_Current_Cites_ Volume 1, no. 2 September 1990 Library Technology Watch Program University of California, Berkeley Edited by David F.W. Robison ISSN: 1060-2356 Contributors: Mark Mentges, Teri Rinne, Vivienne Roumani, Lisa Rowlison, Roy Tennant Optical Disc Technology Andrews, Chris. "Understanding CD-ROM Software." CD-ROM Professional 3(4) (July 1990):59-62. Elshami, Ahmed M. CD-ROM Technology for Information Managers. Chicago: American Library Association, 1990. This recently published book "attempts to simplify and demystify optical disks...not only for librarians and archivists, but also for the general reader." Includes chapters on the technology, standards, production and applications. Herther, Nancy K. "MultiMedia Solutions From IBM: An Interview with IBM's Peter Blakeney." CD-ROM Professional 3(4) (July 1990):13-18. Peter Blakeney, Manager of Sales Support for IBM's Multimedia Solutions division discusses the future of multimedia capabilities, heralding multimedia as the "heartland of the personal systems business in the coming decade." To back up such a statement, he cites IBM's aggressiveness in the market, doubling or tripling its resources on multimedia in the last month and a half. McQueen, Howard. "Remote Dial-in Patron Access to CD-ROM LANS." CD-ROM Professional July 1990 3(4):20-23. This article discusses the thorny issue of remote communication access to CD-ROM LANS. The issues explored include licensing costs, 'remote control communications software, and dedicated hardware. Although dial-in access is possible, the article concludes that current market conditions present many obstacles. Expert Systems Graham, Taylor. Expert Systems in Libraries. London, England: Taylor Graham, 1986. A collection of five papers presented at a conference on expert systems held in Birmingham, England, in 1985. Although the papers are five years old they nevertheless provide a good basic background of the nature of expert systems as applied to the field of Library Science. Technical jargon is both kept to a minimum and well explained. 97 pages including an extensive bibliography. Networks and Networking Arms, Caroline R. "A New Information Infrastructure." ONLINE 14(5) (Sept. 1990):15-22. An excellent introduction to networks and networking for librarians. In addition, the article provides explicit instructions for accessing the Internet and BITNET, as well as some "lists" that are available. Association of Research Libraries. "Linking Researchers and Resources: The Emerging Information Infrastructure and the NREN Proposal" ARL Briefing Package No. 4 (July 1990). Delfino, Erik. "E-Mail Connections: It's Still a Jungle out There...But it's Getting Better." ONLINE 14(5) (Sept. 1990):31-35. For those of you who are ready to try e-mailing outside the library here is some documentation on what problems you may encounter and what to do. With your Library E-Mail account you can send mail to people on other systems, e.g. ALANET, BITNET,CompuServe, MCI Mail. Drummond, Louis. "Going Beyond Online." ONLINE 14(5) (Sept. 1990):6-8. Drummond discusses some of the challenges to our current concepts of information on the network: access to online catalogs and databases through the Internet; use of computer network conferencing as a way for persons with similar professional interests to communicate; electronic journals as a means of disseminating information through national networks. Marks, Kenneth and Steven Nielsen. "Libraries and Local Area Networking." Computers in Libraries 10(6) (June 1990):16-17. An introduction to the use of Local Area Networks (LANs) in the library setting. This is the first of a bimonthly column on the subject. Future issues will cover various aspects of LANing in the library. Metz, Roy.. "Integrating Local Systems and Services into a Campus Network Environment." Computers in Libraries 10(6) (June 1990):18-20. A discussion of the use of library catalogs on a local campus network and the Internet using Case Western Reserve as an example. Discussion of the implications of such use on library budgets, staff, and user expectations. Also included are some recommendations for future actions. [As you may know, GLADIS is available world-wide on the Internet]. "Using the National Networks: BITNET and the Internet." ONLINE 14(5) (Sept. 1990):24-35. A basic guide to the mechanics of using your PC to gain access to the Internet and BITNET, including basic UNIX commands. Information Transfer Cummings, Steve. "PCs Get Optical Character Recognition." Computer Currents (July 31-August 13, 1990):16-23. This article reviews and evaluates OCR (optical character recognition) technology, discusses what is available in the market, and the advantages and disadvantages of this technology. LePoer, Peter M. "Importing Downloaded Bibliographic Records Into dBase III+ and dBase IV: Tools and Methods." Database (February 1990):44-49. Pro-Cite Bibliography Software. Five electronic mail messages from Public-Access Computer Systems Forum describing various applications of Pro-Cite including its use with OCLC, as a document delivery tool, and for compiling a search only local database on popular search topics. Rubin, Charles. "Managing the DOS and Mac Mix." Personal Computing 14(2) (Feb 1990):88-96. Rubin outlines a variety of approaches and strategies for achieving connectivity within a mixed PC and Macintosh environment whether the data transfer is taking place directly between two computers, among several machines on a local area network, or among computers at various sites. Sutton, Brett. "Extending the online Public Access Catalog into the Microcomputer Environment." Information Technology and Libraries (March 1990):43-52. This article describes the basic structure of PCBIS, a database program for MS-DOS microcomputers that features a utility for automatically converting OPAC search results into structured database files. General "BYTE 15th Anniversary Summit: 63 of the World's Most Influential People in Personal Computing Predict the Future, Analyze the Present." BYTE 15(9) (September 1990):218-367. The title says it all. While you have the mag, check out BYTE's picture-filled summary of the last 15 years of personal computing beginning on p. 369. News Bits "Caere Hand Scanner for PCs." Computer Currents (August 14-August 27, 1990):11. "800-dpi, 64 Gray-Level Hand Scanner." Computer Currents (August 28-September 10, 1990):50. "Integrated Image Editing and Gray-Scale Processing for Windows." Computer Currents (July 31-August 13, 1990):41. Lewis, Peter H. "A scanner in hand, worth several typists at desks." New York Times 139 sec.3 (August 12, 1990):col.1 p.F7(N). "Low-cost Full-page Flatbed Scanners." Computer Currents (July 31- August 13, 1990):40. "Newsbytes now daily, available by fax." Computer Currents (August 14-August 27, 1990). "OSI pilot/demonstration project between library networks in Europe for interlending services." Interlending and Document Supply 18(1) (1990):34. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Current Cites 1(2) (September 1990) ISSN: 1060-2356 Copyright (C) 1992 by the Library, University of California, Berkeley. All rights reserved. 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 -------------------------------------------------------------------