Search results

The possibility of having access to all the world's literature from a single computer terminal stimulated the imagination of the research workers in the late' sixties. It was this goal and the fascination of the co‐operation between man and machine, that inspired the major changes that have taken place in Information Retrieval over the past ten years.

The coverage of the literature on on‐line retrieval systems by eight major machine‐readable data bases was determined. A search profile executed on these data bases produced 397 unique references. Ranking the data bases by journal coverage, relevance percentage, and the number of relevant items retrieved only from that data base showed that at least six data bases needed to be searched to obtain a comprehensive bibliography. These six data bases, in order of productivity, are INSPEC, CA Condensates, Social Sciences Citation Index, ERIC, MEDLINE, and BIOSIS. The need for an on‐line data base in library and information science is discussed.

On‐line update combines a bibliography of recent on‐line articles with a search example from a data base producer or an on‐line system vendor.

Minicomputers provide an alternative means to access on‐line bibliographic retrieval systems. As the use of on‐line retrieval continues to grow and to spread into the nontechnical community, users and potential users will find it imperative to establish new methods to maximize the benefits of available on‐line systems. The paper explores the effects minicomputers can have on the on‐line retrieval environment. The experience at Editec indicates that minicomputers used in on‐line retrieval offer substantial benefits not possible using computer terminals, the major benefit being the increased acceptance of the on‐line search product by the end user community. Variable costs are held down to acceptable limits, the major consideration for those interested in their use being their high capital cost. The primary difference in using minicomputers rather than computer terminals is the ability to work at higher speeds. This enables many changes to be made which can affect the on‐line retrieval product. The decision to use minicomputers for on‐line retrieval entails lengthy analysis of current and projected use of on‐line retrieval within an organization, the availability of qualified staff, the costs of equipment and software development. It is hoped that some of the considerations in the paper may be helpful in analyzing these questions.

This paper discusses some particularly desirable features of the user‐computer dialogue involved in query formulation in an on‐line information retrieval system. The methods used in the Culham RIOT II system, designed to give on‐line access to a data base of 25, 000–50, 000 references, are described. To facilitate query formulation a matrix technique is employed and the most recent titles may be displayed while the query statement is under construction and before a full search is requested.

On‐line update combines a bibliography of recent on‐line articles with a search example from a data base producer showing techniques especially useful in searching its data base. In this issue, we have asked INSPEC to provide a bibliography of literature concerning on‐line retrieval. Only articles which have been added to their file since June 1976 are included. Here is their report.

The most obvious symptom of the most obvious trend in the building of new libraries is the fact that, as yet, no spade has entered the ground of the site on Euston Road, London, upon which the new building for the British Library Reference Division has to be erected. Some twenty years of continued negotiation and discussion finally resulted in the choice of this site. The UK and much more of the world awaits with anticipation what could and should be the major building library of the twentieth century. The planning and design of a library building, however large or small, is, relatively speaking, a major operation, and deserves time, care and patience if the best results are to be produced.

The building of an on‐line numerical data bank with some built‐in intelligence is described. The data, which consisted mainly of inter‐atomic potential energy functions, was extracted from the literature, critically evaluated and stored on disc. Software was written for data input and for appending, editing, displaying retrieving and manipulating the data. The system allows the user scientist, by answering multiple choice questions, not only to retrieve the data in the same form as it was found in the literature with reference material, but also to change it or to operate on it, to present it in the units and form he wants, for example as a graph, or to interpolate in a table or to perform other functions. It is concluded that this ability to use the intelligence of the computer for manipulation of numerical data will make such data systems much more effective than on‐line reference systems.

Developing a library while developing oneself is both an enviable and an alarming experience. This case study is valuable for two reasons: first because it is a uniquely realistic blow‐by‐blow description of the upgrading of a poorly organised, under‐resourced, industrial library. As such, it contains useful practical guidance for the many librarians who have similar problems to contend with. Second, and perhaps even more important, because so rare, is the critical and evaluative attitude taken throughout the report. The author identifies his own mistakes, as well as his successes. The report covers the adoption of new information retrieval systems; the devising of a new issue system for a split‐site library; developing periodicals circulation; evaluation of collection use and relevance; proposing the introduction of on‐line services — against a background of financial stringency and entrenched bureaucracy. The author also evaluates his own performance and the training he received, in his first year of running a one‐person library.

The purpose of this paper is to introduce a new method of information retrieval by man‐machine interaction. The dialogue supported has more symmetry than most interactive computer systems in that the machine forms an image (rather as a man does) of the view of the human enquirer, without requiring him to ask a precise question, and responds with references according to its image. Initial tests with a prototype program indicate that a performance equal to that obtainable from a more conventional on‐line retrieval system is possible without obliging the user to formulate his query.