During the past 30 years, the author has worked with children and young adults from ages 3 to 18 (not to mention teachers, families, administrators, lecturers, and visiting authors), and she has read a lot of books. Because there are so many kids' books being published these days, she is not expecting total perfection. Still, there are many things…

It's an obvious observation that librarians today find themselves dealing with collections of ever larger proportions of electronic content. The degree to which that shift has already taken place varies from one type of library to another. Some organizations, especially those involved with specializations in biomedical, scientific, or business,…

Approximately 15 states are changing their policies to give school districts more flexibility in acquiring content. They have changed laws or policies or have bills pending in state legislatures to redefine "textbooks". Most of those changes are similar to the approach Indiana took in its new law: a "textbook" is not only a…

In moving information onto a computer, people generally assume that the format and presentation have little effect on the information itself. Every online educator should consider the effect on students of the electronic presentation of information, however, as that assumption is questionable. Although many writers have investigated the computer…

States that in "The New Typography," Jan Tschichold explicates a functionalist and information-based theory of typographic design and demonstrates its application in numerous typographic examples of varied genres. Outlines Tschichold's typographic position; analyzes his style of visual communication; and considers subsequent developments…

Discusses the current convention of putting only one space between sentences. Outlines reasons why existing reasons for only one space are not valid. (RS)

Explains how a photo wheel can speed newspaper layout. (FL)

Suggests that a major factor in current yearbook design is the use of a dominant factor such as a photograph in a spread. Provides information on how to use photographs, margins, headlines, captions, and color to produce a simple, elegant, and clean-cut look. (TJ)

Urges yearbook graphic designers to use a simple and sophisticated style. Argues that every graphic element must have a reason for taking up space on the page. (RS)

Discussion of page design for desktop publishing focuses on the importance of functional issues as opposed to aesthetic issues, and criticizes a previous article that stressed aesthetic issues. Topics discussed include balance, consistency in text structure, and how differences in layout affect the clarity of "The Declaration of…

Asserts that editorial pages need a distinctive look so that the reader knows the difference between the editorial page and any other page in the paper. Offers ideas for creating the design, the masthead, the editorial itself, editorial artwork, personal columns, letters to the editor, and photo polls. Discusses eight types of editorial styles.…

Focuses on how typography and color complement and differ from each other in signaling an underlying content structure; the synergism between typography, color, and page layout (use of white space) that aids audience understanding and use; and the characteristics of typography and of color that are most important in these contexts. (SR)

Describes how to create winning picture stories. Discusses subjects, editing, and page design. Offers examples of pictures that tell a story. (PRA)

Presents a system to refine typographic fit in digitally composed documents. Describes strategies for paragraph-fit, page-fit, chapter-fit, and one-page-fit. Concludes that these new uses of microtypography increase speed and quality of document production and make reading easier. (PA)

Discusses the illustrations of Tomie dePaola's "Mother Goose." (EL)