Computer Cataloguing and Indexing Survey. Summary.

In 1982 a study was conducted to analyze educational software information currently available to Canadian educators and to develop a plan for effectively collecting, organizing, and disseminating courseware information in the future. The teachers, students, librarians, educational resource personnel, and administrators included in the study reported that available software information (from software catalogs, vendor publicity materials, and educational resource centers) was not adequate. They expressed the need for thorough, standardized, easily accessible software descriptions containing evaluative information. Software user opinions and requirements, as determined in the study, are summarized in this document, which also presents a general check list of steps for establishing an information-sharing network and 16 specific recommendations for solving the educational software information problem in Canada. It is recommended that a centralized database of standardized educational software descriptions be established and that a print and then an online catalog be developed. Further recommendations cover suggested description and evaluation procedures and cataloging and indexing methods. The document concludes with a reference to the full project report. (ESR)