_Current_Cites_ Volume 3, no. 11 November 1992 Library Technology Watch Program University of California, Berkeley Edited by David F.W. Robison ISSN: 1060-2356 Contributors: Teri Rinne, Vivienne Roumani, Lisa Rowlison, Mark Takaro, Roy Tennant --------------------------------------------------------------------- Electronic Publishing Brandt, D. Scott. "'Neither Fish Nor Fowl' - The Persisting Elusiveness of Electronic Information" Academic and Library Computing 9(9) (October 1992):16-19. Brandt addresses the related problems of creating policies on collecting of and access to electronic resources in libraries. He notes that collection of e-documents that are purchased or licensed are typically treated as traditional purchases. The more complex issue arises with "free" or publicly accessible objects. There are the traditional questions of appropriateness to the institution, but also ones of hidden cost in providing access to these resources. Brandt suggests that libraries treat these "free" documents as gifts, or ILL transactions where the library does recognize costs, but somewhat lower costs than those associated with traditional purchases. - DR McMillan, Gail. "Technical Processing of Electronic Journals" Library Resources & Technical Services 36(4) (October 1992): 470-477. Acknowledging the fact that "the libraries' online catalog is the best single place for scholars and students... to find out what their options for information resources are," McMillan describes the procedures the Library at Virginia Polytechnic Institute uses for the technical processing of e-journals. The decision to provide full technical processing for e-journals guarantees traditional online access to works published via this new medium. Although the format of publication may be new and high-tech, with a few modifications the processing of e-journals easily fits into the adaptable procedures originally designed for the more common serial formats. - LR Hyper- and Multimedia Aslib Information 20(10) (October 1992) An issue from the Association for Information Management (UK) largely devoted to developments in multimedia computing: o Callaghan, Jane. "British Interactive Multimedia Association" pp. 385-386. The author describes the composition and activities of BIMA. o Martin, Gillian. "The Impact of Multimedia Systems on Libraries" pp. 372-374. This article addresses the question of whether multimedia systems will replace books by looking at both the future impacts of multimedia in libraries and on the future of the book as we know it. As we move towards the "virtual libraries" of the future, conventional lending libraries will need to reassess the needs of their clientele. As for books, their role in libraries will change to reflect a growing reliance on other technologies for learning and reference. o Richie, Ian. "Of Course Multimedia is Hot -- So Be Careful or You'll Burn Yourself" pp. 375-376. A thought- provoking and cautionary piece that weighs the merits of packaged multimedia systems and user-created platforms. The author illustrates the near-desperation of manufacturers seeking to create a major market where as yet only a minor one exists and warns against becoming too infatuated with the technology. o Rickard, Stephen. "McGraw-Hill: A Strategic Approach to Multimedia Publishing" pp. 378-380. An examination of pedagogical and technological considerations to be made in the publishing of multimedia products. The emerging notion is that multimedia may become more widely used by the public as the barrier of system costs begins to lessen in tandem with the drop in high-end computer prices. o Wynne, Richard. "Multimedia Authoring: Not for the Faint- Hearted" pp. 382-384. As system costs continue to decrease, the potential for authoring of multimedia products in smaller environments increases. The author describes the work of MedMedia in creating story boards and scripts which have resulted in two acclaimed packages released in 1992: 'The Nature of Genes' and 'The Etiology of Cancer'. The collaboration of authors with a production team may be indicative of a path to successful multimedia publishing. - MT Beer, Jeffrey. "3-Dimensional Desktop Animation: Fake Reality is Coming to a PC Near You" CD-ROM Professional 5(6) (November 1992): 33-38. Autodesk's 3-D Studio (Release 2) is a three- dimensional modeling and animation product for off-the-shelf desktop platforms. Its capabilities have already begun to change the shape of business for doctors, lawyers, designers, and the film industry as the modeling capabilities more closely and convincingly reflect reality. Even the movement of virtual cameras and lighting arrays is made easy by the program which promises to raise the level of multimedia production in the DOS world. - MT Culshaw, John. "American Memory: Taking the Library of Congress to the Masses" CD-ROM Librarian 7(9) (October 1992):14-21. The prototype project American Memory is presently being tested in a variety of sites across the country. This package combines photographs, motion pictures, sound recordings, and printed items from the Library of Congress into a multimedia system that allows users to sample LC's vast collections from a Macintosh workstation. Interestingly, the replacement of information surrogates like catalog records with the information itself in this type of product brings up the question of how clients will make use of their retrievals. The experience of the staff at the University of Colorado at Boulder would seem to indicate that users will continue to rely on intermediaries for reconciliation of their needs with what the system provides. - MT Ito, Russell. "The Multimedia Mac: The Macintosh IIvx" MacUser 8(12) (December 1992):126-131. This revision of the popular Mac IIci holds great promise for multimedia in its upgrade of hardware and incorporation of a 5.25 inch drive bay for CD-ROM or other magneto-optical drive. The $3,000+ list price almost begins to look reasonable when one factors in the software and the 10 CD-ROM titles that will be bundled with the CD-ROM IIvx. - MT Miller, Carmen. "Dr. Thomas A. Furness III, Virtual Reality Pioneer" ONLINE 16(6) (November 1992):14-27. Virtual Reality (VR) is explained thoroughly in this interview with Dr. Furness III, Director of the Human Interface Technology Laboratory. VR enables the user to interact with data "in a way that provides the ability to "enter" and navigate through a computer-generated 3-D "world" or environment...and interact with objects within that environment." - VR --. "Virtual Reality and Online Databases: Will 'Look and Feel' literally mean 'Look' and 'Feel?'" ONLINE 16(6) (November 1992): 12-13. Miller is convinced that we have to engage and interact in a three-dimensional world of computers in order to change the way we think and learn, thus better assimilating the vast information available to us. - VR Rosebush, Judson. "Adventures in QuickTime" CD-ROM Professional 5(6) (November 1992):17-23. A thorough description of the product that brings video to the desktop. The notion of time in the product extends well beyond the name, as users can coordinate aspects of the presentation accurately with the assistance of the QuickTime clock. As an extension of the operating system, QuickTime begins to integrate compression, cut and paste features for each media element and cross-platform control of media presentations in a solid framework. - MT Information Transfer DeLoughry, Thomas J. "Project Aims to Save Visual Images by Storing Them on Compact Disks" The Chronicle of Higher Education (October 28, 1992):A22. The Eastman Kodak Company, Cornell University, and the University of Southern California are involved in a project to store visual images on compact disks. This method of storage will have interesting implications for the preservation and access of the visual collections of the libraries involved. - VR Holden, Lynn. "The Interdisciplinary Teaching Network (ITeN): Ancient Egypt Prototype Application" ASIS Bulletin 19(1) (October 1992):10-11. The Interdisciplinary Teaching Network (ITeN) project is "organized in a HyperCard-like computer environment to permit linking program segments in many different ways." The project is intended to bring to the world of instruction and research a computerized multidisciplinary learning environment. - VR Santosuosso, Joe. "Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) for Libraries and Publishers" ASIS Bulletin 19(1) (October 1992):15- 17. EDI promises to improve the exchange of messages, data, and invoices among businesses. The Faxon company experience with EDI indicates that this electronic format would offer improvement to some library operational functions, especially in the serials orders/acquisition area. - VR Wilson, David L. "Teaching With Technology" The Chronicle of Higher Education (28 October 1992):A27. Wilson reports on three cases of computerized instruction: The University of Redlands, German instruction; Catonsville Community College, geology and astronomy instruction; and Santa Barbara City College, music appreciation instruction. - VR Networks and Networking Barron, Billy. "How to Find Out Someone's E-Mail Address Without Using the Telephone" CCNEWS Articles Abstracts 5(26 (November 6, 1992) [available by sending the following message to LISTSERV@BITNIC: GET ADDRESS BARRON_B]. Barron has compiled this two page list of resources (electronic and otherwise) for locating the e-mail addresses of people without calling them. While you may get stumped on a particular address, this list gives you a head start. - DR Bortman, Henry. "Ubiquitous Computing" MacUser 8(12) (December 1992):243-244, 248-249. Bortman brings us up-to-date on some of the developments in wireless connections for computers. While some of the connections are still in development (e.g., instant infrared LANs), others, like a PowerBook-cellular phone interface, are shipping. - DR Clinton, Bill. "A Technology Policy for America: Six Broad Initiatives" EFFector Online 3(8) (November 4, 1992). As part of a broad based proposal to enhance the USs R&D position, now president-elect Clinton explains that "Federal funding for the National Research and Education Network is one example of how the federal government can serve as a catalyst for private sector infrastructure investment. We will also provide additional funding to network our schools, hospitals and libraries." There is a clear theme in this proposal that a strong R&D initiative will benefit all Americans in the long run. - DR Dern, Daniel P. "Interview with Dan Lynch, President and Founder, INTEROP" Internet World 3(8) (October 1992):14-16. INTEROP has become *the* Internet conference, with over 55,000 attendees at the Fall '92 conference. In this interview, Lynch talks about how it all got started and where he sees the net going. While decrying arguments over commercialization and protocols, Lynch describes the Internet as the "glue for building a huge worldwide society of people who cooperate with each other." - DR desJardins, Richard. "Internet 2000: A Protocol Framework to Achieve a Single Worldwide TCP/IP/OSI/CLNP Internet by the Year 2000" ConneXions: The Interoperability Report 6(10) (October 1992):24-31. desJardins seeks to broker a peace between the OSI/ CLNP (international) and TCP/IP (US) communities by appealing to the moderates of each camp. He proposes a compromise protocol framework dubbed "Internet 2000" that combines parts of both protocol suites as well as offer a solution to the problem of the depletion of address space. - DR Hinnebusch, Mark. "A Primer on Z39.50 - Part 8" Academic and Library Computing 9(9) (October 1992):24-28. In the last of his Z39.50 primer series, Hinnebusch describes an actual search and retrieval using the Z39.50 protocol. In this example Hinnebusch goes into technical detail of the process and includes pseudo-code for the programming types. The protocol is supposed to make all of this invisible, but it doesn't hurt to have at least and idea of what's going on behind the screen. - DR Internet: Getting Started. Managing Editor, April Marine. Menlo Park: SRI International, 1992. Already in its second printing (with revisions), this reference source on the Internet covers a broad range of topics not normally covered in single sources. Brought together are chapters on the organizational workings of the net, how one joins (including sections on obtaining an IP address, installing a router, etc.), costs, lists of service providers, non-US networks and service providers. The second part covers some of the background, including the list of RFCs and description of the RFC process, Internet applications, organizations, and a classified list of resources for further information. There's lots more than can be covered here, but suffice it to say, the serious networker should have this book around. - DR Kunze, John A. "Nonbibliographic Applications of Z39.50" The Public Access Computer Systems Review 3(5) (1992):4-30 [available by sending the following message to LISTSERV@UHUPVM1: GET KUNZE PRV3N5 F=MAIL]. Kunze uses the example of the UC Berkeley InfoCal server (a not-quite-CWIS) to demonstrate some of the developments in non-bibliographic record syntax and attributes. Since Kunze is a member of the Z39.50 Implementors Group, the article presents us with an opportunity to understand some of the process of the ongoing development of the standard, even if we don't understand all of the technical details - DR LaQuey, Tracy, with Jeanne C. Ryer. The Internet Companion: A Beginner's Guide to Global Networking. Forward by Senator Al Gore. Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley, c1993. LaQuey and Ryer have put together an excellent guide to networking for the beginner. The authors provide the uninitiated or newly initiated with both motivating decriptions of the power of the network as well as the tools for getting connected and guides for sucessful activity on the net. Rather than trying to list all of the neat resources that are available, the authors have described the key sources for further information. The coverage of issues is quite broad, and I learned some new things about the types of connections available. For only US$10.95, this is a great buy. - DR Nelson, Nancy Melin. "ISDN Test Call: Advent of National ISDN" Academic and Library Computing 9(9) (October 1992):12. Nelson reports on the first interstate call using the developing ISDN network. This technology offers simultaneous transmission of voice, data, video, graphics, and signaling over a single telephone line. The national ISDN network was expected to be launched on November 16th, 1992 and is designed to work between any manufacturer's switching system and any vendor's telephone equipment. - DR Strauss, Howard Jay. "CWISes: Myth, Mania, or Miracle" Academic and Library Computing 9(9) (October 1992):13-16. In the first of a series of columns called "Data Day," Strauss explains how a Campus-Wide Information System can be used as a marketing tool by libraries and other campus information providers. He also argues that while the library will be providing large chunks of information, and the computer center may provide technical support, the campus public information office may be the best department to actually administer the CWIS since they already have experience in creating a public face for the institution. - DR Tyckson, David. "The Settling of the Internet" EFFector Online 3(7) (October 22, 1992). Causing a sensation when it hit the net, Tyckson argues that the Internet hit a turning point last summer and moved from the pioneering to the settling stage. While he applauds this maturation of the medium, he also notes the loss of a certain freedom and enthusiasm as "the formalization process will tend to discourage 'skywriting' as we have known it in the past." - DR Optical Disc Technologies Beheshti, Jamshid and Andy Large. "Networking CD-ROMs: Response Time Implications" CD-ROM Professional 5(6) (November 1992):70-77. A commonly-held assumption is that networked CD-ROMs produce slower response times than their standalone counterparts. Beheshti and Large of McGill's Graduate School of Library and Information Studies confirmed this assumption in an experiment designed to answer the question: what are the response time implications for CD-ROM searching as additional workstations are networked? Although response times increased as the number of workstations increased, the degradation was not uniform across different CD- ROMs or when using different kinds of search statements. While simple, non-truncated single index term searches performed satisfactorily on simultaneously accessed CD-ROMs, the more complex searches characterized by multiple, truncated index terms joined by boolean operators yielded unsatisfactory response times. - TR Bowers, Richard A. "Retail Channels Opening to CD-ROM" CD-ROM Professional 5(6) (November 1992):26-31. Bowers outlines major new CD-ROM retail distribution programs necessitated by the market shift from libraries to general consumers. He concentrates on the Multimedia Publisher's Group (MPG), Compton's New Media (CNM), and Sony Electronic Publishing Company (SEPC). - TR Hartigan, John M. "Price Versus Performance in the Optical Media" CD-ROM Professional 5(6) (November 1992):8-9. Hartigan cautions against the apples and oranges comparison between optical and magnetic media. The performance of CD-ROM is often measured against what magnetic media does best, ignoring the attributes such as crash-proof media, data integrity, portability, and low publishing costs. Hartigan defines optical media as enabling technologies that allow us to do things not possible before rather than an improvement over an existing technology. Therefore, the price/performance equation of optical media must be adjusted in terms of systems need rather than compared to other methods of delivery. - TR Herther, Nancy. "Mergers, Consolidations and More: CD-ROM Companies Position for Future Market Share" CD-ROM Professional 5(6) (November 1992):40-49. Herther outlines the mergers, buyouts, reorganizations and other changes that have occurred in the CD-ROM industry over the past year. Partially a reflection of the economy and the ten-year maturation of the industry, the degree and extent of the changes are significant. - TR --. "New Leadership and a New Direction for Meridian Data" CD-ROM Professional 5(6) (November 1992):60-64. "CD-ROM has the potential of becoming the next floppy disk," predicts Whitney G. Lynn, Meridian Data's new president. In this interview with CD-ROM Professional editor Nancy Herther, he discusses the future focus of Meridian Data and the dynamics of the CD-ROM industry. He characterizes the industry as market-driven, once a niche of the publishing business and currently making a transition to the corporate desktop. Ultimately, he sees CD-ROM as a universal peripheral device. - TR McQueen, Howard. "File Server-Based CD-ROM Networking: Using SCSI Express" CD-ROM Professional 5(6) (November 1992):66-68. McQueen describes a networking configuration developed by Micro Design International called SCSI Express Novell 386, which operates exclusively on NetWare 3.11. McQueen targets the network-literate in this technical article which provides guidelines for evaluating this new product for immediate or future use. - TR Sargeant, Eric W. "Getting the Most for your CD-ROM Dollars: the CD-ROM Bundle" CD-ROM Professional 5(6) (November 1992):50-56. Sargeant offers comparison shopping tips for CD-ROM bundles (application software sold in conjunction with CD-ROM hardware). He points out that the best bundle deals are clearly being offered via mail order. Current lists of retail bundles are provided. - TR Tamule, Harold B., et. al. "A New Look at CD-ROM Prices" CD-ROM Librarian 7(9) (October 1992):22-26. For librarians faced with fixed or shrinking budgets, the authors construct a price index for the CD-ROM market. Among the conclusions drawn is that CD-ROM titles aimed at academic and research markets are now only 4% more expensive than they were four years ago. This percentage compares quite favorably both to the inflation rate and the book publishing industry's price index. - TR Volkers, A.C.W., et. al. "Multiple Usage of CD-ROMs Using Meridian Data's CD-Net: Performance in Practice" CD-ROM Professional 5(6) (November 1992):91-98. In the second article this month investigating response times of networked CD-ROMs, networks fared much better. The experiment's platform/venue was a 16-workstation Novell-based Meridian Data CD-Net located in the Medical Library of Erasmus University Rotterdam. One especially surprising result was that the CD Net system was about twice as fast as the standalone CD-ROM workstation previously used. Other tests included all workstations searching the same disc, all workstations active with different operations and the effects of multiple, simultaneous downloading sessions. - TR General/News Bits DeLoughry, Thomas J. "Scholarly Societies Courted in Effort to Spread Faculty Use of Technology" The Chronicle of Higher Education (October 28, 1992):A21, A24-A25. Ensor, Pat. "The Community Information Format, Or MARC Goes Alien!" Technicalities (12)9 (September 1992):9-11. In 1990, NISO standard Z39.2, which we all know and love as the standard for information interchange of bibliographic data (that is, the framework for MARC) was broadened in scope to encompas non- bibliographic materials, specifically to accomodate records for community information. While this change has many uses (e.g. cataloging information on services and governmental agencies) one use which will effect technologists is the use of this format for cataloging online database services, and other stores of electronic information. - LR Watkins, Beverly T. "Scholars Are Urged to Collaborate in Today's 'Technology Revolution'" The Chronicle of Higher Education (October 28, 1992):A25. Wilson, David L. "Libraries: U. of Iowa Turns Part of Library into an 'Information Arcade': Library of Congress Sets Up On-Line Information Service" The Chronicle of Higher Education (November 4, 1992):A19. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Current Cites 3(11) (November 1992) ISSN: 1060-2356 Copyright (C) 1992 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 -------------------------------------------------------------------