This essay lists elements of a public service microcomputer project--needs, clientele or population, skill level, type of service, type of equipment, site or location--and identifies a number of options under each heading. Examples illustrating how librarians can use the model in planning a service are noted. (EJS)

This introduction to a special report on telecommunications presents several compelling reasons why telecommunications is one of the most practical and beneficial applications of personal computer technology and briefly summarizes the other articles in this section. (MBR)

Highlights approximately 200 computer companies and briefly describes their products and services. Focuses on vendors of hardware, software, and computer-related services and materials. For software, indicates the availability of administrative/business, information systems, computer-assisted instruction, student administration and scheduling, and…

A study of the libraries cooperating in the Fox Valley (Wisconsin) Interlibrary Loan Network compared alternative equipment and communications scenarios which would satisfy the functions desired by the libraries. The dominant communications need identified through a survey of network participants was the sending of interlibrary loan requests among…

Revolutionary developments in collecting and analyzing data for use in improving curriculum and instruction at the local level are now possible with the advent of low-cost computers. The basic purposes and approaches of assessment methodologies must be refocused for local application. (LMO)

Data needs for recruitment and retention records, especially for minority students, and their uses in administering and evaluating programs are discussed. The model presented, based on a system at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, provides a framework for microcomputer data files, record fields, relationships, and system…

Focusing on management decisions in academic libraries, this article compares management information systems (MIS) with decision support systems (DSS) and discusses the decision-making process, information needs of library managers, sources of data, reasons for choosing microcomputer, preprogrammed application software, prototyping a system, and…

This paper explores ways in which technology (especially microcomputers) can improve the access to and utility of educational data for school improvement efforts. The paper focuses on the product and project options available to the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory's Database and School Profiling program, which offers technical and…