In 1997, Buckman Laboratories (based in Memphis, Tennessee) embarked on a plan to create a Learning Center for its distributed, global workforce using the corporate intranet. The Learning Center is now fully operational and tightly integrated with the knowledge management and sharing activities of the company. Discussion includes rapid prototyping…

Reviews Oregon State University Communication Media Center's experiences in designing, developing, and using a computerized scheduling system to help with the center's operation. Description includes purposes for developing the system, creation of the system using a commercial database management software package, and the five menus used in the…

Faculty and media specialist directors in Ohio's four-year, state-assisted higher education institutions were surveyed to determine their perceptions of and attitudes toward educational technology services, including their quality and importance, and the budget commitment to such services. Results indicate that faculty and media directors do not…

Briefly discusses the evolution of duties of school media specialists and describes use of an attitudinal questionnaire to survey the school community to see how well media services are being received and whether improvements or adjustments are necessary. Items to be included in such a questionnaire are listed. (MBR)

Describes educational applications for Hypercard, a new piece of software for Apple Macintosh microcomputers. Highlights include programing languages; the development of databases; school media center applications; telecomputing possibilities; use in research activities; and the need for Macintosh computers and educational software in elementary…

Examines some common myths in the organizational culture of academic institutions. Outlines factors and strategies directors of instructional technology centers may take to harmonize their role within the mission and needs of the institution and obtain visibility as well as faculty and staff support. (10 references/notes) (EA)

Discusses "Information Power: Guidelines for School Library Media Programs," which focuses on the library media specialist's role in planning the delivery of resources and services. Implementation of the guidelines on national, state, regional, district, building, and personal levels is discussed, and political cultures that influence…

Examines the integration of technology in Iowa high schools. Highlights include rural versus urban schools; available technology in the classrooms, labs, media centers, and administrative offices; uses of technology; the perceived impact of using technology; administrative support; teacher motivation; and community support. (LRW)

Reviews the role of a public school media specialist and suggests resources for further reading in various areas. Highlights include the instructional role; levels of instructional involvement; the role of school libraries; teaching information skills; and the evaluation process, including evaluation of instructional systems, student performance,…

Presents a history of school library media programs. Topics include the evolution of standards; the influence of military training on standards during World War II; district and school media programs; and "Information Power," by AASL (American Association of School Librarians) and AECT (Association for Educational Communications and…

Describes a beginning Internet course at Mankato State University (Minnesota) designed for preservice and inservice school library media professionals and students. The course addresses the following topics: electronic mail; LISTSERVs; news services; gophering; FTP; and telneting. Other skills such as downloading and locating resources are also…

Describes the management of a learning resource center (LRC) budget. Topics discussed include controlling a budget, keeping records, managing grants, managing petty cash, responding to unexpected expenses, managing capital outlay dollars, managing insurance, balancing budgets, budget stretching strategies, and fund raising. (JLB)

Discusses the role of the school media specialist in the budgeting aspects of site based management. The involvement of businesses in education is discussed, restructuring school systems through site-based management is described, and the economic recession and the resulting decline in money for education are considered. (19 references) (LRW)

Describes the results of a survey of graduating students in the fields of instructional design, media production, and media management that was conducted to determine their perceived level of preparation for the job market in the areas of computer utilization, library media education, educational video programs, and distance education. (LRW)

Considers ways to use electronic books (E-books) to involve students in literature. Highlights include E-book technology; costs; digital content; acquiring versus accessing information in libraries; title availability; storage capacity; sources of E-book content, especially Web sites; downloading software and E-books; sources for current,…