The core duties of the reference librarian inherently mandate that the work environment is not unlike a kaleidoscope: Students and faculty revolve within and around the library, and reference and public services workers do the same; every move temporarily redesigning the library, its collections, and even its very role on campus into something…

Helping students develop criteria for judgment and apply examination skills is essential for promoting scientific literacy. With the increasing availability of the Internet, it is even more essential that students learn how to evaluate the science they gather from online resources. This is particularly true because publishing information on the…

Information is everywhere and finding the best method to manage it is a problem that all types of organizations have to deal with. Schools use Student Information Systems (SIS) to manage Student Data, Financial Information, Development, Human Resources, Admission, Financial Aid, Enrollment, Scheduling, and Health Information. A survey of 107…

Stephen Downes continues his examination of open source learning management systems (LMSs) with a visit to Sakai's Web site. While Sakai's Web site is not particularly easy to navigate, it provides access to a large community and constellation of related online learning products and initiatives. Visitors can visit discussion forums to ask…

Every dollar counts in today's school libraries, where a resource is evaluated not just by the cost, but also by how many students will utilize it. A recent survey shows that many school librarians rely on their state to help provide (and pay for) databases that their students can access from the school media center or at their public library.…

For the past ten years law students, academics and legal practitioners have relied on AustLII and various internet search engines to conduct legal research. The purpose of this article is to examine what these can offer and to note the importance of other websites when conducting legal research. This article is based on an address given to the…

While the use of a search engine to find secondary sources is now a commonplace practice among undergraduate writers, recent studies show that students' online searches often lead to materials that are wholly or partially unsuitable for academic purposes. Accordingly, this project set out to determine whether using a more specialized search…

One of the major shifts in education today under the influence of information and communication technologies is that there is an increased tendency toward the use of computers and Internet. The process of ICT integration in schools reaches a considerable level of maturity and teachers and students are optimizing the learning opportunities with the…