Don S. Culbertson (p.5)
HILLIS GRIFFIN
Feature Articles
The Use of Microcomputers in Libraries
(p.7-18)
ALLAN D. PRATT
Small-scale computer systems are now of sufficiently low cost and high capacity that it is feasible to consider the use of one in many libraries. Their advantage and potential for improvement of library service at various levels are discussed. They seem well adapted for (1) text-processing, (2) preparation of local bibliographies and resource guides, and (3) improvement of on-line data base searching.
Character Sets: Current Status and East
Asian Prospects (p.18-35)
JAMES E. AGENBROAD
Communication depends on passage of patterns from a sender to a receiver. Both must agree beforehand on the meanings assigned to such patterns. Character sets are agreements on meanings assigned to patterns that computers can process. Escape codes announce that the meanings for certain patterns have changed. This allows roman, Cyrillic, and other alphabets to reuse the same patterns. Providing unique identification for the thousands of ideographic characters used by East Asian writing systems requires longer patterns. The sound, shape, and sense of East Asian characters can all affect a character set's performance of basic bibliographic functions -- the need to select, sort, and see the characters. The large number and infrequent occurrence of East Asian characters make a technique for easy addition of needed characters desirable. Such a technique must accommodate the necessity for agreement on the pattern (or code) assigned to each new character before it is transmitted.
CRT Terminal Checklist (p.36-44)
WALT CRAWFORD
This checklist for cathode ray tube (CRT) terminals was developed as part of the current work of TESLA, the Technical Standards for Library Automation Committee of the Information Science and Automation Section in the Library and Information Technology Association (LITA ISAS TESLA). Following an evaluation of the institution's needs, three principal steps are described: (1) assembling information from advertisements and literature, relative to display characteristics, keyboard, display speeds, power requirements, special features, and price and availability; (2) direct observation and use, paying attention to additional display characteristics, keyboard characteristics, environmental characteristics, and maintenance and durability; and (3) talking to other users of the terminal.
Communications
Copyright Compliance Program (p.45-49)
J. G. OXTON AND J. M. ARFMAN-VAN DER MAS
(no abstract available)
Speculations on Unanticipated Outcomes
of Data Base Research (p.49-55)
RUSSELL DOLL
(no abstract available)
Data Base Management System Design for
Library Automation (p.56-61)
JUDY WAGNER
(no abstract available)