  Imaging studies have shown that about 25% of LINER galaxies display a compact
nuclear UV source. As part of a program to study the nature of LINERs and their
connection to the active galaxy phenomenon, we compare the HST ultraviolet
(1150-3200 Ang) spectra of seven such UV-bright LINERs. Data for three of the
galaxies (NGC 404, NGC 4569, and NGC 5055) are presented for the first time,
while data for four others (M81, NGC 4594, NGC 4579, and NGC 6500) have been
recently published. The spectra of NGC 404, NGC 4569, and NGC 5055 show clear
absorption-line signatures of massive stars, indicating a stellar origin for
the UV continuum. Similar features are probably present in NGC 6500. The same
stellar signatures may be present but undetectable in NGC 4594, due to the low
signal-to-noise ratio of the spectrum, and in M81 and NGC 4579, due to
superposed strong, broad emission lines. The compact central UV continuum
source that is observed in these galaxies is a nuclear star cluster rather than
a low-luminosity active galactic nucleus (AGN), at least in some cases. Except
for the two LINERs with broad emission lines (M81 and NGC 4579), the LINERs
have weak or no detectable UV emission lines. At least four of the LINERs
suffer from an ionizing photon deficit, in the sense that the ionizing photon
flux inferred from the observed far-UV continuum is insufficient to drive the
optical H I recombination lines. Examination of the nuclear X-ray flux of each
galaxy shows a high X-ray/UV ratio in the four ``UV-photon starved'' LINERs.
Future observations can determine whether the UV continuum in LINERs is always
dominated by a starburst or, alternatively, that there are two types of
UV-bright LINERs: starburst-dominated and AGN-dominated.
