Meckler's Library
Software Review, and chair of the award committee.

In late 1990, OCLC made its first online reference service, EPIC,
available on the Internet.  All three of OCLC's online reference
services, EPIC, The FirstSearch Catalog, and the Online Journal
of Current Clinical Trials, are now available seven days a week
on the Internet to users worldwide.

"OCLC's Linking Strategy:  Internet and the NREN," issued last
August, is a three-page document outlining OCLC's plans and
policies from 1992 to 2000 with respect to linking with the
Internet and the National Research and Education Network (NREN).
The widely circulated report assesses the OCLC network and the
Internet/NREN in terms of governance, performance/support,
economics, and future considerations.

In January 1993, OCLC released a research report, Assessing
Information on the Internet:  Toward Providing Library Services
for Computer Mediated Communication.  The report focuses on
determining the kind of information available on the Internet and
the suitability of current library cataloging formats for
describing information available on it.

For additional information, contact Nita Dean 614-761-5002.

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LEADING TELCO CEOS JOINTLY SUPPORT CLINTON-GORE TECHNOLOGY
INITIATIVE

The Chief Executive Officers of the nation's leading local and
long-distance telecommunications companies have signed a landmark
public policy position statement--signaling strong industry-wide
support for the communications technology initiatives envisioned
by the Clinton-Gore Administration.

The statement was signed by the CEOs of Ameritech, AT&T, Bell
Atlantic, Bellcore, BellSouth, Cincinnati Bell, Inc., GTE, MCI,
NYNEX, Pacific Telesis, Southern New England Telephone Company,
Southwestern Bell Corp., Sprint, and U S WEST.

The policy statement provides a set of principles consistent with
the Administration's initiative, "Technology for America's
Economic Growth, A New Direction to Build Economic Strength," and
articulates the roles government and industry should play.

The CEOs suggest the Administration and Congress adopt these
principles as a framework for cooperation among federal, state
and local governments, key users communities--such as schools,
libraries and health care providers--and the private sector
(including telecommunications, computer, information, and related
industries).

In addition, the set of principles recommends that government
support research on applications and services that benefit
schools, health care, and industries crucial for U.S.
competitiveness, as well as research that will make it easier for
people to connect to, and use, information networks.

Benefits to come from following these principles would include:

* Increased private sector investment in, and continued
development of, a national information infrastructure as a result
of government serving as a catalyst.

* Alternative visions of the national information infrastructure
can be integrated into a common vision which provides interactive
multi-media and other advanced networking capabilities to all
Americans.

* Industry's incentive to invest in the infrastructure will
remain strong because the government will not subsidize
commercial networks and because commercial services will not be
provided on government-supported experimental networks.

* Selected user communities will be provided support for access
to, and use of, networks and information through government
funding.

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* Alternative network suppliers will be able to interconnect
seamlessly with each other, resulting in a wide array of
competitive choices that will spur innovation and result in
competitive prices to users.


SILVERPLATTER AND CAMBRIDGE SCIENTIFIC ABSTRACTS FORM STRATEGIC
ALLIANCE

SilverPlatter Information and Cambridge Scientific Abstracts have
formed a strategic alliance.  With this alliance, SilverPlatter
will assume Cambridge Scientific Abstracts' CD-ROM publishing
activities, popularly known as Compact Cambridge.  Beginning in
May, the 25 titles that are published by Compact Cambridge will
be produced, marketed, distributed and supported by
SilverPlatter.

This is the second major agreement that SilverPlatter has entered
into with a CD-ROM publishing company, resulting in a large
number of new titles being added to the SilverPlatter collection.
The first alliance was with OCLC in 1991.

Starting with the May updates, subscribers to Compact Cambridge
databases will automatically receive the SilverPlatter version of
the database, along with SilverPlatter software and
documentation. By September, all Compact Cambridge subscribers
will have received the SilverPlatter version for all of their CD-
ROM products. For subscribers, there are no additional costs
associated with the transfer to SilverPlatter.

As subscribers transfer to SilverPlatter, they can take advantage
of SilverPlatter's common interface, its extensive collection of
titles, the over 75 search and retrieval features of its
software, special software features such as Search Advisor,
Search Advisor Publisher, and Automatic Subject Lookup, access
from different platforms, SilverPlatter's Electronic Reference
Library and its compliance with the Z39.50 protocol for
interoperability. Additionally, subscribers have available to
them subscription management plans and training programs offered
by SilverPlatter.

For further information, contact SilverPlatter Information, Inc.,
100 River Ridge Road, Norwood MA 02062, 617-769-2599,
800-343-0064; SilverPlatter Information, Ltd., 10 Barley Mow
Passage, Chiswick, London W4 4PH U.K., +44 (0) 81-995-8242,
0800 262-096; or Compact Cambridge,7200 Wisconsin Avenue,
Bethesda MD 20814, 301-961-6700, 800-843-7751.

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GEAC ACQUIRES COMPUTER LIBRARY SERVICES INTERNATIONAL

Geac Computer Corporation Limited has announced the acquisition
of Computer Library Services International (Australia) Pty
Limited of Melbourne, Australia.  Computer Library Services
International provides CD-ROM network solutions and database
subscriptions to Australian libraries. The company also
distributes the LIBS 100plus products to the Australian
marketplace. Computer Library Services International serves over
400 customers and has annual revenues of over $4,000,000. The
total purchase price was approximately $1,000,000.


SIGMA THETA TAU AND OCLC TO PRODUCE ELECTRONIC NURSING JOURNAL

Sigma Theta Tau, International Honor Society of Nursing and OCLC
Online Computer Library Center will start publishing a new
electronic peer-reviewed journal for nurses in November 1993.
The Online Journal of Knowledge Synthesis for Nursing will make
current research findings available for the immediate use of
clinical nurses, academicians, and researchers.  The journal will
also provide critical reviews of research literature to guide
nursing practice and research.  Articles will include a statement
of the practice problem, a summary of the research, annotated
critical references, practice implications, research needed,
search strategies, and references used.  The electronic format
will allow timely access to information without long publication
delays.  Readers will be able to search articles directly for
information of interest to them and review, download, or print
relevant information in whole or in part.  Sigma Theta Tau will
provide the editorial content.  OCLC will provide the electronic
publishing and delivery capabilities.

Dr. Jane Barnsteiner, who has been named editor of the journal,
is associate professor and director of the Pediatric Critical
Care Graduate Program at the University of Pennsylvania School of
Nursing in Philadelphia.  She is also director of nursing
practice and research at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Subscribers to the Online Journal of Knowledge Synthesis for
Nursing will be able to access the journal using GUIDON, a
graphical user interface developed by OCLC, or the OCLC
Electronic Publishing Service (EPS), a command-driven ASCII user
interface.   GUIDON runs in the Microsoft Windows environment on
an 80286 or higher PC.  It supports searching by subject, title,
author, keyword, date, and a full range of Boolean and proximity
operators.  Guidon displays full text, figures, tables, and
equations in quality that rivals the printed page.  EPS runs on a
terminal or PC with software emulating a VT100 terminal.

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The journal will be available on a subscription basis to
individuals or institutions.  Pricing and ordering information is
not yet available.

The Online Journal of Knowledge Synthesis for Nursing will be
the second electronic journal distributed by OCLC.  Last July,
the Online Journal of Current Clinical Trials, published by the
American Association for the Advancement of Science, was
launched.

For additional information contact Andrea Keyhani at 614-
764-6474, or Nita Dean at 614-761-5002.


CHARTING THE PATHS PUBLISHED BY RLG

The Research Libraries Group (RLG) has just published a 30-page
report called "Preferred Library Futures II: Charting the Paths."
The report captures ideas put forward at a workshop last June by
32 attendees who represented a broad spectrum of those with a
stake in the future of research libraries in the
U.S.--publishers, research consortium/foundation directors,
university administrators, faculty, campus information technology
managers, and library directors.

"Charting the Paths" is a sequel to "Preferred Library Futures,"
published by RLG in January 1992.  Both reports were written by
Richard M.  Dougherty and Carol Hughes--professor and lecturer
respectively at the University of Michigan's School of Library
Studies.  Dougherty is currently developing a project that would
create and support an Internet-based venue for further
interaction and collaboration.

Single copies of the report are available free of charge from:
RLG Distribution Services Center, 1200 Villa Street, Mountain
View, CA 94041-1100.  (Requests can be faxed, attention DSC, to
415-964-0943.)

For more information, please contact Jennifer Hartzell,
bl.jlh@rlg.stanford.edu.

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ACADEME THIS WEEK ON INTERNET

The Chronicle of Higher Education has launched "ACADEME THIS
WEEK," a free electronic service on the Internet.

"ACADEME THIS WEEK" will include:

1.  A guide to the news in the current week's issue of The
Chronicle of Higher Education.

2.  A calendar of the week's events in academe.

3.  A schedule of the week's events in Washington, D.C., of
interest to the men and women of academe.

4.  The week's important deadlines for fellowships, grant
applications, exchange programs, and more.

5.  A listing of hundreds of job openings at colleges,
universities, and other non-profit institutions worldwide.  The
job announcements come from The Chronicle's "Bulletin Board"
section--the world's largest academic-job marketplace.

The new service on the Internet is the first by a major newspaper
to offer portions of its editorial contents along with extensive
listings of job openings.  The Chronicle, published weekly, is
the No. 1 professional news source for faculty members and
administrators at colleges and universities in the United States
and many other countries.

A new edition of "ACADEME THIS WEEK" will be available on the
Internet every Tuesday beginning at 12 noon, Eastern time
(U.S.A.).

"ACADEME THIS WEEK" is available on the Internet on many "Gopher"
servers under "All the Gopher Servers in the World."  Users with
their own Gopher software can find "ACADEME THIS WEEK" at
chronicle.merit.edu.

For more information about access to the service, send an
electronic-mail message to help@chronicle.merit.edu.

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Public-Access Computer Systems News is an electronic newsletter
that is distributed on BITNET, Internet, and other computer
networks.  There is no subscription fee.

To subscribe, send an e-mail message to LISTSERV@UHUPVM1 (BITNET)
or LISTSERV@UHUPVM1.UH.EDU (Internet) that says: SUBSCRIBE PACS-P
First Name Last Name.  PACS-P subscribers also receive two other
electronic serials: Current Cites and The Public-Access Computer
Systems Review.

Public-Access Computer Systems News is Copyright (C) 1993 by the
University Libraries, University of Houston.  All Rights
Reserved.

Copying is permitted for noncommercial use by academic computer
centers, computer conferences, individual scholars, and
libraries.  Libraries are authorized to add the journal to their
collection, in electronic or printed form, at no charge.  This
message must appear on all copied material.  All commercial use
requires permission.
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