The author's comments and questions about an earlier study by NORDINFO (Nordic Council for Scientific Information) of databases and data banks in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden are organized into four sections: (1) surveying databases and data banks, (2) approaches to computerized information services, (3) the present state of development in…

Examines the Commission of the European Communities' draft directive on database copyright. Components of the directive are discussed, including a definition of a database, databases protected as literary works under copyright law, piracy protection, fair use, and licensing requirements; and problems with the directive are described. (four…

Conceptual issues in developing and using opportunity-to-learn (OTL) standards to inform policy questions about equal educational opportunity are discussed. Using two national databases, OTL measures are developed according to Libertarian, Liberal, and Democratic Liberal conceptualizations, and the influence of these concepts on the information…

The development of an appropriate research policy for a university as well as for the national and international levels can be accomplished only if quantitative data and qualitative evaluations (scientific contribution, results, goal-achievement) are made available to illustrate research activities. A database is described that would enable…

Describes the information policy framework prescribed by OMB Circular No. A-130, which introduces the distinction between access to information and information dissemination. The discussion covers the use of electronic collection and dissemination of government information, together with the need to safeguard privacy and public access to…

Discussion of the planned transformation of the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) from a printer to a multimedia disseminator of information products and services considers the need for a governmentwide publishing policy; the underlying principles that define the GPO's role; and strategies for providing access to online data. (six references)…

Addresses issues related to the dissemination of federal government information in both print and electronic formats. Highlights include the variety in user needs; value versus cost; the lack of uniform policy among government agencies regarding pricing; information versus publication; and private sector information providers. (LRW)

Following a brief discussion on the concept of teacher incentives, several types of teacher incentive research are described in relation to the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) of the National Center for Education Statistics. Original national data from SASS relating to teacher incentive pay programs are reported. The three types of studies of…

Reviews European attitudes toward information policy developments in West Germany, and describes recent activities undertaken by the German private sector, plans to reorganize the Society for Information and Documentation, and the federal government's specialized information program. The policies, structure, and activities of the Scientific and…

The roles of institutional researchers in the overall goal setting and monitoring process were studied in 1982. In addition, the use of databases and new technology (e.g., computer models and planning aids, information retrieval systems, and national databases) as support mechanisms for assessment of institutional performance, and the methods used…

A number of problems faced by the custodians of large collections of data which are potentially useful for research in the behavioral sciences, are addressed in this presentation. These problems relate to the rights of individuals who provide research data, to questions of "informed consent", and to the circumstances under which the…

Bibliographic databases act as search tools to locate relevant literature and information, but they also disseminate information about the works indexed in the records. Articles and authors that cannot be found cannot be cited, and the ability to disseminate data for that particular work is diminished. This study found no significant differences…

To understand and comprehend the extent of the present and potential impact of energy costs on New York State's educational system, a study sought to discover the record of schools in energy conservation; their participation in federal and state conservation initiatives; the factors that inhibit school participation in energy conservation…

In an effort to integrate existing data into decision-making processes, the School of Education at the University of Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) began development of a comprehensive set of databases to be used in planning and administration. University strategic planning had begun in 1975 and continued with new impetus and revisions in 1984 and…

The movement toward integration of qualitative and quantitative research methods within the same study has been most evident in social policy research. Four major approaches to integrating can be identified in recent studies. The sequential, the parallel, and the fused models have been rather widely used. The interactive model, developed during…