System Reviews:

-  premise:  It is the ability to categorize and classify ideas
in ways that accommodate the various needs of the user group(s)
that characterizes successful information processing systems.


The relative effectiveness of three types of information
management systems for preservation applications was examined
over the course of the research effort.  The objective of this
portion of the project was to evaluate the appropriateness of a
current information management strategy for preservation
applications, and to formulate and assess alternative strategies
by drawing from contemporary software and hardware resources that
had not yet been adequately explored.  The Historic Structures
Preservation Database (HSPD) System that has been developed by
the National Park Service served as the research vehicle for the
former concern, and the CRISTAL System software environment and
the MaxThink Hypertext System for the latter.  The discussion of
these respective systems describes the operating environment, the
design objectives, and the assembly of each.  The attributes and
limitations of the systems are evaluated according to the stated
objectives of each system, as well as in the context of the
technologies available to the investigator.  It should be noted
that the pursuit of effective information management is the
fundamental issue guiding this research endeavor, and that the
elucidation of potential strategies for enhancing the
preservation decision processes is the ultimate goal. 
Unfortunately, hardware constraints (cost and availability of
equipment) meant that the optimum configuration of neither the
CRISTAL nor the MaxThink System was possible, but each holds
exceptional promise for enhanced utility and performance with a
more sophisticated hardware environment.

<dfile12>   Evaluation Criteria
<dfile13>   HSPD
<dfile37>   CRISTAL: Introduction
<dfile69>   PC-Hypertext: Introduction
<afile17>   Summary of Introduction