This case study of how the museum community is trying to select standards for data interchange between museum systems reviews the work of the Museum Computer Network's committee on the Computer Interchange of Museum Information (CIMI) and reflects on the issues confronting CIMI as it tries to exploit information technology standards as a strategy.…

Examines the relationship between the National Information Infrastructure (NII) and the new General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. Topics discussed include the reduction or elimination of tariffs on NII products; protection of copyrighted works; unresolved trade issues, including the European telecommunications market; standards; and privacy and…

Suggests that there is danger in focusing too much on developing new features for relatively stable Internet hardware and software platforms, and not enough attention to creating new value for networked information users. Criteria for networked information systems functions and performance factors must be developed, and it is necessary to plan and…

Reviews the development of telecommunications networks and describes current technology being used for online information retrieval. Highlights include use for military and research needs; experiences in Europe versus those in the United States; value-added networks (VANs); local area networks (LANs) and personal computers; and the Integrated…

Points out the lack of standards and benchmarks guides for college science teaching. Questions whether it is necessary to attempt to establish national science standards for college science teaching and considers professional development, motivation, and teaching strategies. Recommends teacher preparation experience for college science faculty.…

Discusses the development of the Internet and describes the results of a survey of Internet users that asked about the use of computers in schools, benefits for teaching, and the Internet's future in education. Global interactions and the need for standards are considered, and science and engineering Internet addresses are listed. (LRW)

Describes present and future plans for the campuswide communications network at Case Western Reserve University (Ohio). Highlights include upgrading from baseband to broadband technologies; ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode)-based networks that allow simultaneous voice, video, and data transmission; strategic planning goals; implications for…

The first of two program sessions at this semiannual meeting addressed the agenda of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) for the 1990s, and the report provides summaries of remarks by Elaine Sloan on the background; D. Kaye Gapen on a report from the Task Force on Review of the ARL Five-Year Plan; and Duane E. Webster on the ARL framework…

Explores issues relating libraries, telecommunications, the Communications Act of 1934, the Federal Communications Commission, and the common carriers. Computer networking technologies and standards are discussed and progress in library networking is compared to the development of a planned national science network. Future public policy issues…

Discusses the current status of 4 developments that will determine the emergence of generally available multimedia information services: high-bandwidth networks; inexpensive user appliances capable of handling multimedia; adoption of standards for representation, compression, packaging, and transmission; and development of a corpus of multimedia…

Both a classification of the relatively new standards-setting consortia and a theoretical basis for their emergence are developed. It is noted that the theory is based on the confluence of political theory and the theory of markets, and the implications of these consortia for the standards-setting process are considered from theoretical and…

Noting that standards are needed to enable libraries using different processors and different operating systems to connect their computers and share services in meaningful ways, this article examines the content and status of ANSI Z39.50: Information Retrieval Service Definition and Protocol Specification for Library Applications and related work.…

Discusses the need for proposing and implementing an information technology standards policy for the federal government. Topics addressed include the National Information Infrastructure (NII); voluntary standards among federal agencies; private sector organizations; coordinating the use of standards; enforcing compliance; policy goals; a framework…

Discusses the use of microcomputer-based workstations that are provided for public access in libraries. Criteria for workstations are discussed, including standard hardware, open-design software, scalable interface, and connectivity options for networking; systems that provide full-text access are described; and the need for standards is…

Discusses results from a 1992 survey of various types and sizes of Canadian libraries that was conducted to establish a baseline profile of libraries contributing to shared databases, and to determine the nature and extent of AACR2R use for creating original records being contributed to bibliographic utilities or other networks. (LRW)