This discussion paper explores the possibilities and risks that data linkage presents for the vocational education and training (VET) sector. Along with a broad overview of the nature of data linkage, it highlights possible applications for data linkage in the VET sector and examines the key challenges associated with its use. A number of case…

Using the "point oh" naming system for developments in librarianship is attracting debate about its appropriateness, basis and syntax and the meaning and potential of Library 2.0. Now a new term, Library 3.0, has emerged. Is there is any significant difference between the two models? Using documentary analysis to explore the terms, the…

States have made dramatic progress in the past few years in implementing longitudinal data systems (LDS) to improve student achievement. These systems collect and house student educational data that make it easy for policymakers and practitioners to access and use it for reporting, policymaking and decision making. So much has happened in states…

The "cyberinfrastucture" is a broad informational network that entails connections to real-time data sensors as well as tools that permit visualization and other forms of analysis, and that facilitates access to vast scientific databases. This multifaceted network, already a major boon to scientific discovery, now shows exceptional promise in…

There is a growing interest in making available and making sense of the data on the Web and trapped in databases. Rather than a web of unstructured documents, full of information understandable only to humans, there is a movement whose intention is to make these data structured, reusable, machine-readable, and interrelated. This approach to Web…

No school is an island; it is a part of a continuum or a pipeline of institutions which together form an educational pipeline through which groups of students pass. To turn a body of data into useful information for knowledge-based decision-making at any level, data must be collected, organised, analysed and reflected upon. The purpose of this…

Online Student Service provides all Houston Community College (HCC) students and its surrounding community access to college information 24/7. Queries may be made regarding the admissions process, financial aid, testing, veterans' affairs, international admission, tuition costs, and programs and courses offered at each HCC location. Also available…

Agroforestry (AF)/forestry is no longer an isolated field, with so many developmental activities having links with this sector, and thus the information required to be handled by the researchers all over the world has increased exponentially. This article discusses a website that was developed by the National Research Centre for Agroforestry…

The Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA) does not mince words when describing the looming data storage problem. In its 2007 report, "Solving the Coming Archive Crisis--the 100-Year Dilemma," the trade group asserts that the volume of disparate digital information sources being kept online for long-term preservation is overwhelming and…

Discusses problems associated with increasing corporate network complexity as a result of the proliferation of client/server applications at remote locations, and suggests the key to providing high WAN (wide area network) availability is relational databases used in an integrated management approach. (LRW)

Discusses applications of Lotus Notes groupware developed by MCI Communications Corporation librarians. The development of administrative databases used for reference request tracking, interlibrary loan, book ordering and other purposes, and corporate wide databases used to disseminate internal and external information are described. The strengths…

Business intelligence and information logistics have become an important part of teaching curricula in recent years due to the increased demand for adequately trained graduates. Since these fields are characterized by a high amount of software and methodology innovations, teaching materials and teaching aids require constant updating. Teradata has…

This 15-minute videotape introduces viewers to ERIC and emphasizes ERIC's connection to the electronic information highway. Topics covered include (1) the basic structure of the ERIC system, including the 16 subject-specialized clearinghouses; (2) benefits offered, including publications, the ERIC database, information quality, and the ERIC…

Developments in EUDISED (European Documentation and Information System for Education) during the period 1986-1987 in Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Italy, the Netherlands, and Switzerland are outlined in this report, and information is provided on both online use of the EUDISED database and the distribution by country of contributions to the database.…

Describes the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC), a national information network in the field of education. Printed indexes are explained as well as online searching of the ERIC database. Online searching is emphasized, including search strategies, database vendors, cost considerations, gateway services, and CD-ROM versions. (LRW)