+ Page 1 + ----------------------------------------------------------------- Public-Access Computer Systems News Volume 4, Number 14 (1993) ISSN 1050-6004 Editors: Dana Rooks (LIBL@UHUPVM1) and Linda Thompson (LIB1J@UHUPVM1). Issued on an irregular basis by University Libraries, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204-2091. ----------------------------------------------------------------- CONTENTS Dialog Acquires Interest in Personal Library Software, 1 UMI & Federal News Service to Create New CD-ROM Database, 2 SRI International Selects Cuadra/STAR, 3 Dialog Announces Migration to Distributed System Architecture, 3 Lane Medical and UCLA Join UnCover, 4 National Library of Australia & UnCover to Develop Document Delivery, 5 Bowker Biographical Databases Available Online, 5 DIALOG ACQUIRES INTEREST IN PERSONAL LIBRARY SOFTWARE Dialog Information Services, Inc., a Knight-Ridder company, and Personal Library Software (PLS) have announced completion of an agreement for Dialog to invest in PLS. The significant minority investment of Dialog in PLS allows the two companies to share technology and explore product and market synergies. PLS is best known for its innovative information retrieval products, pioneering the application of advanced search tools such as concept searching and relevance ranking. These products complement Dialog's own development in online and CD-ROM search and retrieval systems, document management and delivery, and integration of external and internal databases. One of the first areas targeted for joint development will be in Dialog's fast- growing CD-ROM business. For additional information on Dialog, contact Dialog Marketing, 3460 Hillview Ave., Palo Alto CA 94304; 800-334-2564 or 415-858- 3785; fax: 415-858-7069. For additional information on Personal Library Software, contact PLS Marketing, 2400 Research Blvd., Rockville MD 20850; 301-990-1155; fax: 301-963-9738. + Page 2 + UMI & FEDERAL NEWS SERVICE TO CREATE NEW CD-ROM DATABASE University Microfilms International and the Federal News Service (FNS) have signed an exclusive contract to create a new CD-ROM product making use of the FNS Transcript Service. This service provides a verbatim account of what is said at every U.S. government event. It is expected the new CD-ROM database will have wide audience of users, from corporations wanting to track regulatory hearings that affect their industry to secondary school students doing political science and civics projects. Presently, some of the most frequent users of FNS are embassies, foreign governments, news wires, newspapers, broadcast media, and lobbyists. The CD-ROM database will be ready for release in early 1994. It will cover the current year of data plus two years of retrospective coverage. The format is full-text (ASCII) and the annual subscription price will be approximately $1,600 or $1,200 for secondary school libraries. The agreement between UMI and FNS offers the opportunity to create CD-ROM databases utilizing the other services FNS provides. A decision on additional CD products will be made in the future. In addition to the FNS Transcript Service, FNS also offers: * FNS Russian Service. Verbatim transcripts in English of press briefings, speeches, and statements by major Russian leaders; * FNS Spanish Service. This Spanish language service provides business, political, and social news from all over Latin America; * United States Supreme Court. FNS is one of a small, select group chosen by the Supreme Court to receive its online transmission of the Court's opinions and orders; * FNS Daybook. Provides listings of government actions and private events; * United Nations Services. Provides coverage of Security Council resolutions, General Assembly actions, as well as the activities of various U.N. groups like UNICEF. For additional information, contact Jonathan K. James, UMI, 800- 521-0600, ext. 2210 or 313-761-4700. + Page 3 + SRI INTERNATIONAL SELECTS CUADRA/STAR SRI International, a leading technology research firm, has chosen Cuadra/STAR software to automate its extensive and diverse library collection. SRI, a non-profit organization founded 50 years ago, provides leading-edge technology and consulting assistance to international governments and corporations. The library at SRI's Research Information Service (RIS) serves more than 2,800 SRI employees around the world as well as researchers from outside organizations. Materials include technical reports, serials, CD- ROMs, microforms, and monographs. STAR, which has been in the marketplace since 1982, runs under UNIX on a wide variety of high-performance Intel-based and RISC hardware platforms. STAR servers can be linked with all of the popular LANs, as well as with mainframes and minis. STAR is designed specifically to provide fast, sophisticated multi-user access to descriptive information of all kinds. Its flexibility and versatility allow it to be used effectively not only by libraries and technical information centers, but also by corporate and government records centers; film, photo, and document archives; museums; law offices; and publishers. For additional information, contact Carlos A. Cuadra or Judith Wanger, Cuadra Associates, Inc., 11835 W. Olympic Blvd. Suite 855, Los Angeles CA 90064; 310-478-0066; fax: 310-477-1078. DIALOG ANNOUNCES MIGRATION TO DISTRIBUTED SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE Dialog Information Services, Inc. has announced an agreement with Sun Microsystems Computer Corp. (SMCC) to assist in the initial phases of transforming Dialog's massive centralized computing environment into a networked, client-server system that will enable Dialog to quickly, flexibly, and cost-effectively create products that better serve the changing needs of it customers. An open system will provide substantial benefits for Dialog searchers and the clientele they serve, making possible: * Custom corporate information systems that meet specific requirements of individual departments and markets; * Display of integrated documents, including both text and graphics; * International offerings of local data; * Delivery of data to customers' desktop computing environments of choice; + Page 4 + * Published Application Programming Interface (API), allowing aggressive third party reseller development. Conversion to the new system will take place over the next several years. Dialog undertook this partnership with SMCC as part of its initiative to develop strategic alliances within the high technology marketplace to craft customer-driven information solutions. For additional information, contact Dialog Marketing, 3460 Hillview Ave., Palo Alto CA 94304; 800-334-2564 or 415-858-3785; fax: 415- 858-7069. LANE MEDICAL AND UCLA JOIN UNCOVER The UnCover Company has announced that the University of California at Los Angeles Biomedical and Physical Science and Technology libraries and Lane Medical Library at Stanford University have contracted with the company to provide table of contents information to the UnCover database. The libraries also will serve as supply sites for the UnCover article delivery service. The addition of these collections will increase UnCover's periodical title holdings to close to 20,000 within the next six months. The database currently contains just over 14,000 titles. The UnCover database was created in 1988 to provide a multi- disciplinary index to English language periodical literature. The database can be searched by topical keyword or by periodical title. Users can re-create issue tables of contents online. The database is updated daily as issues are received by contributor libraries. Since 1991, almost every article cited in UnCover can be ordered and delivered to the requestor's fax machine within 24 hours. The UnCover Company is a joint venture partnership of CARL Systems, Inc., and two Blackwell Group companies, BH Blackwell and Readmore, Inc. For additional information, contact Martha Whittaker, UnCover, 3801 East Florida, Denver CO 80210; 303-758-3030; fax: 303-758-5946; e-mail: mwhittaker@carl.org. + Page 5 + NATIONAL LIBRARY OF AUSTRALIA & UNCOVER TO DEVELOP DOCUMENT DELIVERY The National Library of Australia and The UnCover Company have signed a letter of intent to expand and market the UnCover periodical index and article delivery service in Australia and New Zealand. The National Library will provide UnCover with table of contents information and copies of articles from a range of Australian, New Zealand, and Pacific periodicals. UnCover will be made available to individuals and libraries in Australia over the Australian Bibliographic Network, and other appropriate public and private networks, including AARNet. For additional information, contact Martha Whittaker, UnCover, 3801 East Florida, Denver CO 80210; 303-758-3030; fax: 303-758-5946; e- mail: mwhittaker@carl.org. BOWKER BIOGRAPHICAL DATABASES AVAILABLE ONLINE Reed Reference Publishing announces the availability of two R.R. Bowker biographical directories online. The most recent editions of Who's Who in American Art and Who's Who in American Politics can now be accessed as part of file 236 on Dialog Information Services, in addition to the previously available American Men and Women of Science. Known together on Dialog as the Bowker Biographical Directory, the three subfiles can be accessed individually or in combination, for information including: * professional experience * educational background * professional affiliations * honors and awards * areas of interest * personal data * mailing address Who's Who in American Art is a comprehensive publication which profiles artists, critics, curators, administrators, librarians, historians, collectors, and dealers. It includes over 11,500 entries, with detailed information about museum holdings, publications, media, and professional representation. + Page 6 + Who's Who in American Politics provides access to records on 26,000 politicians, from local town officials to the President. This authoritative reference provides party affiliation, birth date and place, names of family members, voting residence, and more. American Men and Women of Science identifies more than 122,000 leading U.S. and Canadian scientists and engineers working in 10 major disciplines and 171 National Science Foundation subdisciplines. Dialog subscribers can request an abbreviation list for the Bowker Biographical Directory, free of charge, by writing Bowker Electronic Publishing, Attn: W. Lyons, Reed Reference Publishing, 121 Chanlon Rd., New Providence NJ 07974. For information about online access, contact Dialog Information Services, 800-334-2564; or Bowker Electronic Publishing, 800-323- 3288. ----------------------------------------------------------------- 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) 1993 by the University Libraries, University of Houston. All Rights Reserved. Copying is permitted for noncommercial use by academic computer centers, computer conferences, individual scholars, and libraries. 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