The four papers in this issue of Information Research News cover a wide range of topics and represent several different types of research project. First, we have our second "Guest Paper" from Dr. Amanda Spink of the University of North Texas - her study of the emergence of the "digital ranch" shows how a very traditional kind of occupation is now turning to electronic information resources. Of the "home grown" papers: Makin et al. report the results of a survey of catalogue usage in 24 special libraries. The work was carried out during the dissertation component of an MA Librarianship degree in the Department of Information Studies. Proctor et al. present the principal findings of a project, funded by the British Library Research and Development Department, to investigate the main results on the local user community of the strike that took place in Sheffield City Libraries during the summer of 1995. Finally, Willett summarises some of the work that has recently been carried out in the Department on methods for selecting compounds from databases of chemical structures, supported by funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and Tripos Inc.
Information Research is designed, maintained and published by by Professor Tom Wilson. Design and editorial content © T.D. Wilson, 1996-98