Sexism in the reading roomAlan Day
1995 Library Review
doi: 10.1108/00242539510102547
Reflects on how some apparently harmless correspondence in three issues of Notes and Queries , September‐November 1884, regarding the quality of readers′ chairs in the Reading Room of the British Museum, and their usage by readers of both sexes, revealed some unbecoming sexist attitudes and some ungentlemanlike behaviour.
CD‐ROM interfaces: full‐text databasesJillian R. Griffiths; J. Siân Lambert
1995 Library Review
doi: 10.1108/00242539510102565
Examines the growing, and diverse, full‐text CD‐ROM marketplace. Draws heavily on material from the 10th and 12th editions of TFPL′s CD‐ROM Directory . Uses various parameters to discover the extent of fragmentation within the full‐text CD‐ROM marketplace. Full‐text CD‐ROMs are designed for end‐users and as such need an easy‐to‐use interface. However, the extent of proliferation and diversification of retrieval software brings into question ease of use of CD‐ROM generally, and full‐text products specifically. In spite of the diversification and complexity, areas of expansion in the full‐text marketplace are identified. They are seen to be within the home and schools′ markets, and also within specific subject areas; notably law, business and commerce and news information. As the market matures it will be interesting to note which interfaces survive, and why.
Automatic abstracting researchFrances Johnson
1995 Library Review
doi: 10.1108/00242539510102574
The prospect of automatically generating abstracts has attracted researchers for some time, but the promise of superseding the human effort has yet to be realized. Surveys the approaches and techniques developed with the view to showing why this is so. Particular emphasis is placed on the requirements for the production of abstracts, which effectively serve their intended function, to show the ways in which this has hampered research in the past. Suggests that progress of automatic abstracting research may come about via the integration of some of the techniques into computerized information retrieval systems. This will allow researchers to shift the aim from reproducing the conventional benefits of abstracts to accentuating the advantages to users of computerized representation of information in large textual databases.
The joys of statisticsPeter Stephen; Susan Hornby
1995 Library Review
doi: 10.1108/00242539510102592
The need for investigation to provide hard evidence for management planning and decisions is well recognized. Statistical methods offer meaningful analyses of quantitative and qualitative data. Data may be acquired from published and official sources or by one′s own collecting. Evaluating other people′s data and reported results, and making valid conclusions from one′s own data, require some intuitive understanding of methods of data collection and the theoretical bases of statistics. Methods of analysis range from simple arithmetical processes and graphical display to inferential methods based on probability. Acquisition of adequate statistical skills is accessible to all workers in the library and information field.
Enter the cyberpunk librarian: future directions in cyberspaceJonathan Willson
1995 Library Review
doi: 10.1108/00242539510102600
Proposes the “cyberpunk librarian” as an identity for the librarian able to operate in the emerging cyberspace. Describes the properties and culture of this electronic frontier. Reviews a broad range of literature to identify future directions for libraries and librarians who will have to seek a response to the major social impact of technology‐driven change. Argues that librarians are presented with an opportunity to reaffirm and assert their professional values and beliefs. They can help to shape a vision of cyberspace that provides benefits to society and individuals based on a fair and equitable distribution of information resources.