Minicomputers are both technically suitable and cost effective for information storage and retrieval systems. Soft ware packages for structured database management and for free text systems are well established and can reduce both the costs and the technical difficulties of setting up an informa tion management system. The particular requirements of designing minicomputer systems are described, and some practical consequences indicated. A number of commercially available free text systems are listed with their salient fea tures. It is expected that free text systems rather than struc tured databases will prove to be of most use to the informa tion scientist or librarian.
J.H. Ashford and D.I. Matkin, The future for free text systems Computer Bulletin (Ser 2, 21) (September 1979) 18-21.
2.
E.D. Barraclough , On-line searching in information retrieval Journal of Documentation 33(3) (1977) 220-238.
3.
A.N. Grosch, Minicomputers in libraries, 1979-1980 (Knowledge Industry Publications Inc., White Plains, NY, 1979).
4.
International Directory of Software 1980-'81 (CUYB Publications Ltd., Bournemouth, 1980).
5.
M.E. Williams (Ed.), Annual review of information science and technology Vol. 13, 1978 - esp. pp. 94-95, 127-143.
6.
C. Bell and K.P. Jones, Towards everyday language retrieval systems via minicomputers, Journal of the American Society for Information Science30(6) (1979).
