Suggestions are offered for planning a local area network (LAN) for language labs. Questions to ask, consultant selection, and LAN management are discussed. (two references) (LB)

A compilation and review of essential information for the language lab director includes recommended books, electronic lists and newsgroups, professional organizations, and management humor. (four references) (CNP)

A review of the language laboratory-related relationships between context and background knowledge, individualization and learner characteristics, feedback and continuing assessment, and focus and sequence supports foreign language teachers' use of eclectic, integrative, and alternative approaches that make full use of language laboratory…

Presents a survey and case studies that demonstrate that cooperation within institutions of higher learning is worth the effort in increased efficiency. Some steps the language media center can take to develop cooperation with other media units on campus include developing an informal network of relationships with other media unit directors and…

Explores problems and solutions related to dealing with difficult people, specifically with those people encountered in the language-learning lab, including clients and employees. Classic types of difficult people include the bull, the fox, the time bomb, the whiner, the stone wall, the ultra agreeable, the bump-on-the-log, the know-it-all, the…

Discusses four objectives that guided the design of the teaching and learning areas of the Language Learning and Resource Center of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. These objectives are classrooms contiguous to the language lab, accommodation of small-group work, a flexible facility, and access to the outside world. (CK)

The renovation of the Language Lab at the University of Notre Dame and the creation of the Language Resource Center are described. Challenges related to poor facility design and limited equipment are recounted, along with the role played by the university's director of foundation and corporate relations. (LB)

After a brief review of trends in language labs, the history of Wisconsin's Learning Support Services (LSS) lab, which grew into an independent department serving all foreign languages, is traced. Its evolution included the development of an extensive library, audio studio, video service, and special cataloging and outreach system. (11 references)…

Description and review of recently introduced computer software focuses on word processing in non-Roman character sets for the MacIntosh, courseware developments using recordable CD-ROM drive, desktop video and graphics equipment, and a language lab management package. (CNP)