Some of the most significant changes in information technology are those that have given the individual user greater power to choose. The first of these changes was the development of the personal computer. The PC liberated the individual user from the limitations of the mainframe and minicomputers and from the rules and regulations of centralized…

In "Thinking Ahead: A Vision of the Role of ICT in Education and Research in the Future, 2007-2010," the higher education institutions in the Netherlands agreed on future strategy. Under the direction of SURF, the Dutch national organization, a collaborative strategy for the application of information and communications technology (ICT)…

Defines portability of educational software; examines research regarding the portability of educational materials; considers barriers to portability; describes a research project conducted at the University of Twente (Netherlands) concerning the portability of computer-related educational resources, including networked learning environments; and…

Reviews developments in telecommunications applications for education in Western Europe by describing national or regional initiatives for support of telecommunications use by teachers and in schools. Highlights include examples of networks and support services and the role of the Commission of the European Communities. (22 references) (LRW)

Explores the information market in the United States from the perspective of information scientists from the Netherlands Council for Libraries and Information Services (RABIN). Highlights include empowering the end user; the new information infrastructure; facilitating access; document delivery; electronic journals; new markets; pricing; and…

Twenty-five papers presented at the conference include papers on the role of the site coordinator in a distributed education network in Ontario; student support systems in the Open University of Israel; the dilemmas of designing a computer mediated communication support system; interactive libraries; tutoring in technical science in the Open…

Describes the activities of SURFnet BV, a research network that provides information and communication services in higher education and scientific or industrial research in The Netherlands. Topics discussed include standardization; user services, including electronic mail; costs of using SURFnet; user support services; and the role of libraries in…

Discusses virtual libraries, i.e., library services available to users via personal computers; considers the issues of technological development, user demands, and organizational response; and describes progress toward virtual libraries in the Netherlands, including networks, online systems, navigation tools, subject classification, coordination…

This paper investigates the need for electronic provision of information, and advises that the purpose and motivation for providing electronic resources be explored before embarking on a project to provide them. Many projects at universities and other institutes have been begun arbitrarily just because there happened to be financial resources…

Discusses how to prepare teachers to use educational technology and how to affect their attitudes toward change. Technology in public schools in Indiana is examined, and the international Long Distance Learning Network Project (LDLN), which was designed to determine the effectiveness of long-distance learning in elementary and secondary schools,…

This book examines lifelong learning in the Information Age and the role of higher education (HE) in providing the educational services needed by lifelong learners. The following are among the topics discussed in the book's eight chapters: (1) changes in HE (repercussions of globalization in the educational sector; competition in higher learning;…