Date:         Thu, 6 Feb 1992 22:14:50 CST
From:         "Charles Bailey, University of Houston" <LIB3@UHUPVM1>
Subject:      Call for Papers

                THE PUBLIC-ACCESS COMPUTER SYSTEMS REVIEW

Overview of the Journal

The Public-Access Computer Systems Review (PACS Review) is a refereed
electronic journal about end-user computer systems in libraries.  It
covers topics such as CD-ROM databases, electronic publishing, expert
systems, hypertext programs, microcomputer labs, locally-mounted
databases, network-based information resources, and online catalogs.  It
is published by the University of Houston Libraries.  ONLINE gave the
PACS Review its highest rating, "Excellent," in a review in the January
1991 issue.

The PACS Review, which was established in January 1990, is distributed
at no charge on BITNET, Internet, and other computer networks.  Charles
W. Bailey, Jr., University of Houston Libraries, is the founding
Editor-in-Chief of the journal; Leslie Pearse, OCLC, is the Associate
Editor, Columns; Dana Rooks, University of Houston Libraries, is the
Associate Editor, Communications; and Roy Tennant, University of
California, Berkeley is the Associate Editor, Reviews.  The journal has
a sixteen-member Editorial Board.  The following individuals serve on
the Board:

     Ralph Alberico, University of Texas, Austin
     George H. Brett II, University of North Carolina
          General Administration
     Steve Cisler, Apple
     Walt Crawford, Research Libraries Group
     Lorcan Dempsey, University of Bath
     Nancy Evans, Pennsylvania State University, Ogontz
     Charles Hildreth, READ Ltd.
     Ronald Larsen, University of Maryland
     Clifford Lynch, Division of Library Automation,
          University of California
     David R. McDonald, Tufts University
     R. Bruce Miller, University of California, San Diego
     Paul Evan Peters, Coalition for Networked Information
     Mike Ridley, University of Waterloo
     Peggy Seiden, Pennsylvania State University, New Kensington
     Peter Stone, University of Sussex
     John E. Ulmschneider, North Carolina State University

The Communications section contains descriptions of public-access
computer systems, discussions of important current issues, symposia,
technical findings, and short research reports.  Papers for the
Communications section are selected by the Editor-in-Chief and the
Associate Editor, Communications.  The minimum length for an article is
approximately 2,000 words; the maximum length of an article is
determined in consultation with the author.

The PACS Review announced a new section of the journal, Refereed
Articles, in November 1991.  This section contains substantive papers on
research or theory.  They are peer reviewed by Editorial Board members.
The PACS Review uses a double-blind review procedure where the reviewer
does not know the author's name and vice versa.  The review process
typically takes from two to four weeks.

The PACS Review also includes regular columns as well as reviews of
books, network resources, and software.

The PACS Review is published on an irregular basis.  Issues may contain
a single article or multiple articles.  As an electronic journal with a
flexible publication strategy, the PACS Review typically has a faster
turnaround time than equivalent print journals.

The PACS Review is copyrighted; however, copying is permitted for
noncommercial use by computer conferences, individual scholars, and
libraries.  Authors retain the copyright to their articles, and they
give the University of Houston the nonexclusive right to publish the
articles in the journal and in future publications.  Libraries are
authorized to add the journal to their collections at no cost.  The
journal is cataloged on OCLC and RLIN; its ISSN is 1048-6542.  The
Library and Information Technology Association, a division of the
American Library Association, has signed a contract to publish the first
volume of the PACS Review as a printed book.

Distribution of the Journal

The PACS Review is associated with the moderated PACS-L list, which
serves over 3,600 users in 36 countries.  PACS-L was founded in June
1989 by Charles W. Bailey, Jr.; it is currently moderated by Dana Rooks
(LIBL@UHUPVM1) and Jill Hackenberg (LIBJ@JETSON.UH.EDU).  PACS-L users
have an automatic subscription to the journal.  To join PACS-L, send the
following e-mail message to LISTSERV@UHUPVM1 or LISTSERV@UHUPVM1.UH.EDU:
SUBSCRIBE PACS-L First Name Last Name.

A second moderated list, PACS-P@UHUPVM1, was established in January 1991
for libraries and other users who want to receive the PACS Review and
other PACS-L publications, but who do not want do receive messages from
PACS-L users.  The PACS-P list serves over 100 users in ten countries.
To join PACS-P, send the following e-mail message to LISTSERV@UHUPVM1 or
LISTSERV@UHUPVM1.UH.EDU: SUBSCRIBE PACS-P First Name Last Name.

Instructions to Authors

The PACS Review uses The Chicago Manual of Style (thirteenth edition,
revised) reference format (style "A").  Please number footnotes
sequentially (do not use the author-date system).  If in doubt about how
to format a reference, please consult Kate L. Turabian's A Manual for
Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (fifth edition).  See
the "Further Information" section for a sample citation for a journal
article.

The PACS Review utilizes numbered sections (e.g., "1.0 Introduction").

Overall, keep the format of the manuscript as simple as possible.
Manuscripts should be single-spaced.  Use a line length of 65
characters.  Do not underline or italicize text.  Minimize the use of
illustrations and tables.

All accepted manuscripts will be edited as required for clarity and
length.

Authors can submit their manuscripts by e-mail or file transfer.  Send
the manuscript as an ASCII file via BITNET or Internet.

If this is not feasible, submit the manuscript as an ASCII file or a
WordPerfect file on a 1.2 MB or 1.44 MB IBM floppy disk.

Send articles to the Editor-in-Chief:

     Charles W. Bailey, Jr.
     Assistant Director for Systems
     University Libraries
     University of Houston
     Houston, TX 77204-2091
     LIB3@UHUPVM1 (BITNET) or LIB3@UHUPVM1.UH.EDU (Internet)

Send reviews to the Associate Editor, Reviews:

     Roy Tennant
     Public Service Automated Systems Coordinator
     The Library
     130 Doe
     University of California, Berkeley
     Berkeley, CA 94720
     rtennant@library.berkeley.edu

Retrieving Back Issues

PACS Review articles are stored as individual files on the list server,
and a table of contents message for each issue is sent out to all PACS-L
and PACS-P users.  After looking over the table of contents message,
users can retrieve article files of interest.

To retrieve the table of contents file for an issue of the PACS Review,
send an e-mail message to LISTSERV@UHUPVM1 or LISTSERV@UHUPVM1.UH.EDU
that contains the appropriate command based on the issue's volume and
number:

    GET CONTENTS PRV1N1 F=MAIL
    GET CONTENTS PRV1N2 F=MAIL
    GET CONTENTS PRV1N3 F=MAIL
    GET CONTENTS PRV2N1 F=MAIL
    GET CONTENTS PRV2N2 F=MAIL

To retrieve an annual index file for a volume of The Public-Access
Computer Systems Review, send an e-mail message to LISTSERV@UHUPVM1 that
contains the appropriate command based on the volume's number:

    GET INDEX PRV1 F=MAIL

There are no restrictions on who can access these files.  You do not
need to be a PACS-L or PACS-P user to do so.

The above commands will result in the file being sent as an e-mail
message.  If you prefer to receive it via a file transfer, omit "F=MAIL"
from the command.

Further Information

For a description of the early days of the PACS Review, see: Charles W.
Bailey, Jr., "Electronic (Online) Publishing in Action . . . The
Public-Access Computer Systems Review and Other Electronic Serials,"
ONLINE 15 (January 1991): 28-35.

For further information, contact Charles W. Bailey, Jr., Editor-in-
Chief, The Public-Access Computer Systems Review, University Libraries,
University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204-2091, (713) 749-4241, BITNET:
LIB3@UHUPVM1, Internet: LIB3@UHUPVM1.UH.EDU.