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Examines some of the bibliographic advantages of a union catalogue with a central database over a distributed, or “virtual” union catalogue. Discusses the nature of these bibliographic advantages in the context of interlibrary document delivery, and also the circumstances which produce them, and make them more significant. Reports on a brief study of the extent to which two major library catalogues in Singapore have diverged following the adoption of a distributed model. This indicated that the bibliographic content of a distributed union catalogue may be significantly poorer than that of a central database, and in particular in terms of more: duplication; inconsistency; errors; and omissions. There are at least four important reasons why this may be so.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a data framework to support the incremental aggregation of, and an effective data refresh model to maintain the data consistency in, an aggregated centralized database.

It is based on a case study of enterprise distributed databases aggregation for Taiwan's National Immunization Information System (NIIS). Selective data replication aggregated the distributed databases to the central database. The data refresh model assumed heterogeneous aggregation activity within the distributed database systems. The algorithm of the data refresh model followed a lazy replication scheme but update transactions were only allowed on the distributed databases.

It was found that the approach to implement the data refreshment for the aggregation of heterogeneous distributed databases can be more effectively achieved through the design of a refresh algorithm and standardization of message exchange between distributed and central databases.

The transaction records are stored and transferred in standardized XML format. It is more time‐consuming in record transformation and interpretation but it does have higher transportability and compatibility over different platforms in data refreshment with equal performance. The distributed database designer should manage these issues as well assure the quality.

The data system model presented in this paper may be applied to other similar implementations because its approach is not restricted to a specific database management system and it uses standardized XML message for transaction exchange.

The development of a quality database is central to effective automation of the operational activities of quality control. The importance of automation to quality data management is stated and a quality database structure outlined. The analysis and specification phase for a prototype system is discussed, with the functional requirements identified, and the choices of software, hardware and communications strategy described. Integration requirements with other computer systems are considered.

The residential construction industry has a major share in Canada's GDP. In spite of huge spending and technical advances in the residential construction sector, the current permit approval process still adheres to traditional manual permit approval process. Consequently, this has contributed to project delays and increased monetary costs to the stakeholders associated with the process. The research presented in this paper seeks to explore key issues related to the current housing development permit approval process.

This paper describes a proposed methodology for the automation of the residential construction development permit approval process. The proposed methodology has been incorporated into a computer system that integrates a knowledge‐based expert system (KBES), database management system (DBMS), and computer‐aided design (CAD). Various concepts related to the database structures, system architecture, process flow and user interfaces are introduced and described in the context of the development permit approval process.

This paper presents a knowledge‐based prototype for the development permit approval process that can be customized as per the needs of various cities. A case study is also presented in order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method and to illustrate the implementation of the research.

The prototype is application‐independent and may be implemented anywhere in the AutoCAD environment. The research paves the way for the setting of drafting standards for the residential industry.

Prototype provides significant gains in productivity and accuracy over the current practices by minimizing the redundancies involved in the development permit approval process.

OhioLINK, a consortium of Ohio academic libraries in both the public and the private sector ranging from major research institutions to community colleges, is one of the nation's first major attempts to create a virtual, statewide library system. More than just linking the holdings of participating libraries within the context of a 48‐hour delivery system for books and journal articles, OhioLINK provides the platform as well for the statewide delivery of commercial and other databases, Gopher Internet access, and experimentation with the development and testing of new information tools. OhioLINK also represents an intriguing and creative approach to state funding and automated system design. In terms of bold imagination and cooperative power, OhioLINK follows in the footsteps of that other major Ohio institution, OCLC.

VINE is produced at least four times a year with the object of providing up‐to‐date news of work being done in the automation of library housekeeping processes, principally in the UK. It is edited and substantially written by the Information Officer for Library Automation based in Southampton University Library and supported by a grant from the British Library Research and Development Dept. Copyright for VINE articles rests with the British Library Board, but opinions expressed in VINE do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the British Library. The subscription for 1982 for VINE is £20 for UK subscribers and £23 for overseas subscribers — the subscription year runs from January to December. The 1983 subscription will be £22 for UK and £25 for overseas — VINE is available in either paper copy or microfiche and all back issues are available on microfiche.

Digital library database resources have a significant impact on stimulating the research culture in higher education. The use of digital databases makes it possible to understand intellectual growth, research productivity, planning and identification of user information needs. Evaluating the effectiveness of user database resource utilization and research, the purpose of this study is to assist management in developing an excellent academic policy.

This study establishes a quantitative method to analyze the productivity of academic research using digital databases. The secondary data extracted from the databases of 52 universities provided by Higher Education Commission (HEC) and the literature published on the Institute of Scientific Information (ISI) Web of Science. The statistical technique simple linear regression was used to analyze the data for understanding the impact of independent variables the “digital databases” on the dependent variable “research productivity”.

The result of the coefficient of multiple determination, R-squared, R² 0.679, indicated 67 per cent impact of the predictor on the outcome variable. However, the standardized coefficient Beta 0.824 revealed 82 per cent impact of the individual predictor on the outcome variable. Overall, the result of linear regression showed a significant effect of independent variables on the dependent variable. Besides, the result of correlation and the strength of association between the database resources and the academic publication was significant (p < 0.005).

This research work is a supportive tool for managing gaps and promoting the development of necessary measures to develop strategies and solutions to create a better academic environment. The ultimate use of standard database resources can foster higher academic research to develop innovative ideas and improve researchers’ cognitive abilities.

From Pakistan’s point of view, this study is the first one that gives insight into the intellectual growth of young researchers in higher education. The study provides first-hand information on the use of database resources and their significant impact on the productivity of academic research.

Five prominent consultants look into the future, projecting technological advancements that, in some cases, will enhance current library systems, and in many cases will cause them to become obsolete. Major trends include advances in mainframe and microcomputing technology, the development of inexpensive local area networks and telecommunications gateways, and the advent of (mass) optical storage.

This study investigates a novel educational strategy in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) teaching that integrates the engineering design process (EDP) as a framework. The strategy aims to help teachers explain STEM concepts in a simplified way. We employed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology to enable a systematic review that evaluated the effectiveness of this approach in improving both teaching and learning in STEM subjects.

In order to fulfill the objectives of the review, key data were extracted from each of the 400 articles that were reviewed from three databases: Scopus, ProQuest Central and EBSCO. Two types of analysis were conducted, namely descriptive analysis and literature classification.

This systematic review analyzed 44 articles on the EDP, focusing on 18 detailed studies mainly from ProQuest, SCOPUS and EBSCO. It revealed a limited focus on gender’s impact on EDP and a trend toward interdisciplinary use and integrated research approaches. The study underscores the need for further exploration of demographic influences and preparation programs in EDP across various disciplines, aiming to inform future research and educational policies.

The study’s value lies in its comprehensive assessment of engineering design (ED) research over the past decade, serving as a key reference point. It highlights progress in the field, consolidates findings and provides insights into the field’s evolution, guiding future research directions in ED.

Francis L. Miksa, Professor from the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Texas, begins a one year tenure as Visiting Distinguished Scholar in the OCLC Office of Research, for 1986–87. Dr. Miksa has been teaching bibliographic control systems and technical processes at the University of Texas at Austin since 1984, and for twelve years prior, he was an assistant and later an associate professor at the School of Library and Information Science at Louisiana State University. The OCLC Visiting Distinguished Scholar program brings scientists, scholars and practitioners together to conduct research in library and computer science, applied mathematics and industrial psychology. While at OCLC, Dr Miksa will compare classification methods in selected subjects as they relate to library and information science.