The use of INFO, a database management system, in teaching Library and Information Studies at Manchester Polytechnic

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Rowley, J.E. | Farrow, J.F. | Oulton, A.J. | Wood, A.J.

Affiliations: Department of Library and Information Studies, Manchester Polytechnic, Manchester M15 6BH, United Kingdom

Abstract: INFO, a database management package produced by Henco Software Inc., and marketed in the United Kingdom by Doric, is used in the Department of Library and Information Studies at Manchester Polytechnic to teach aspects of information technology, information retrieval, documentation, management, and information systems design. The Department's courses are outlined and the areas in which INFO is used are identified. The Department has a policy of using a limited number of software packages in order to achieve consolidation and optimal progress in learning. The features of INFO that make it attractive for a teaching and learning environment are its relational and text retrieval facilities. Details of a number of specific applications of INFO in the Department are given. These include database management systems, information retrieval, catalogue databases, vocabulary control, full-text databases, database design, output display and online public access catalogues. [French, German, and Spanish translations of this abstract can be found on pp. 112–113.]

DOI: 10.3233/EFI-1988-6106

Journal: Education for Information, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 71-82, 1988