Under the headline "A Wonderful Invention," "The Cincinnati Daily Star" reported on the front page of its evening edition on Tuesday, November 6, 1877, news of Thomas Edison's phonograph--a device that could both record and play back sound. Although Edison himself would offer a list of 10 possible uses for the invention,…

Today we thrive on an abundance of relatively cheap computing power and have the luxury of wasting most of it. It is quickly becoming not only possible but also financially sound, for educators to significantly complement, supplement, or even replace traditional print curricula with digital print and media, online curricula and websites, and…

Digital technologies have changed the way students read and communicate. Subsequently, teachers must use technology to engage their students in learning. This article illustrates the value of using Web 2.0 tools (blogs, wikis, and digital media-sharing) in the social studies classroom. Additionally, a social studies teacher shares insights into…

The technological advance that has dominated various aspects of our daily life has led to the emergence of new literacies. This created a need for reconceptualizing the old notion of literacy which was restricted to the ability of reading and writing. It has been stated forward by many scholars that we now require a richer and more diversified…

E-portfolios are online spaces for teachers and students to communicate, share, reflect, and collaborate inside and outside of the classroom. They have created exciting opportunities for teaching and learning worldwide. This article discusses three key factors to the popularity and wide adoption of e-portfolios: easy access, low cost, and high…

Describes how the European Community's CITED Project provides the information industry with a solution to the problem of copyright applied to digital technology. The use of technical means to control copying and an assessment of the legal and commercial situation in the information industry are discussed. (EAM)

Addresses the growth of signatures in document management. Describes the three basic types of electronic signature technology: image signatures, digital signatures, and digitized biometric signatures. Discusses legal and regulatory acceptability and bringing signatures into document management. (AEF)

Describes some of the problems in documentation work rising from the habit of detaching information from any physical support, as a prevailing notion in an electronic environment. Points to the necessity of regarding information as something closely connected with preservation. Suggests a clearer distinction in information science between…

Presents information on the different types of data projectors, to help librarians make a smart selection for their library. Describes multimedia projectors; document cameras; large-screen televisions, monitors, and flat panels; electronic whiteboards, and identifies uses, manufacturers, and prices. Notes three important ways that data projectors…

Defines virtual documents and categorizes them, roughly, on how they are created, such as using templates, from computations, as composites, and as metadata. Describes the following information retrieval problems with virtual documents: search, revisiting, authentication, reference, version control, and annotation. (AEF)

Discusses the concept of a digital library and the utility of space/time referencing. Describes the unified space/time/keyword/format search and retrieval and indexing system of the ISLA (Information System for Los Angeles) at the University of Southern California. Focuses on the practical application of space/time referencing and methods of…

Discusses ways to apply traditional search strategies to online information seeking. Highlights include explore and browse search features; hierarchical features (knowledge/topic/subject trees, categories, distribution lists); analytical search features; and the process approach. (AEF)

The German Research Association (DFG) is actively involved in preservation of research materials; it takes the view that in preservation, the enormous potential of digitization for access should be combined with the stability of microfilm for long-term storage. A working group was convened to investigate the technical state of digitization of…

Digitization benefits the users of special collections through increase in traditional use of materials, development of new avenues of research, and the appearance of new types of research using rare books and manuscripts. It challenges the relative value given to paper originals of rare materials as digital holdings increase. Special collections…

This paper brings together four short discussions that focus on how the construction and analysis of digital movies support theory-building, and whether that theory-building is equitable. Researches who have used digital media extensively over the last decade address how participants in studies using digital media become collaborators and…