_Current_Cites_ Volume 4, no. 3 March 1993 Information Systems Instruction & Support The Library University of California, Berkeley Edited by David F.W. Robison ISSN: 1060-2356 Contributors: Teri Rinne, Vivienne Roumani, Lisa Rowlison, Mark Takaro, Roy Tennant --------------------------------------------------------------------- From the Editor: Beginning with this issue, Current Cites is Information Systems Instruction & Support of the UC Berkeley Library. While made up largely of the same staff as the Library Technology Watch Program, this change reflects a new commitment on the part of the Library to encourage, develop, and support the growing number of electronic information systems and resources on our desktops. - DR Electronic Publishing Brandt, D. Scott. "Accessing Electronic Journals" Academic and Library Computing 9(10) (November/December 1992):17-20. Brandt describes the way four client/server systems (WAIS, Gopher, WWW, and TechInfo) are being used to provide access to electronic journals. While these systems are currently being used successfully, each provides certain advantages as well as disadvantages, and none is perfect. - DR Cover, Robin. "SGML Software (exists)" posted on VPIEJ-L@ VTVM1 (February 19, 1993). Cover argues that SGML readers/ browsers are currently available. They vary widely both in price and utility. Cover recommends the Electronic Book Technologies' DynaText which is available for most major platforms. While most of us do not have browsers around right now, SGML browser software is already a 250 million dollar industry, and expected to grow rapidly in the next few years. Cover also discusses how the use of SGML might affect the way text is created on a formal, conceptual level. - DR Franks, John. What is an Electronic Journal? Posted in four parts on PACS-L@UHUPVM1 (January 21 1993), January 1993. Franks offers an analysis of various schemes for distributing electronic journals: the vanity press model, the data base model, the software model, the subnet model, and the subsidized model. Focusing specifically on scholarly journals distributed over the Internet for which authors and editors are not paid, Franks examines the advantages and disadvantages of each model. One of the main points made in this paper is that for electronic journals to be successful, they must leverage the advantages of the electronic format. Franks finds that too often, the distribution models conflict with these very advantages. - DR Hawkins, Donald T., et al. "Forces Shaping the Electronic Publishing Industry of the 1990s" Electronic Networking: Research, Applications, and Policy 2(4)(Winter 1992):38-60. Hawkins and his colleagues at AT&T Bell Laboratories believe that electronic publishing will "be a significant part of consumers' lives by the end of the decade." In this article they describe the range of products that fall under the rubric of electronic publishing (as distinguished from electronic-aided publishing), the state of the traditional publishing industry today, and how electronic publishing can mitigate some of the problems traditional publishers are facing in today's market. The authors focus on seven forces that effect publishing and electronic publishing, specifically, both currently and will in the future: technology, economics, demographics, social trends, government policies, applications growth, and industry trends. They end the article with a list of recommendations for successful electronic publication. - DR Hockey, Susan. "Developing Access to Electronic Texts in the Humanities" Computers in Libraries 13(2) (February 1993):41-43. Hockey describes the continuing evolution of the Center for Electronic Texts in the Humanities (CETH). Among the Center's initiatives are the development of a text encoding standard, the Text Encoding Initiative (TEI) employing Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML), and an Internet-accessible textbase (Brown University's Women Writer's Project). - DR Kriz, Harry M. and Dave Beagle. "Electronic Journal System" posted on PACS-L@UHUPVM1 (March 3, 1993). Kriz and Beagle report on a local system developed to automatically receive and archive and electronic journal (CHIP News) and then make the text publicly-accessible with full search capabilities. The system is fully automated and reports its progress daily to the bibliographer in charge. If a problem is encountered, the bibliographer is notified and appropriate action is suggested. While this system was designed specifically for CHIP News, it is clearly an interesting model for the processing of other electronic journals. - DR LOC Workshop on Electronic Texts: Proceedings / edited by James Daley. Project Gutenberg, February 1993 [available via anonymous ftp from mrcnext.cso.uiuc.edu as locet10.txt in directory etext/etext93]. Daley has compiled an impressive document (well over 100 pages) covering the proceedings of this June 1992 conference at the Library of Congress. Speakers from all areas of electronic publishing came together and discussed their work, their hopes, their plans, and what they thought the Library of Congress could do to foster the electronic library. Included here are discussions of imaging, searching coded texts, computer networks, CD-ROM production and dissemination, preservation of materials through conversion to electronic format, and the study of the use of electronic materials by scholars. A key element of the conference, and the proceedings, were the discussions among the participants. For instance, the CD-ROM advocates and the network advocates could help each other understand the benefits of each technology, and together see where each has its place. Clearly this was a breakthrough conference, even if resolutions were not made. - DR Love, James. "Update On Windo/Gateway Legislation" Taxpayer Assets Project, Information Policy Note, February 28, 1993 [posted on CPSR@GWUVM on March 3, 1993]. Love reports on the replacement bill for last year's GPO/WINDO legislation, now called GPO Access (though the name may change). The bill is intended to give the public improved access to government information in electronic form. According to Love, the new bill is not as strong as previous versions and Love decries the support given by the American Library Association and the very fact congress is proceeding with a watered down effort. - DR Rawlins, Gregory J.E. "The New Publishing: Technology's Impact on the Publishing Industry Over the Next Decade" Public-Access Computer Systems Review 3(8) (1992):5-63 [available by sending the following e-mail messages to LISTSERV@UHUPVM1: GET RAWLINS1 PRV3N8 F=MAIL and GET RAWLINS2 PRV3N8 F=MAIL]. While concentrating on book publishing, Rawlins examines a wide range of issues related to electronic publishing in the coming decade, predicting a full-scale revolution. Rawlins explores issues of copy protection and copyright, the information economy, electronic publishing formats, book selling, libraries, and the advantages of electronic publication. Some of his discussion is a bit quixotic and the issue of appealing displays is almost ignored. On the other hand, this article provides an interesting view of some of the possibilities and struggles that lay ahead. - DR Taubes, Gary. "Publications by Electronic Mail Takes Physics by Storm" Science 259 (February 26, 1993):1246-1248. Taubes describes how the use of an e-mail bulletin board to distribute high-energy physics preprints has fundamentally altered how many physicists do their work. By now there are more than 8000 users of this bulletin board system in a number of subdisciplines of physics. Publishers of scientific journals are taking note, and some are getting into the electronic act themselves. While physics was ripe for this type of transformation (established use of non-peer reviewed preprints and the pressure of timelines), there are valuable lessons here for other disciplines. - DR Van Goethem, Jeri and Richard Jasper. "Okerson Talk Spotlights 'Proprietary Obstacles' Facing Electronic Publishing" ALCTS Network News 5(15) (March 11, 1993). Van Goethem and Jasper report on a talk given by Ann Okerson, director of the Association for Research Libraries' Office of Scientific and Academic Publishing, at ALAs 1993 mid-winter conference on information ownership and management in the era of electronic publication. Okerson contends that authors, libraries, and publishers must reexamine the issues of copyright and ownership with an eye to updating these relationships and reestablish the balance between interests of the parties involved. - DR Information Transfer Bjorner, Susanne. "Expand Your Serial Holdings List for Less Than $5" ONLINE 17(2) (March 1993):96-98. Bjorner explains how she created her own online serials holding file by searching the electronic FullText Sources Online and retrieving 713 full-text titles in Data-Star and Dialog databases. - VR Bluh, Pamela. "Document Delivery 200: Will It Change the Nature of Librarianship?" Wilson Library Bulletin 67(6) (February 1993):49- 51, 112. This article addresses users' expectations of future document delivery services and the challenge facing interlibrary loan librarians. - VR DeLoughry, Thomas J. "Professors Report Progress in Gaining Recognition for Their Use of Technology" Chronicle of Higher Education (March 3, 1993):A19-A21. Colleges and Universities are beginning to offer credit toward promotion and tenure to faculty who develop instructional software or who integrate technology into their teaching. - VR Everett, David. "Full-Text Online Database and Document Delivery in an Academic Library: Too Little Too Late?" ONLINE 17(2) (March 1993):22-25. Everett points out that an increase in full-text databases is imperative if they are to succeed in meeting the demands of academic libraries. - VR George, Lee Anne. "Fee-Based Information Services and Document Delivery" Wilson Library Bulletin 67(6) (February 1992):41-44, 112. Speed and customization are the two most desirable qualities offered by fee-based document delivery. George suggests when and how to use this service, and describes its future in the network environment. - VR Hawkins, Donald T. "Have You Seen Your First PDA Yet?" ONLINE 17(2) (March 1993):81-83. As the title suggests, personal data assistants PDAs are new, small devices "combining the capabilities of a telephone and a PC. The major feature of PDAs and the most attractive to users is their portability and ability to communicate using cellular technology." - VR Jackson, Mary E. "Document Delivery Over the Internet" ONLINE 17(2) (March 1993):14-21. Jackson describes three electronic document delivery systems, Ariel, the RLG document transmission workstation; EDDS (Electronic Document Delivery Service) which is the second phase of the DDTP project (Digitized Document Delivery Transmission Project) involving North Carolina State University Library and Computing Center, and NAL (National Agricultural Library); and the Ohio University Network Fax Project. - VR Monaghan, Peter. "Multimedia Teaching Techniques Gain Momentum at Washington State U." Chronicle of Higher Education (February 24, 1993):A19-A20. Washington State University professors are finding students very receptive to multimedia technology as a teaching method. - VR Rush, James E. "In the Name of Access: The Economics of Information Dissemination" ASIS Bulletin (December/January 1993): 13-15. Rush insists that charging for information both from the part of producers and libraries is beneficial to the information industry, the general public, and for the protection of intellectual property. - VR Networks and Networking Berman, Jerry and Daniel J. Weitzner. "Keys to Privacy in the Digital Information Age" Electronic Networking: Research, Applications, and Policy 2(4) (Winter 1992):2-5. In this opinion piece, Berman and Weitzner describe efforts by the (US) National Security Agency (NSA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to block the use and sale of technologies that provide high quality data protection. As the Director and Senior Staff Counsel of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, respectively, they also describe the efforts of the EFF in blocking the NSA and FBI initiatives. They argue that "In the information age, concerns for protecting individual privacy should take precedence over outmoded national security concerns left over form the Cold War." - DR Foster, Steve and Fred Barrie. veronica FAQ. Posted in two parts on PACS-L@UHUPVM1 (January 25, 1993) [available via gopher at veronica.scs.unr.edu, in the veronica directory]. Foster and Barrie have published this very helpful set of answers to frequently asked questions about veronica, the interactive gopher index (or meta-burrow) that aides users in resource discovery. As developers of the software, Foster and Barrie provide insight into how veronica works, why it acts the way it does, and why some things don't work the way we want them to. If you don't already know, veronica is an acronym for "very easy rodent- oriented net-wide index to computerized archives." - DR Heterick, Robert C. Hearing on Higher Performance Computing and Networking. United States House of Representatives. Committee on Science, Space and Technology Subcommittee on Science, February 2, 1993 [available by sending the following e-mail message to LISTSERV@BITNIC "GET TESTIMON HETERICK CCNEWS]. Heterick, the President of EDUCOM, testified before congress that more of the funding for the NREN should be spent on getting more schools and libraries connected to the network, that EDUCOM supports many of the recommendations of the Computer Systems Policy Project [see Current Cites 4(2) (February 1993)], and that there is general concern over "the lack of progress in developing a plan for the evolution of NSFNET" and the lack of public review of current plans. - DR Jordan, John and Lee Brintle. "Coalition for Communication: Developing a Public Communication System" Computers in Libraries 13(2) (February 1993):29-32. Jordan and Brintle describe their new initiative to create a coalition-based, public-access, non-profit network communications system. Loosely modeled on the Public Broadcast system, they hope to offer the Public Communication System (PCS), employing specialized servers and a very friendly client (Panda) over the Internet/NREN. Fees would be paid by institutions and users on a cost-recovery basis. The system would also allow the public users to create conferences and publicly shared databases on the PCS servers. Included in this article are a call for participation, and an interesting description of the Panda client. - DR McClure, Charles R., William E. Moen, and Joe Ryan. "Design for an Internet-Based Government-Wide Information Locator System" Electronic Networking: Research, Applications, and Policy 2(4) (Winter 1992):6-37. In a follow-up to a 1990 study, McClure, Moen, and Ryan describe their new study of Federal (information) locator databases (FLDs) that already exist in order to offer insight into the planning process for creating an interagency government-wide locator system. They propose a distributed, virtual government-wide information inventory/locator system (GIILS) based at least in part on the wide-area information system (WAIS). The authors specifically propose that government agencies contribute data to the system in a Z39.50 compliant format to ensure a coherent distributed database. - DR Ramirez, Anthony. "Data Can Move 45,00 Times Faster, for a Price" New York Times 142 (March 10, 1993):C4 (Western edition). Ramirez describes the advanced capabilities of asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) which allows the high-speed transfer of any data of any type over typical telephone lines. ATM accomplishes this feat by establishing a standard packet size, but varying the number of packets sent per second according to the amount of traffic on the line. Seen as a competitor to ISDN, Ramirez quotes some high-powered executives who believe that ATM will become the standard for networking in the future. - DR Technology for America's Economic Growth: A New Direction to Build Economic Strength. Distributed on clinton-news-distribution@campaign92.org [available from listserv@cni.org by sending the following e-mail message: GET CNI-BIGIDEAS WHOUSE.PAPER]. This document outlines the Clinton administrations plans for government inspired technological investment and growth. Among the recommendations are: access to the Internet/NREN by K-12 schools; creation of a Task Force on Information Infrastructure to work with government agencies and the private sector to improve telecommunications; the creation of an Information Infrastructure Technology Program to assist industry in the development of relevant hardware and software; provide funding for networking projects in states, school districts, libraries, and other non-profit organizations; and to promote the dissemination of government information at a reasonable cost. Perhaps most exciting, however, is the fact that so many parts of the document refer to the use of the Internet/NREN and other applications of information technology, indicating a clear understanding of the crucial role they will play in the coming years. - DR Optical Disc Technologies Bash, Alexandra. "Keeping the CD Station Rolling: Tips to Enhance and Extend the Life of Your CD-ROM Workstation" CD-ROM Professional 6(1) (January 1993):36-41. This article outlines basic procedures to prolong the life of CD-ROM workstations. Tips range from simple mechanical precautions to others which require the purchase of software to help keep workstations in optimum condition. - TR Bell, Steven J. "Providing Remote Access to CD-ROMs: Some Practical Advice" CD-ROM Professional 6(1) (January 1993):43-46. Bell starts by outlining the multiple solutions to the remote access dilemma, and then concentrates on remote communications software (RCS) as the recommended solution. The article describes the steps necessary to implement RCS and concludes that achieving a well-run remote access operation demands significant thought, planning, and effort. - TR Bowers, Richard A. "OPA Puts CD-ROM on the Nets" CD-ROM World 8(1) (January 1993):36-37. The Optical Publishing Association (OPA) is loading a number of their files onto CompuServe's CD-ROM Forum in an effort to bring the publication and technology components of the CD-ROM industry closer to the consumer. This article describes the types of files made available and provides information about how to get them. - TR Breeding, Marshall. "The Healthy LAN: Tips and Advice on the Care and Maintenance of CD-ROM Networks" CD-ROM Professional 6(1) (January 1993):75-84. This article focuses on the issues involved in the support and maintenance of a LAN in a library environment and includes tips on how to effectively manage CD-ROM products on a network. According to the author, the overall intent of the article lies in providing ways that a network administrator can use preventative maintenance to catch problems, whenever possible, before they happen. Breeding also suggests ways to effect software changes and updates easily with the least possible interruption of access to the network by library users. The hardware maintenance section includes tips on cabling, CD-ROM equipment and workstation equipment; the software maintenance section includes advice on mounting search software and mitigating virus threats. - TR Brueggeman, Peter. "19 Tips for Enhancing CD-ROM Performance" CD-ROM Professional 6(1) (January 1993):17-22. As the title suggests, the author offers 19 useful tips for enhancing CD-ROM performance. These tips fall within three general categories: hard disks, microcomputers, and CD-ROM drives. Also included is a list of best software for disk caching and optimizing. - TR Desmarais, Norman. "A New Way to Share Special Moments: The Kodak Photo CD System" CD-ROM World 8(1) (January 1993):50-59. This article on the Kodak Photo CD describes not only the original product, but also includes descriptions of new formats being introduced by Kodak. One of the more interesting new discs is the Kodak Photo CD Portfolio Disc which allows users to create special discs that merge images with text, graphics and sound. Desmarais also discusses the commercial applications of the Photo CD. - TR Jackson, Kathy. "Separating the Wheat from the Chaff: Finding Out What You Really Need to Know About CD-ROM and Related Technology" CD-ROM Professional 6(1) (January 1993):142-144. In her last column for CD-ROM Professional, Jackson shares her secrets on how to keep up with the flood of information dealing with technology. Among her tips is to subscribe to Current Cites! Kinder, Jackie and Laurie Preston. "CD-ROM Management: Planning for Success" CD-ROM Professional 6(1) (January 1993):24-25. This article examines the major managerial issues that must be considered in order to expedite successful decision-making in regard to CD-ROM. The authors advocate solid initial planning and the appointment of a CD-ROM administrator with both technical expertise and knowledge of information resources and how they affect users. A checklist of questions is included to help identify the appropriate configuration for CD-ROM management in any type of organization. - TR Nicholls, Paul and Patricia Sutherland. "The State of the Union: CD-ROM Titles in Print 1992" CD-ROM Professional 6(1) (January 1993):60-64. CD-ROM continues on its phenomenal growth curve in 1992, according to the results of an annual survey based upon an analysis of the two main printed directories to commercially-available CD-ROM titles: CD-ROM Directory and CD-ROMs in Print. Among the interesting findings is that there was a 65% increase in CD-ROM titles over last year. If the present trend continues, 5,000 titles will be available early in 1993. Although this will still not quite match the number of online databases available, CD-ROM could surpass these toward the end of 1993. Predicted trends include robust growth in available titles, more full text and reference titles, more horizontal and humanities titles, wider access to CD-ROM by the Macintosh, growing availability of multimedia titles and steadily declining disc prices. - TR Rugg, Tom. "A Local Area Network Glossary" CD-ROM Professional 6(1) (January 1993):80-84. An excellent glossary of technical jargon associated with LANs, adapted from the glossary in Rugg's book, LANtastic Made Easy. - TR Schwartz, Candy. "Evaluating CD-ROM Products: Yet Another Check- List" CD-ROM Professional 6(1) (January 1993):87-91. This article is a very useful and exhaustive checklist of criteria for evaluating CD-ROM products. Categories of criteria covered: hardware/software requirements, company/administrative, documentation, installation/set-up, overall ease of use, searching, search results, search management, and content evaluation. - TR Starr, Karen. "The Building Blocks of a CD-ROM Local Area Network" CD-ROM Professional 6(1) (January 1993):65-68. This article concentrates on selecting, implementing and evaluating CD-ROM local area networks. The information included is intended to serve as a checklist of items that need to be considered when selecting a LAN. Also included is a listing of networking products currently available on the market. - TR Tomaiuolo, Nicholas. "An Overview of General Health Sciences Compact Discs for Libraries" CD-ROM World 8(1) (January 1993): 38-49. This article provides a general overview of CD-ROM products available in the health sciences in terms of coverage, features, usage, and price. - TR General Negroponte, Nicholas. "HDTV: What's Wrong with this Picture?" Wired 1(1) (1993):112. Negroponte argues that the rush for high-definition television is a misguided effort. Pointing out that computer makers are busy adding video and other multimedia capabilities, Negroponte encourages television makers and developers to consider issues of programming in the digital age (that is, making the TV smart enough to get the programs the user wants), rather than presentation. As he puts it, "the future of video is no different from the that of audio or data; it will be nothing but a bit stream." - DR ------------------------------------------------------------------- Current Cites 4(3) (March 1993) ISSN: 1060-2356 Copyright (C) 1993 by the Library, University of California, Berkeley. All rights reserved. All product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. Mention of a product in this publication does not necessarily imply endorsement of the product. Copying is permitted for noncommercial use by computerized bulletin board/conference systems, individual scholars, and libraries. Libraries are authorized to add the journal to their collections at no cost. This message must appear on copied material. All commercial use requires permission from the editor, who may be reached in the following ways: drobison@library.berkeley.edu // drobison@ucblibra // (510)642-7600 -------------------------------------------------------------------