As higher education budgets tighten in the ongoing recession, colleges and universities have found themselves questioning, lengthening, and even eliminating tech refresh cycles. Yet how deep an institution cuts into its refresh program can compromise its ability to provide an up-to-date and competitive computing environment for students and a…

This report discusses the growth of the National Information Infrastructure (NII), or the information superhighway, and its implications for people with disabilities. Advantages for people with disabilities include: increasing the ability of individuals with some types of disabilities to access and use information; decreasing personal isolation…

Surveys the politics and economics of networking and presents four general leadership strategies for making progress in the climate of change surrounding the developing National Information Infrastructure: (1) building the organizational information infrastructure; (2) emphasizing exploration and discovery; (3) cultivating relationships and…

Focuses on the economic, social, and legal aspects of copyright issues that need to be addressed by rightsholders and users in a computer networked environment. The Electronic Copyright Management System, a project that demonstrates procedures for handling copyright works, is described. Key sections of the copyright law are reviewed. (Contains six…

Argues that much work needs to be done to assess the impacts of global networking on academic institutional performance. How the academic networked environment can be defined, possible assessment criteria, the need for a user perspective, and specific research needs are discussed. (Contains 11 references.) (KRN)

Explores obstacles to Internet usage, presents what is known about them, and considers strategies for avoiding or ameliorating their effects. Obstacles discussed include unrealistic expectations; lack of understanding of the effects of organizational culture on networking; lack of awareness of social effects of networking technologies; and lack of…

Argues that library skills and methods used for organization of information are needed to organize Internet information resources. Four aspects of information organization are discussed: recording existence and identity of information bearing entities; acquiring these entities; providing name, title, subject, and other access information; and…

Automation of many college human resources management activities can lead to changes in office strategies, resource deployment, development needs, and career planning. The World Wide Web and local area networking have a variety of applications in this area, including tracking of transactions and forms. Careful planning and an understanding of the…

The goal of the Essen symposium was to bring together internationally recognized librarians and library automation specialists to discuss new developments in electronic publishing. All 16 papers included in this collection were presented at the conference: (1) "Barriers to the Introduction of New Technology" (J. Andrew Braid); (2)…

Libraries need to adapt their systems for the collection, preservation, organization, and distribution of information to take advantage of new technology and communication tools. Libraries that successfully adapt these systems will become a more central institution in the community served. (AEF)

Explores the impact of electronic networking on social evolution, new notions of literacy, and social equity. Strategies to develop the Internet/NREN as a vehicle for reconnecting segments of society and promoting a network-literate population are needed. The role of libraries and the educational community in accomplishing these objectives must be…

This report is a written synthesis of opinions and observations on the role of emerging information technology in Finnish society. It surmises that such technology will benefit the educational system and increase research activity, thereby creating new channels of information access for the public, as long as national policymakers commit…

Internetworked communications restructures relationships among educators, learners, and knowledge and information, and promises a systemic acceleration of the pace of educational change. In this report, the Task Force on Education Network Technology identifies the following rationales for deployment and utilization of such communications: to…

Describes steps in renovating information service tools: (1) review why organization exists; (2) refocus direction to keep in step with clients and environment; and (3) redefine client's needs. Old tools (books and journals) can be transformed via technology into new tools (full-text CD-ROM products and online interlibrary loan services). (JMV)