_Current_Cites_ Volume 3, no.2 February 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 Expert Systems & Artificial Intelligence Krueger, Myron W. Artificial Reality II. Reading, Mass., Addison- Wesley Publishing Co.: 1991. In this volume Krueger details the products of artificial reality: video touch, video space, goggles, gloves, etc. Artificial reality as a new artistic medium is discussed. The technological representations of perception, space, and objects are explained. Also included are interesting chapters on applications and cybernetic society. -- LR Hyper- and Multimedia Piette, Mary I. and Nathan M. Smith, Jr. "Hypermedia and Library Instruction: The Challenge of Design" Reference Services Review 19(4) (Winter 1991):13-20. A description of project FORE (Focus on Research and Education) at Utah State University. A bibliographic instruction tool, Project FORE incorporates training in basic library research techniques in a stylish HyperCard system. Paying close attention to what facilitates effective learning, the designers created a varied and lively interactive system that leads users through the course. Drills, feedback from the system on answers and increasingly sophisticated exercises enable users to learn by doing, making their use of the system meaningful for future library research. -- MT Rosebush, Judson. "Sounds In CD-ROM--Integrating Audio in Multimedia Products" CD-ROM Professional 5(1) (January 1992):83- 87. Surveying some new ideas and products in the union of Hypermedia and CD-ROM technology, the author's enthusiasm seems justified by the quality of the products discussed. Musicologist Alan Lomax's Global Jukebox uses a HyperCard interface to access and control a collection of songs from hundreds of cultures. A Farallon MacRecorder program called SoundEdit allows for cutting and pasting of sounds onscreen and includes effects for modifying input signals. Other Farallon, Voyager,and Chinon products are introduced as well, making this article a good review of the latest in multimedia audio technologies. -- MT Rosenberg, Jason B. and Christine L. Borgman "Report on the Loading of MARC Format Bibliographic Records to HyperCard" Information Technology and Libraries 10(4) (December 1991):292-297 and Lee, Newton S. "Multimedia Visualizer: an Animated, Object-based OPAC" Information Technology and Libraries 10(4) (December 1991):297- 310. A pair of related articles describing the creation of a bibliographic database in HyperCard through downloading from traditional OPACS and using a NeXT system catalog for library access. The first article contains technical information about the process of downloading, parsing and uploading to HyperCard of a portion of the catalogs of UCLA (ORION) and Los Angeles Public Library, creating a visual catalog for library users. The second article on Multimedia Visualizer introduces a visually-based OPAC that can access books, audio recordings and animation (the last not yet implemented) and allow users to manipulate their chosen works. Forward-looking in both its front end and its final presentation of materials, Multimedia Visualizer offers exciting potential for libraries to employ multimedia technologies for the benefit their users. -- MT Networks and Networking Bortman, Henry. "On Beyond E-Mail" MacUser8(3)(March 1992):191- 197. The e-mail of the future in '92? Bortman describes Apple's plans for Open Collaboration Environment that will allow system 7 users to e-mail from almost any application, that is mail an application document, and escape the ASCII prison. -- DR Dern, Daniel P. "Applying the Internet: Corporate, Research, Educational, Governemental, and Other Real-World Uses" BYTE 17(2)(February 1992):111-118. See what the others are saying about the Internet. And yes, they know that library catalogs are available. -- DR Kehoe, Brendan. Zen and the Art of the Internet: A Beginner's Guide to the Internet. First ed. January 1992. Available via anonymous ftp from ftp.uu.net (137.39.1.9) in /inet/doc; ftp.cs.toronto.edu (128.100.3.6) in pub/zen; ftp.cs.widener.edu (147.31.254.132) in pub/zen; and ftp.sura.net (128.167.254.179) in pub/nic. This is the best thing since spliced cable. This easy-to-read, witty guide to using the Internet and its resources is the best yet. It includes examples (employing font changes for clarity), a glossary and an index. It has chapters on network basics, e-mail, ftp, usenet news, telnet, tools, commercial services, and "Things You'll Hear About," as well as finding out more. There are two appendices, Getting to Other Networks and Retrieving Files via Email. Go "get" it! -- DR Kovacs, Michael J. and Diane K. Kovacs. "The State of Scholarly Electronic Conferencing" Electronic Networking 1(2)(Winter 1991):29-36. As we all know, electronic conferencing and electronic journals are increasingly important to our work, both for library- oriented subjects as well as other subject areas. The authors give a brief overview of e-conferencing, and give the results of their preliminary study of the state and effects of e-conferences and e-journals today. -- DR Lewis, Sarah. "Are You an Internet Nerd?" EFFector Online 2(4)(January 18, 1992). (Available via anonymous ftp from ftp.eff.org [192.88.144.3] in /pub/eff.) Take this test and find out how bad you've got the Internet fever. I scored as a full-fledged Internet nerd, but only by a hair. I'm only a little embarrassed. -- DR Lottor, M. "Internet Growth (1981-1991)" Network Working Group RFC 1296 (January 1992) (Available via anonymous ftp from nnsc.nsf.net [128.89.1.178] with pathname rfc/rfc1296.txt.) This article illustrates how the number of Internet hosts has grown in the past ten years--exponentially. And that's only the hosts, not the users themselves. Charts of the growth is included, as well as list of the most popular host names (# 1 is venus). -- DR Love, James P. "Internet Access to Federal Information" posting on PACS-L@UHUPVM1 (February 4, 1992) and CNIDIR-L@UNMVM (February 10, 1992). Love describes the work of the Taxpayer Assets Project which is supporting the Information Access Act. This act would amend the Freedom of Information Act and would, among other things, give "Federal agencies a mandate to provide online access to information resources through national computer networks." -- DR Lynch, Clifford A. "The Development of Electronic Publishing and Digital Library Collections on the NREN" Electronic Networking 1(2)(Winter 1991):6-22. Lynch describes the current state of electronic publishing and information resources on the network and where things may be heading, how the availability of primary materials in electronic format may lead scholars away from print sources, and how all of this may force a change in the way we view libraries. Lynch also looks at electronic publishing from the perspectives of author, reader, library, and publisher. -- DR North American Directory Forum. "User Bill of Rights for Entries and Listings in the Public Directory" Network Working Group RFC 1295 (January 1992) (Available via anonymous ftp from nnsc.nsf.net [128.89.1.178] with pathname rfc/rfc1295.txt.) This RFC contains a near-verbatim copy of the text of NADF-265 -- The User Bill of Rights for entries in the Public Directory. Among other rights, you have the the right not to be in the directory, and if you are, the right to examine and correct any inaccurate information about yourself. -- DR Sobel, David. "Sun Devil Documents Released" EFFector Online 2(4)(January 18, 1992). (Available via anonymous ftp from ftp.eff.org [192.88.144.3] in /pub/eff.) As a result of the Computing Professionals for Social Responsibility's request for documents under the FOIA, it has been discovered that the US Secret Service has been monitoring communications sent accross the Internet. Read about such surveillance activities by the Secret Service and the FBI. -- DR Tennant, Roy. "Internet Basic Training: Teaching Networking Skills in Higher Education" Electronic Networking 1(2)(Winter 1991):37-46. Tennant describes how librarians can provide training for users of the Internet in higher education, including what areas are most important to cover, how to cover them, and how to keep yourself current to provide the best instruction [read Current Cites--talk about recursive reviews!]. -- DR For more CD-ROM networks, see below. Optical Disc Technologies Jaffe, David Lee and Steven G. Watkins "CD-ROM Hardware Configurations: Selection and Design" CD-ROM Professional 5(1)(January 1992):62-68. Jaffe and Watkins seek to assist librarians through the maze of CD-ROM hardware installation choices by providing an overview of the wide array of possible configurations: single drive workstations, daisychains, jukeboxes, peer-to-peer networks, networks based on file servers, and networks with remote access capabilities. Especially useful are the diagrams accompanying each configuration description. Beyond that, they delve into selection and design considerations of the system itself.-- TR Kittle, Paul W. "Networking the Light Fantastic: CD-ROMs on LANs" CD-ROM Professional 5(1)(January 1992):30-37. Kittle provides a detailed explanation of the configuration of a Novell-based CD-ROM local area network (LAN) which provides remote, dial-up access from both PCs and MACs. He manages to demystify a highly complex process which has resulted in a system that is becoming a model for the future. Includes a product list and directory. -- TR McCabe, Georgia L. "The Photo-CD Strategy: A Revolution in Imaging?" CD-ROM Professional 5(1)(January 1992):18-24. Kodak's marketing director provides a behind the scenes look at how the Photo-CD will be marketed and positioned. Kodak's Photo-CD system is touted as the first truly new photographic medium since the invention of roll film over 100 years ago. The system essentially allows photographs to be stored on a compact disc (up to 100/disc). These photographs can then be played back on a TV using a special Photo-CD player or on a PC equipped with a CD-ROM XA drive. One of the major challenges facing Kodak is convincing the computer industry that it is the right company to provide leadership in the emerging field of digital imaging on the desktop. -- TR Tenopir, Carol "Changes Wrought by CD-ROM" Library Journal 116(21) (December 1991):108-110. Tenopir examines the profound impact of CD-ROM on collections, patrons, and reference staff of all types of libraries in this article based upon a speech she gave at the Department of Library and Information Studies, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb. --TR General Mc Millan, Gail, et al. "The Balance Point: Electronic Journals: Considerations for the Present and the Future" Serials Review, vol. 17, no. 4 (1991), pp.77-86. The Library at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University was one of the first to take seriously this new medium of serials publishing. This article details some of the important considerations and factors that their Taskforce on Electronic Journals took into account in deciding the reasons and methods for making e-journals available to their public. Such considerations were made from the points of view of reference, collection development, technical services and systems design & implementation. -- LR ------------------------------------------------------------------- Current Cites 3(2)(February 1992) 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. 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