_Current_Cites_ Volume 5, no. 1 January 1994 Information Systems Instruction & Support The Library University of California, Berkeley Edited by Teri Andrews Rinne ISSN: 1060-2356 Contributors: Nathan Meyer, David Rez, Richard Rinehart, Vivienne Roumani-Denn, Roy Tennant ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Electronic Publishing Goodyear, Mary Lou. "Information Policy for Electronic Information Resources" The Public-Access Computer Systems Review 4(6) (1993):23-31. [Also available via e-mail from LISTSERV@UHUPVM1.UH.EDU. Mail message should read "GET GOODYEAR PRV4N6 F=MAIL"]. This article is a brief outline of three policy issues that Goodyear believes should be of concern to library and information professionals. The issues outlined are access, privacy and intellectual property. The speed with which information has become available electronically has made it difficult for policymakers to keep up. Legislative actions seem to be in favor of access over privacy. However, the article warns, privacy concerns of individuals and institutions need to be addressed if information is to continue to flow freely. - DR Wilson, David L. "A Journal's Big Break" The Chronicle of Higher Education (January 26, 1994):A23, A25. The editors of the electronic journal Online Journal of Current Clinical Trials "believe that they may have a model for electronic journals that can be replicated in other disciplines." One measure of success is that the journal has been selected by the National Library of Medicine for inclusion in the Medline database. - VR Wilson, David L. "Project Seeks to Expand Use of Electronic Networks For Publishing" The Chronicle of Higher Education (January 26, 1994):A24-A25. Thirteen College and University Presses, including UC Press, have been selected by the Association of American University Presses and the Coalition for Network Information to participate in an electronic publishing project. - VR Information Transfer U. S. Congress, Office of Technology Assessment. Making Government Work: Electronic Delivery of Federal Services. Washington, D. C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1993. Will electronic delivery of government information to citizens, organizations, institutions, be the norm in the future? This report examines the myths and realities of electronic delivery of government information, and offers some conclusions. - VR Multimedia and Hypermedia Parisi, Paula. "The Picture Exchange" Wired 2.01 (Jan. 1994):32. Eastman Kodak Co. has teamed with fourteen stock photography houses to create a commercial online image database. The database, called "The Kodak Picture Exchange", uses Kodak's own Photo-CD technology to mount low-resolution, searchable images. Once the online fee is paid, and the desired image is found, the client can order a high-resolution hard copy image from the stock photo house by filling out an online form. A special version of Picture Exchange is aimed at the film industry as an aid for locating appropriate filming sites. This version, called "Eastman Exchange" is being installed at Warner Brothers, Fox, Disney, and Universal, in the hopes that the big four will become permanent subscribers. - RJR Joscelyne, Andrew. "VR means Virtual Reconstruction" Wired 2.01 (Jan. 1994):115. Going well beyond postcard snapshots of ruins, visitors to the ruins of the Abbaye de Cluny in France can now tour a digital reconstruction of the Romanesque abbey, though it hasn't stood intact since the French Revolution. Two engineering graduate students from the provence of Cluny used the notes of the late Harvard Architecture Professor, John Kenneth Conent to compile a database of all the architectural details of the abbey. Then IBM- France provided them the equipment to create a full virtual reconstruction of the once great building. The virtual abbey can presently be visited only at the real site by using VR goggles and gloves. A digital recreation of the Thermes de Luce (the Roman town on the site that is now Paris) has also been accomplished, and other virtual reconstructions of gems from antiquity are on the way. - RJR Renjilian, Jerry. "Hypercard - The Poor Librarian's Online Card Catalog" Computers in Libraries 13(10) (December 1993):10-12. Librarians at New Canaan High School in New Canaan, Connecticut created a research tool for students using the Mac based hypermedia application, Hypercard. They combined a search screen, a dictionary of authors, and thirteen Hypercard stacks of indexes from books in the library. Using the search screen, students can search for instances of a word in a title. They can search the author dictionary, or search the full text of many of the books indexes for referrals to other sources. For minimal cost (in equipment, not necessarily in staff's time) they have recreated the search features of an online catalog and a few CD-ROM literary databases. So far, they have compiled 1800 pages of indexes, and tables of contents from 763 books. This tool can aid in research of literary topics by focusing a student's search for material considerably before the student even approaches the shelves, and do so in a relatively user friendly manner. - RJR Fowler, Richard, et. al. "A Hypermedia System to Explain Library Use" Computers in Libraries 13(10) (December 1993):14-16. The authors describe the effort and the final result of a project to create a hypermedia package that introduces users to The University of Texas- Pan American Library. Since this software package was designed to be the first level of user interaction with the library, it had to be broad, informative, and easy to use. The creators settled on an icon-based system on a PC that would replace, or at least supplement, the library's handbook as well as several leaflets on topics such as remote access, hints on using the OPAC, floor maps, and more. They found that embedding as much information as possible in the iconic (pictorial) layer of the system attracted users to the system, and reduced the number of layers necessary to convey basic information. The system designers exploited the features of hypermedia that allow introductory information to blend into access: the top layer (or first screen) contains an icon that allows direct access to the online catalog. While the development of OPACs involves nation-wide cooperative efforts, the creation of introductory software is often done in relative isolation, making this article a useful piece. - RJR Networks and Networking "Gore Endorses EFF's Open Platform Approach," EFFector Online 6(8) (Dec. 28, 1993) [available via anonymous FTP from ]. At a speech to the National Press Club, Vice President Al Gore presented a White House telecommunications policy that incorporates some of the major elements of the Electronic Frontier Foundation's Open Platform Policy recommendations [version 2.0 of this document (cited in the November issue of Current Cites) and other related files are available via anonymous FTP from ]. Some of the points outlined include encouragement of private investment, promotion and protection of competition, providing open access to the network, a regulatory "safety net" to make sure everyone benefits (the 'have nots' as well as the 'haves'), and encouragement of flexibility. EFF's position will continue to be heard at the highest levels of policy making for the National Information Infrastructure, as EFF Board Chair Mitch Kapor and Board member Esther Dyson were two of 27 persons recently appointed to the NII Advisory Council by the Clinton administration. - RT Government Information Locator Service, "Using Z39.50 in an application for the Government Information Locator Service (GILS)." [Available via anonymous FTP from ] The Government Information Locator Service (GILS) project seeks to articulate a standards-based application profile for the development and testing of government information locator databases. This paper describes the refinements made to the high-level specifications as developed in the previously published _Government Information Locator Service_ (Christian : 1993). These refinements include descriptions of: a GILS User Model; GILS Searching; GILS Browsing; GILS use of Z39.50. The paper includes references to previous discussions of GILS and Z39.50 as well a list of project members and directions for commenting on the ongoing project. - NM McClure, Charles R. "Network Literacy in an Electronic Society: An Educational Disconnect?" in The Knowledge Economy: The Nature of Information in the 21st Century, Annual Review of the Institute for Information Studies, (1993):137-178. McClure argues persuasively that there is a need to expand the traditional definition of literacy beyond print literacy to encompass not only media literacy and computer literacy, but also "network literacy" to form "information literacy". Only by having the basic knowledge and skills required to find and utilize information on computer networks, will all our citizens be empowered by the network. McClure outlines what network literacy might encompass and what may be required to achieve such a goal. This is no paltry vision, and McClure is equal to the task of helping us envision it as well. - RT "Senate FTP Site Online," EFFector Online 7(2) (Jan. 25, 1994) [available via anonymous FTP from ]. The U.S. Senate now has its own FTP site , and while not much is available yet, Senators Kennedy (MA) and Stevens (AK) have information there now, it is likely to grow. There is general information on the U.S. Senate available here as well. Although this article does not mention it, this site also serves as the U.S. Senate gopher server . - RT "Wrap-Up on Technology and Networking Bills," ALAWON 3(1) (January 3, 1994). An overview of networking-related legislation from the library perspective, most of which has passed the House but awaits action in the 1994 session of the Senate. Of primary interest is H.R. 1757, which passed the House, and S. 4, with related provisions, which was not passed prior to adjournment. - RT Optical Disc Technology Breeding, Marshall. "Networking Made Easy" CD-ROM World 9(1) (January 1994):70-71. Breeding introduces the concept of adding or enhancing the capabilities of an existing network to accommodate CD-ROMs. This article provides capsule summaries of various CD-ROM network solutions, such as peer-to-peer CD-ROM networks, optical server/redirector networks, NLM-based products, server-independent attachment hardware, expanded access products, performance enhancement products, and menuing systems. - TR Flanagan, Patrick. "Rent-A-Rom: Setting Up Rental Kiosks" CD-ROM World 9(1) (January 1994):76-77. This interview with optical disc evangelist and president of Interactive Media/CD-ROM Exchange Jack Olmstead describes the relatively novel concept of CD-ROM rentals in video stores. Olmstead views the acceptance of CD-ROM as a chicken-and-egg situation: "The only way people can see what CD-ROM is, is to get their hands on it. In the multimedia business, the software sells the hardware." With so many libraries now circulating videos, can CD-ROM circulation be far behind? - TR Fritz, Mark. "CD-ROM Gives Trainers Room to Grow" CD-ROM World 9(1) (January 1994):85-87. This article outlines the advantages and disadvantages to training with CD-ROMs. Among the advantages cited is the storage capacity and standardization. Disadvantages include access time and a low "level of trust" among consumers. The article also describes training projects utilizing CD-ROM undertaken by MicroMentor. - TR Papathakis, Scott. "Device Drivers: Is There a Difference in Performance?" CD-ROM World 9(1) (January 1994):88-91. Papathakis' skepticism regarding misleading advertising claims of CD-ROM disc drive access times prompted him to conduct a test of device drivers. The device drivers and versions tested were: Trantor 3.10, Optical Media International 1.6, FWB CD-ROM Toolkit 1.0.3, and CharisMac Engineering Anubis AllCache 1.17. -TR Schoenfeld, Noa. "Roll Yer Own: Building Your Own CD-ROM" CD-ROM World 9(1) (January 1994):72-74. Schoenfeld outlines the several approaches to building the perfect CD-ROM and then highlights the way one might choose to display data onscreen. Kodak Photo-CD and CD-Recordable are showcased. - TR ------------------------------------------------------------------- Current Cites 5(1) (January 1994) ISSN: 1060-2356 Copyright (C) 1994 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. To subscribe, send the message "sub cites " to listserv@library.berkeley.edu, replacing "" with your name. 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. 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