This paper presents an overview of information technology development. The first section sets the scene, comparing the first WAN (Wide Area Network) and Intel processor to current technology. The birth of the microcomputer is described in the second section, including historical background on semiconductors, microprocessors, and the microcomputer.…

The Computer Services Department of the Upper Arlington Public Library in Franklin County, Ohio, provides microcomputers for public use, including IBM compatible and Macintosh computers, a laser printer, and dot-matrix printers. Circulation statistics provide data regarding the frequency and amount of computer use, but these statistics indicate…

Describes Libraries Online, a pilot project created by Microsoft and the American Library Association to develop ways to provide access to information technologies to underserved populations. Presents the nine public libraries that will receive cash grants, staff training, computer hardware and software, and technical support to help support local…

Reengineering efforts, vendor consolidation, and rising costs prompted the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to convert its computer resale store to an online catalog that allows students, faculty, and staff to purchase equipment and software through a World Wide Web interface. The transition has been greeted with a mixed reaction. The next…

A survey of libraries in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System investigated types of technology on which staff received training, methods used to train staff, and differences in training for professional and paraprofessional staff. Found that training was available on PCs, automated systems, e-mail, and the Internet but that gaps…

"Intranets"--web sites written and used internally by organizations--are being developed as a means of enhancing communication, improving productivity, and reducing costs. The University Library at the University of Nebraska at Omaha is in the early stages of developing an Intranet. Considerations that led the library to establish an…

Tom Corddry, Microsoft Corporation's Creative Director for the Consumer Division, is interviewed about the Microsoft Home line of products and the development of related CD-ROM and multimedia products. Reasons for Microsoft's entry into the content market and its challenges, the market's future, and the company's interest in developing online…

Discussion of a core curriculum in Hungary focuses on the role of information technology in curriculum development in elementary education. Topics include personal computers; networks; multimedia; the Internet; tasks and goals for various subject areas; content elements; and didactic considerations. (LRW)

Fifteen developments in technology that have laid the foundation for the current information-technology environment on college and university campuses are listed. They include both specific technological innovations and broader trends that make use of several technologies. (MSE)

Discusses the future of librarians from public and academic library perspectives and describes the potential impact of home computer services on information seeking in public libraries. Notes the importance of the effects of copyright and privatization issues on future Internet use. Examines the future of electronic books and the need for and role…

Provides an overview of developments in CD-ROM networking technology and describes products offered by Axis, Banyan (VINES--network operating environment), CD Connection, Celerity, Data/Ware, Document Imaging Systems Corporation (DISC), Imagery, Jodian, Meridian, Micro Design International, Microsoft, Microtest, Novell, OnLine Computer Systems,…

Presents the second part of an interview with Vinton Cerf on issues of information technology. Discusses reading with laptop computers; the "extinction" of books; technological experiments by publishers; copyrights, intellectual property, and ownership; cable companies; the impact of the Internet on education; and the future of the…

Discusses museum informatics that studies how information science and technology affect the museum environment. Examines digital technology; information organization and access; digitization, personal computers, and the Internet; data sharing; standards; social impacts of new technologies; collaboration; consortia; multimedia exhibits; virtual…

Advances in computers and information technology have created huge potentials for cataloging staff to increase efficiency and accuracy, reorganize the work force, change the workflow, streamline costs, and provide better services to patrons. Based on the practices at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), this paper discusses what a librarian…

This book is intended for use as a concepts textbook to accompany a one-semester or one-quarter introductory course on computers or microcomputers. Key features of this third edition include: emphasis on unification of computer and communications systems; revision in response to extensive instructor and student feedback; commonsense illustration…