+ Page 1 + ----------------------------------------------------------------- Public-Access Computer Systems News Volume 3, Number 8 (June 5, 1992) ISSN 1050-6004 Editors: Dana Rooks (LIBL@UHUPVM1) and Charles W. Bailey, Jr. (LIB3@UHUPVM1). Issued on an irregular basis by University Libraries, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204-2091. ----------------------------------------------------------------- CONTENTS EDITORS' NOTE, 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND LIBRARIES, JUNE 1992, 1 EDITORS' NOTE Starting with this issue, the Public-Access Computer Systems News will carry the table of contents of forthcoming issues of Information Technology and Libraries, a publication of the American Library Association's Library and Information Technology Association. TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND LIBRARIES, JUNE 1992 "The Need for Machine-Readable Authority Records for Topical Subdivisions," by Karen M. Drabenstott, Associate Professor, School of Information and Library Studies, University of Michigan. Abstract: This paper recognizes the limitations of the existing file of Library of Congress (LC) subject authority records for subject heading assignment and validation. It makes recommendations for a new machine-readable file of authority records for topical subdivisions and for enhancements to the existing subject authority file. The recommended changes would enable online systems to assist in subject heading formulation and verify, with limited assistance by human intermediaries, the individual components of subdivided headings. A study of subdivided subject headings in a large bibliographic database forms the basis of the recommendations. + Page 2 + "Nonroman Scripts in the Bibliographic Environment," by Joan M. Aliprand, The Research Libraries Group. Abstract: The representation of nonroman scripts in Latin characters causes information to be distorted in various ways. USMARC now provides for "alternate graphic representation," so that text in the authentic script(s) may be included in bibliographic records. As more library systems with nonroman capability are developed, conformance to standards for the encoding of nonroman data becomes more critical. The development of a single global character set standard is a significant change that must be accommodated in USMARC. "The Development and Implementation of the USMARC Format for Classification Data," by Rebecca S. Guenther, Library of Congress, Network Development and MARC Standards Office. Abstract: This paper discusses the newly developed USMARC Format for Classification Data. It reviews its potential uses within an online system and its development as one of the USMARC standards. It provides a summary of the fields in the format, and considers the prospects for its implementation. The paper describes an experiment currently being conducted at the Library of Congress to create USMARC classification records and use a classification database in classifying materials in the social sciences. COMMUNICATIONS "Rates and Types of Changes to LC Authority Files," by Karen Calhoun and Mike Oskins, OCLC. "Reviewing Initial Stopword Selection," by Bonnie Johnson and Elaine Peterson, Montana State University Libraries. "Prediction of OPAC Spelling Errors Through a Keyword Inventory," by Terry Ballard, Adelphi University, and Arthur Lifshin, University of Maine, Orono. + Page 3 + Special Section: Happy Birthday to MELVYL (R) (Part 1) "The MELVYL System: The Next Five Years and Beyond," by Michael G. Berger. "Agenda for Online Catalog Designers," by Michael K. Buckland. "Features You Can't Know Until Someone Tells You," by Anne Grodzins Lipow. "Computing Resources for an Online Catalog: Ten Years Later," by Mark Needleman. "Ten Years of Monitoring MELVYL: A Librarian's View," by Alan Ritch. "The MELVYL System and its Academic Context," by Stephen R. Salmon. BOOK REVIEWS Ardis, Susan B. An Introduction to U.S. Patent Searching. Reviewed by John A. Shuler. Brandt, D. Scott. UNIX and Libraries. Reviewed by David A. Jank. Cataloging: The Professional Development Cycle, edited by Sheila S. Intner and Janet Swan Hill. Reviewed by Ellen S. Kovacic. Information Technology: Design and Applications, edited by Nancy D. Lane and Margaret E. Chisholm. Reviewed by John Corbin. Johnson, Peggy. Automation and Organizational Change in Libraries. Reviewed by Pamela Q. J. Andre. Saettler, Paul. The Evolution of American Educational Technology. Reviewed by George H. Voegel. Schuyler, Michael, and Elliot Swanson. The Systems Librarian Guide to Computers. Reviewed by Sally W. Kalin. + Page 4 + Smith, G. Stevenson. Managerial Accounting for Libraries and Other Not-For-Profit Organizations. Reviewed by Ryoko Toyama. Virtual Reality: Theory, Practice, and Promise, edited by Sandra K. Helsel and Judith Paris Roth. Reviewed by Glenn P. Hoetker. SOFTWARE REVIEWS DiscLit: American Authors. OCLC,Inc. Reviewed by Susan E. Clark. World Atlas 2.0. The Software Toolworks, Inc. Reviewed by Lottie Simkins Meador. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR F.W. Lancaster Leslie R. Morris K. Mulliner ----------------------------------------------------------------- Public-Access Computer Systems News is an electronic newsletter that is distributed on BITNET, Internet, and other computer networks. There is no subscription fee. To subscribe, send an e-mail message to LISTSERV@UHUPVM1 (BITNET) or LISTSERV@UHUPVM1.UH.EDU (Internet) that says: SUBSCRIBE PACS-P First Name Last Name. PACS-P subscribers also receive two other electronic serials: Current Cites and The Public-Access Computer Systems Review. Public-Access Computer Systems News is Copyright (C) 1992 by the University Libraries, University of Houston. All Rights Reserved. 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