Network-Based Electronic Publishing of Scholarly Works: A Selective Bibliography
This bibliography presents selected works, published between 1990 and the present, that are useful in understanding scholarly electronic publishing efforts on the Internet and other networks. It has the following major sections: directories, economic issues, electronic books, electronic serials, future scenarios, general works, legal issues, library issues, new publishing models, publisher issues, and related electronic resources. It does not provide detailed coverage of the substantial body of literature that deals with general electronic publishing topics.
Editor-in-Chief: Charles W. Bailey, Jr., University Libraries, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204-2091, U.S.A. Tel: (713) 743-9804; e-mail: cbailey@uh.edu
(Source: FID discussion group <lis-link@MAILBASE.AC.UK>)
IDRC opens a World Wide Web
The International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada recently announced the availability of its new programme, Pan Asia Networking (PAN). Information about PAN may be accessed through the WWW of its Asia Regional Office at the following URL:
http://www.idrc.org.sg
IDRC also offers a gopher server to access its Development Data Bases Services (DDBS), a collection of nine development information databases, including IDRC library catalogue and IDRIS (the Inter-Agency Development Research Information System) which includes information on research projects financed by the world's largest international agencies. The IDRC Gopher also includes the current issue of the IDRC REPORTS magazine, and back issues, in full text, IDRC book publication catalogue, and information on upcoming IDRC meetings, conferences and workshops. To access the gopher use URL:
http://gopher.idrc.ca
If you have access to e-mail only, send an e-mail to the following addresses for assistance:
IDRC library reference desk: reference@idrc.ca
General information about IDRC: info@idrc.ca
Order books and subscribe to IDRC REPORT: order.idrc.ca
(Source: Maria Ng Lee Hoon <PanAsia @idrc.org.sg>)
The Internet Public Library opens to the world
The Internet Public Library at the School of Information and Library Studies at the University of Michigan in the United States recently announced its grand opening, inviting users to tour and use its site and sample its online resources.
To check out reference sections on subjects ranging from gardening to the Internet to today's news, or to explore an online story-book with a child, or even to take a tutorial to help you improve your computing skills, users may contact the library at the following address:
URL: http://ipl.sils.umich.edu/
Joseph Janes, Director, The Internet Public Library;
Internet: ipl@umich.edu
(Source: Internet Public Library @UMICH.EDU)
World Wide pages on ISSN now available
The ISSN International Centre (situated at Paris, France) has the pleasure to announce that its bilingual (English/French) WEB information pages are now available.
The use of the ISSN is essential throughout the serials chain of supply, from publisher (and now even from the author of every single contribution) to the reader, through document delivery utilities, abstracting and indexing services, subscription agents, libraries, union catalogues, newsagents, for the efficient management of research, ordering and cataloguing.
To date, more than 720,000 serials published in 180 countries have been assigned an ISSN by the ISSN network (63 national centres). The ISSN Register is published on microfiche, CD-ROM (ISSN-Compact) and tape.
The ISSN WEB pages give basic information about the ISSN, ISSN assignment, the ISSN network and related subjects (ISSN based barcoding of serials: EAN 13, SISAC, SICI...). Users will find in particular the list of ISSN National Centres (together with their postal and e-mail addresses) which should be contacted for any problem related to ISSN assignment for the serials of the corresponding countries. The community of ISSN users (libraries, union cataloguers, subscription agents, publishers etc.) should remember that ISSNs may be assigned on request to publications which do not yet have one. It should also be noted that ISSNs are assigned to serial publications of any physical medium (paper, microfiche, CD-ROM, online).
The ISSN International Centre coordinates the network and is responsible for the assignment of ISSNs to serials published by international organizations or by publishers situated in countries which do not yet have an ISSN national centre.
Any suggestion concerning the ISSN WEB pages is welcome; the Centre encourages users and potential users to not hesitate to contact it for any further information. Establishing new World Wide Web links pointing to the ISSN WEB pages in library or serials related WEB servers is also warmly encouraged. The electronic address of the ISSN WEB pages is:
http://www.well.com/www/issnic
Pierre Godefroy, Assistant to the Director, Centre international de l'ISSN, ISSN International Centre, 20 rue Bachaumont, 75002 Paris, France. Tel: (33 1)44 88 22 20;Fax: (33 1)40 26 32 43; e-mail: issnic@well.com
Information sur l'ISSN / Information on ISSN (World Wide Web): http://www.well.com/www/issnic
(Source: The Well <<issnic @well.com>>)
Online access to: The Public-Access Computer Systems Review
The Public-Access Computer Systems Review is an electronic journal that is distributed on the Internet and on other computer networks. It is published on an irregular basis by the University Libraries, University of Houston. There is no subscription fee.
To subscribe, send an e-mail message to listserv@uhupvm1.uh.edu that says: SUBSCRIBE PACS-P First_Name Surname.
Circulation to the Public Access Computer Review includes:
HTML files are not paginated. HTML files may have linked GIF files, may have internal links, external links, or both. The editors do not maintain external links. HTML files are available from the following server:
World Wide Web: http:// info.lib.uh.edu/pacsrev.html
In consultation with article authors, the editors determine whether an article is updated, whether both ASCII and HTML files are created for updated articles, and whether all prior versions of an article are retained.
Print Distribution: The first four volumes of The Public-Access Computer Systems Review are also available in book form from the American Library Association's Library and Information Technology Association (LITA). The price of each volume is $17 for LITA members and $20 for non-LITA members. All four volumes may be ordered as a set for $60. To order, contact: ALA Publishing Services, Order Department, 50 East Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611-2729, United States. Tel: (800) 545-2433.
Copyright: The Public-Access Computer Systems Review is Copyright©1995 by the University Libraries, University of Houston. All Rights Reserved. Copying is permitted for non-commercial, educational use by academic computer centres individual scholars and libraries. This message must appear on all copied material. All commercial use requires permission.
(Source: FID discussion group <lis-link@MAILBASE.AC.UK>)
Internet Resources Newsletter is now available
Internet Resources is a free WWW newsletter produced by Heriot-Watt University Library. Although directed towards, and originally distributed to, staff and students at Heriot-Watt, it may be of use to anyone interested in the Internet and its resources.
Each issue contains comments and short articles on topics of current interest, lists of new resources (with hypertext links, where possible) which have been identified as being of interest (mostly engineering, science, and social science) and especially, but not exclusively, resources in the United Kingdom, lists of Internet-related books which have been received by the Library, plus various odds and ends. Many of the resources have been gleaned from various listserv and mailbase lists, and no special claims are made for accuracy or originality.
Table of contents (Issue #6):
The newsletter is available at the ** NEW ** URL: http://www.hw.ac.uk/libWWW/irn/irn.html
Those who have access only to e-mail, and those who need a personal copy, can use the Agora www by e-mail service to retrieve a complete INTERNET RESOURCES file by e-mail.
To get a copy of the Newsletter by e-mail, send an e-mail message to:
Agora@mail.w3.org (and leave the Subject line blank)
In the body of the message type: http://www.hw.ac.uk/libWWW/irn/irne6.html
This requests Issue 6 of the Newsletter. To get copies of earlier Issues, simply change the number near the end (e.g. irne5 is Issue 5, and so on). Please note that the URL for e-mail retrieval is different from the preferred WWW URL.
For further information contact: Roddy MacLeod (libram@vaxa.hw.ac.uk), Senior Faculty Librarian, URL: http://www.hw.ac.uk/libWWW/libram/roddy.html and Gordon Andrew (libgra@vaxa.hw.ac.uk), Information, Services Librarian; both of Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, United Kingdom.
(Source: <LIBRAM @vaxb.hw.ac.uk>)
New gopher for Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs (JHU/CCP)
What is the newest way to find family planning and related health information on the Internet? Through the CCP gopher at JHUinverse, Johns Hopkins University's gateway to the Internet. The CCP gopher has direct connections to other relevant gophers maintained by USAID, UNFPA, WHO, UNICEF, CDC, and others. The CCP gopher also allows users to:
To find the Center for Communication Programs on the Internet, type: gopher (space) jhuniverse.hcf.jhu.edu or telnet t0 jhuniverse.hcf.jhu.edu. Once in the JHUniverse menu select
Divisions, Centers and Affiliates and then Centers and Affiliates. Choose Center for Communication Programs.
Users are welcome to put a link to this gopher. The information for this gopher is:
Name=Center for Communication Programs (CCP)
Type=1
Port=10005
Path=1/.ccp
Host=jhuniverse.hcf.jhu.edu
URL Linkname: Center for Communication Programs (CCP)
gopher://jhuniverse.hcf.jhu.edu: 10005/11/.ccp
JHU/CCP is supported in large part by the US Agency for International Development (USAID). For more information about JHU/CCP on the Internet contact: Casey O'Brien at ccp@charm.net or at (410) 659-6245.
For more information contact: Casey W. O'Brien, Center for Communication Programs (CCP);
vmail: (410) 665-8735 (home) (410) 659-6245 (work)
email: kcobrien@welchlink.welch.jhu.educcp@charm.net
(Source: POPIN Gopher gopher.undp.org)
New book out on using e-mail
Using E-mail Effectively by Linda Lamb & Jerry Peek, 160 p., ISBN: 1-56592-103-8, US$14.95
O'Reilly & Associates has just released the first book in their new "What You Need to Know" series. The series is intended for those who either have to teach themselves technology or who simply don't have the time to learn everything there is to know.
When you are new to e-mail, you are usually shown what keystrokes to use to read and send a message. You might be told about a good online help system or given some documentation that tells you about command options. That instruction is necessary and helpful, especially if you have not had much computer experience. But knowing the keystrokes is not sufficient to become an effective and productive communicator. You also need to understand the context of e-mail. In a typical business environment, it might take months or years--and many mistakes--to learn:
With first-person anecdotes, examples, and general observations, Using E-mail Effectively shortens the learning-from-experience curve for all mailers, so that you can quickly be productive and send e-mail that looks intelligent to others.
The book starts with an overview of help systems and basic commands for many mailers, and then looks at the context for understanding productivity, saved mail, network addressing, communication, mailing lists, and sending files.
For more information contact: Sara Winge (sara@ora.com), O'Reilly & Associates, 103A Morris St., Sebastopol, CA 95472, U.S.A.; Tel: (707) 829-0515;
Fax: (707) 829-0104;
e-mail: http://www.ora.com/
Send e-mail to receive a guide to using e-mail to access the Internet
Accessing the Internet by E-mail by Robert Rankin, 4th Edition, March 1995
This guide shows how to retrieve files from FTP sites, explore the Internet via Gopher, search for information with Archie, Veronica, or WAIS, tap into the World-Wide Web, and even access Usenet newsgroups using e-mail as the only tool. The document is available from several automated mail servers; however, for the UK/Europe/etc., send message to mailbase@mailbase.ac.uk Leave subject blank, and enter only this text in the body of the note: send lis-iis e-access-inet.txt
(Source: FID Listserver)
National IT body sets up committee to oversee information infrastructure
Thailand's National Information Technology Committee (NITC) will set up a new subcommittee called Information Infrastructure Task Force (IITF) in March 1995 to oversee the development of a national information infrastructure (NII) blueprint.
It is also planning a conference on March 10 with TradeSiam, a company set up to provide electronic data interchange (EDI) services.
NITC already has seven other subcommittees under its wing: the Thailand EDI Council (TEDIC), IT Policy Planning, IT Human Resource Development, IT Utilisation in Public Sector, IT Legal Infrastructure, IT Public Awareness and IT Research and Development.
NITC Secretariat Office Director, Mr. Pichet Durongkaveroj, said that the new IITF subcommittee is being formed in a bid to get the NII project moving as soon as possible.
Initial projects would be "test beds", he said, adding that NII pilot projects would include infrastructure projects like telephone networks, fibre optic lines and distance learning programmes.
Other pilot projects would include an information superhighway project to develop services, applications and tools for various on-demand services and interactive communication, he said. This project, which would involve cooperation between the Government, universities and private firms would get off the ground before the end of this year.
Dr. Pichet said that the National Electronics and Computers Technology Center (NECTEC) had requested a budget of 50 million baht (US$2 million) to cover basic investment costs. He said that these test-bed projects would create public awareness of NII and highlight infrastructural problems. "The results of these pilot projects will be used to decide which NII projects should be invested in and what directions the NII blueprint should take," he said.
The IITF subcommittee also had to oversee other areas of concern such as laws, the rights to privacy and electronic systems, noted Dr. Pichet.
Asked about TradeSiam Co., which would be in charge of EDI, Dr. Pichet said that the TEDIC -- the subcommittee in charge of it --was working on the details of TradeSiam, such as determination of the percentage of the company that should be owned by whom and how much capital should be invested in it.
"NITC will hold a conference on March 10 to discuss the final consensus on TradeSiam," he added. Dr. Pichet noted that TradeSiam was expected to be set up by the end of the year. The company would be the electronic equivalent of the Post and Telegraph Department, which is the centre for processing letters, and would overlook EDI services provided by the Customs Department. "TradeSiam will manage the Customs Department's EDI work," he said.
EDI or electronic data interchange, he noted, was the exchange of business documents directly between computers, which helped reduce costs and time while increasing security.
EDI documents include such things as data, bills, invoices and letters, he noted. He said that international EDI was a step towards the development of a regional trading base.
The Thailand EDI Committee would use the EDIFACT standard based on UN/EDIFACT (United Nations/EDI for Administration Commerce and Transport) which was now used widely in Europe and Asia and the Pacific, and supported the ANSI X.12 United States standard.
(Source: Bangkok Post, 8 March 1995)
IBM introduces new PC DOS 7
IBM has unveiled its latest release of the venerable DOS operating system, with a new file-compression feature and updated support for the Personal Compter Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) standard built in.
PC-DOS 7 has also been fine-tuned to leave more conventional memory available, IBM said.
Karl LaWall, IBM's worldwide brand manager for PC-DOS, told Newsbytes that IBM's programmers optimised DOS code and improved its use of high-memory to make the operating system take up less space in conventional memory. Depending on the configuration, he said, users of the new release will find themselves with 5-60 kilobytes (KB) more memory than with version 6.x.
"On my ThinkPad, after I've got everything loaded I've got 610KB free", LaWall said. The amount of memory available under PC-DOS 7 can vary considerably with the hardware and software configuration, he noted.
PC-DOS 7 is the first IBM DOS release to come with Stac Electronics' Stacker file-compression software replacing the SuperStor/DS compression included in recent releases. Since "the entire retail product" of Stacker is included in PC-DOS 7, LaWall said, buyers can have access to compression with less trouble than before.
Those who care more about the speed of disk access than about cramming more onto their hard disks can choose as they install the operating system not to use Stacker, he added, and there are options for adjusting the speed-versus-capacity trade-off.
Also included in PC-DOS 7 is support for the PCMCIA standard, through Phoenix Technologies Ltd's PhoenixCard Manager Plus (PCM+) Version 3.01 software. Phoenix's PCMCIA enabling software has been included in the last three releases of PC-DOS. IBM said the new release improves the user interface, allows dynamic card configuration, helps boost battery life by allowing ATA-type PC Cards to be powered down after a prescribed interval without use, and pops up messages to notify users of card events.
Improved socket services mean the new PCM + also supports more controllers than before, officials said. Another new PC-DOS feature, aimed at mobile computer users, is File Update, which compares and synchronises files on two different computers.
IBM said a PC-DOS 7 upgrade for DOS 3.3 and later versions is now available in countries that use a single-byte character set, and double-byte character set versions will be available by mid-year.
(Source: Bangkok Post, 8 March 1995)
Two more Web publishing systems unveiled
IDI's BASISplus is used by over 2000, generally large, multi-site, organizations to manage their text and image data. Now with BASIS WEB-server they can make any amount of this information accessible over the Internet via public-domain software such as Mosaic. Alternatively they can restrict access, through security protection, to remote colleagues, subscribers or associates.
Whereas standard Web servers transfer whole documents, the BASIS system will select and transfer specific sections, themes or even phrases, thus saving time. Since everything is maintained by a database, it is also guaranteed to be up to date.
Mr. Mark Callen, IDI's Director of Sales for Northern Europe, said: "The idea is that under Mosaic we will be able to create an interface very similar to the BASIS Desktop Windows 3.1 client, by means of which the user will fill in boxes and search the application. For example, browsing indexes and a thesaurus online will both be possible".
Concerning IDI's relationship with its parent company, OCLC, he said: "This is very exciting to OCLC, with a blurring of the difference between the provider of information and the supplier of the software and technology to manage and deliver it".
Interleaf is known for its publishing system for long and complex documents, particularly those with multiple versions and authors. Until now it has run only on Unix servers, but a Windows version is due by the end of the year, potentially opening up a much wider market.
With Interleaf 6, users can create output for printing or on-screen viewing, but will soon also be able to publish over the Internet. Currently in beta form, Cyberleaf is Interleaf's solution to producing an eye-catching combination of text, graphics and images for placing on the Web.
Product Manager, Philip Randall, explained how the system might work for a spare parts or similar catalogue. "The publisher will produce an introduction to the catalogue, with hyperlinks and basic indexes and place this on the Web. Once the customer has found it, he or she will be able to download the entire catalogue plus Interleaf WorldView client software, given away free or charged for, according to preference. WorldView can handle the complex links and full-text indices which a standard Web viewer could not, so creating a much higher grade of publication than the likes of Mosaic could handle".
For more information, please contact:
IDI: Tel: +44 (0)71 4971403;
Interleaf: Tel: +44 (0)81 5515836; Fax: +44 (0)81 5518006.
(Source: Information World Review, November 1994, p. 18)
Powerful new search tool available on Internet
A powerful new software package designed to locate specific information on the Internet has been placed on the international web of computer networks by a team of researchers in the United States.
The software, named Harvest, enables users connected to the Internet to locate and summarize information stored in many different formats on machines around the world. Dr. Michael Schwartz, a computer science professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder and team leader for the project, said that users can create new collections of information in the process and then put them back out on the Internet for other users.
In addition to making information access easier on the Internet, the Harvest software is designed to ease the strain on servers, or host computers, as well as overall network traffic, according to University of Southern California assistant professor of computer science, Dr. Peter Danzig, who collaborated on the project.
"For some people, looking for information on the Internet is like being in a foreign country where the language and culture are constantly changing", Dr. Schwartz said. "Harvest can help people find the information they need in a confusing and ever-changing environment".
Harvest, which is being made available on the Internet at no charge, has been tested at 60 sites around the world for the past four months. Other team members include the University of Arizona's Dr. Udi Manber, Mr. Mic Bowman from Transarc Corp., a Pittsburgh software company, and CU-Boulder researcher Mr. Darren Hardy.
One of the Harvest test projects involved building a server for the AT&T toll-free 800 numbers directory. The information was collected and organized automatically by Harvest from data posted by AT&T on the Internet. The researchers added a powerful search tool to the server, allowing users to find names even if they were misspelled and locate complete 800 numbers by using only partial numbers as a reference.
Harvest now has the capability, for example, to locate thousands of technical reports from around the world on a particular topic and then summarize the contents of each report. Such summaries can be customized to benefit employees of large corporations and companies collaborating with each other by helping users access only the most pertinent information.
Harvest is the first phase of a US$2 million, multi-year project funded by the Advanced Research Projects Agency, the United States Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the National Science Foundation, Hughes Aircraft Co., and Sun Microsystems of Mountain View, California.
Dr. Clifford Lynch, Director of the University of California's Library Automation Project, called it "one of the most interesting R&D (research and development) projects" under way today. "Up until now, the tools to gather data from the Internet have been very limited and relatively costly in terms of network resources", he said.
Before Harvest, online users from the U.S. Navy had to go manually to each of the Navy's 20 server sites in order to conduct searches. Mr. Jim Glenn, the U.S. Navy's Internet manager who tested the software, said, "now we can do it all with one query from one site. It's one-stop shopping for information".
But Harvest is not a magic bullet, said the University of Arizona's Dr. Manber. "It's impossible to organize all the world's information in one way to fit everyone's needs", he said. "But it is possible to build collections of information on specific topics for specific uses and tie them loosely together so people can search and locate what they want".
Harvest was placed on the Internet in the Australia, France, Japan, United Kingdom and United States on 7 November 1994. It can be accessed on the Internet through the World Wide Web at
http://harvest.cs.colorado.edu.
(Source: Information Today, January 1995)
OCLC invites applications for research fellow programme
The Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) Office of Research has immediate openings in the 1995-1996 OCLC Research Fellow programme.
The OCLC Research Fellow program brings scientists, educators, and administrators with demonstrated research capabilities to OCLC to conduct research with OCLC staff, using its facilities and data resources. An OCLC research fellow is expected to conduct research that focuses on problems of significance to the library and information science community; the research need not be specific to OCLC's development and production activities.
Successful candidates must have doctoral degrees or equivalent training in library, information, or computer science; applied mathematics; statistics; psychology; or human factors. Experienced reseachers will be expected to perform independent research at OCLC, while those at the start of their careers will generally be assigned to one of OCLC's ongoing research projects under the direction of a research scientist.
OCLC expects research fellows to publish research results in the open literature. Publications stemming from research conducted while at OCLC are attributed to the OCLC research fellow; acknowledgment of OCLC's support is required, and co-authorship is expected when OCLC staff make significant contributions to the research effort.
The length of appointment for an OCLC research fellow is variable, traditionally six months to one year. OCLC offers a competitive salary and benefits, and relocation assistance is available.
Candidates should submit a letter of interest, including a curriculum vitae, date of availability, and specific research interests to: Dr. Terry Noreault, Director, Research and Special Projects, OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc., 6565 Frantz Road, Dublin, OH 43017, United States.
The OCLC Office of Research conducts mission-oriented research to provide the library and information science community with theoretical findings and practical applications.
(Source: Information Today, January 1995, p. 1)
Statistics Singapore on Internet
As Singapore's national statistical authority, the Department of Statistics is committed to a consumer-oriented public service that delivers a wide spectrum of statistical products and services. These include conventional "hard-copy" publications, new electronic products such as CD-ROM and a greater variety and number of service delivery channels such as the Internet.
The Department has just launched the Statistics Singapore Home Page (SSHP) on the World Wide Web of the Internet. Internet users can now access this home page by connecting to http://www.ncb.gov.sg/stats/.
The SSHP helps to disseminate information about the Department of Statistics, Singapore and its activities. Information will be available on sources of Singapore official statistics and key population, social and economic indicators.
The Department will be monitor usage of the SSHP closely.
Enhancements will be made where appropriate to meet the statistical information needs of both local users as well as the international community.
(Source: Statistics Singapore Newsletter, vol. 17, No. 3, January 1995)
24-bit scanner
The Vista-S6 is a 1200-dpi, 24-bit flatbed colour scanner with a SCS1-2 interface, micro stepping motors, and 256-KB bus-caching buffers. Able to scan a full 8.5-by-11-inch image in seven seconds for grey-scale and in 21 seconds for colour at 200 dpi, the scanner has an optical resolution of 600-by-300 dpi and a maximum resolution of 1200-by-1200 dpi with Ultra View software interpolation. From Umax Technologies (Fremont, CA), the Vista-S6 includes descreening, colour-calibration, and automatic-scan capabilities.
For more information, please contact: Tel: (800) 562-0311 or (510) 651-8883.
(Source: Byte, October 1994, p. 226)
Flicker-free computer video on TV
The pocket-size Presenter 3 Series of computer-to-television adapters (from $349) allow you to display computer-generated images on standard TVs or to record presentations directly to a VCR videocassette. The PC and Mac adapters have a Video Stabilizer that uses line-averaging technology to virtually eliminate screen flicker, according to Consumer Technology Northwest (Beaverton, OR). The adapters draw a percentage of multiple lines simultaneously to produce video stability. Sharp View advanced circuitry cleans up any residual smearing that occurs when video lines are averaged.
For more information, please contact: (800) 356-3983 or (503) 643-1662.
(Source: Byte, February 1995, p. 181)
Find facts fast
The first commercial version of the Windows information manager, InfoRecall 4.0 provides instant access to records as short as a few words or as long as 25 pages. Users can create free-form records and link them through hypertext to reveal relationships and patterns. Searches are done via such methods as keywords, phrases or blocks of text, phonetic matches, dates, numbers, logical operators, and across multiple files, among others. InfoRecall is from Phantech Software (Toronto, Ontario, Canada).
For more information, please call: (800) 208-1311 or (416) 502-1311
(Source: Byte, December 1994, p. 243)
Fast, writable CD-ROM
Pinnacle Micro's (Irvine, CA) recordable CD-ROM system, the RCD-1000, offers double-speed writing capability and a 1-MB cache buffer that lets you write data to a disc without interruptions. It can create ISO 9660, HFS, CD-Image, multisession, or audio-format discs; each disc ($39) holds 680 MB of data or 74 minutes of audio. The Mac system costs $2995; the PC version costs $3195. Both versions include backup software for performing random-access data retrieval.
For more information, please contact: (800) 553-7070 or (714) 727-3300.
(Source: BYTE, December 1994, p. 238)
Multimedia presentation software
With MediaMaestro, it is possible to create full-featured interactive multimedia presentations for personal and business use. Presentations can contain video, animation, images, text, sound, and music. The program from Software Dynamics (Bremen, Germany) supports video formats such as AVI, MPG, and DAT; audio formats such as BMP, TIFF, PCX, and Photo CD; and sound and music files in WAV, MIDI, and CD Audio formats.
MediaMaestro (DM399) features a flexible text function, screen underlays, transition effects, predefined templates and backgrounds, ready-made sample presentations, and a media-clip library. Users can install the software in three languages: English, French and German. A runtime version of MediaMaestro is provided free for distribution with presentation.
For more information, please contact: Tel: +49 421 210923;
(Source: Byte, October 1994, p. 40IS 20)
Ride a carousel through Windows
With its intuitive rotating toolbar and ability to automate repetitive operations, SpinWizard enables users to access and manage 96 of the most common documents, applications and tasks. When installing the program, it searches for popular applications and automatically loads them.
SpinWizard's 3-D carousel rotates when the user clicks on the top or bottom row; clicking on a coloured triangle at the end of the carousel instantly takes the user to the corresponding row. Users can also launch applications and navigate through the Windows desktop, drag and drop icons from the Program Manager or File Manager, and at a glance see which of his or her applications are currently running.
For more information, please contact: Tanisys Technology, San Antonio, TX, United States; Tel: (800) 460-7746 or (512) 263-1700.
(Source: Byte, December 1994, p. 243)
All United Nations bibliographic information now available on CD-ROM
The United Nations Dag Hammarskjold Library recently announced the publication of a new product, "UNBIS Plus on CD-ROM", which provides public access for the first time to all the files of the United Nations Bibliographic Information System (UNBIS).
Previously, this database was available online only to United Nations offices, permanent missions and selected government agencies.
The complete files of UNBIS are not available on any network, including the Internet. Thus, access to the valuable information contained in UNBIS is available to outside users only in CD-ROM form, which enables user-friendly access to this database without any telecommunications charges.
Created by the Dag Hammarskjold Library, in cooperation with the well-known publisher Chadwyck-Healey Inc., UNBIS Plus is designed to make United Nations information accessible to both specialists and non-specialists. Standard PC and CD-ROM hardware and software are all that are required to use UNBIS Plus. The user interface is in English, but Spanish and French versions are in preparation.
Hardware and software required to use UNBIS Plus are an IBM PC 286, 386, 486, PS/2 or any other PC which is 100 per cent IBM-compatible, with a minimum of 640K RAM (500K free); a hard disk and floppy disk drive; EGA/VGA display monitor; MS-DOS version 3.1 or higher; CD-ROM drive and controller card. Although Microsoft CD-ROM extensions (MSCDEX) version 2.1 or higher are recommended, the UNBIS Plus software also supports a variety of other network protocols which incorporate their own version of MSCDEX, in particular, SCSI Express and Corel SCSI based networks.
UNBIS Plus on CD-ROM comprises a variety of files: bibliographic, full-text, factual, name and subject authority and reference. Records are searchable by numerous criteria, beyond the traditional author, title and subject. Special "hot keys" make it a simple matter to move between files to find related records. For example, a single keystroke takes the user from the bibliographic citation for a resolution, to the full-text, to the voting record.
The UNBIS files include the following:
Orders or enquiries in North America should be addressed to: Chadwyck-Healey, Inc., 1101 King Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314, United States. Tel. (703) 683-4890 or (800) 752-0515; Fax. (703) 683-7589. All others should contact: Chadwyck-Healey Ltd., The Quorum, Barnwell Road, Cambridge CB5 8SW, United Kingdom. Tel. +44 (0)1223 215512; Fax: +44 (0)1223 215514.
(Source: DPI Press Release, 22 March 1995)