Discussion of bibliographic database management in industrial and government research and development organizations focuses on a class on bibliographic database management offered at the library of the Naval Ocean Systems Center. The organization of the class is explained, and database structure and cataloging guidelines for project documentation…

Defines portability of educational software; examines research regarding the portability of educational materials; considers barriers to portability; describes a research project conducted at the University of Twente (Netherlands) concerning the portability of computer-related educational resources, including networked learning environments; and…

Reports on an international survey of training programs for interlibrary loan and document supply offered by 137 library associations and library schools. Results indicated a discrepancy between topics taught and topics practitioners considered important. Trainers' major problems were lack of skills and materials and the fact that others failed to…

Considers whether there are "good" or "bad" media, and the ability of teaching aids, by themselves, to solve educational problems. Questions central to the effective use of media are raised in the following areas: relationship between media and egalitarian education, creativity and motivation; relevance and quality; and role in…

Reports on a comparative investigation of WAIS, a networking and finding aid used on the Internet, and a Boolean-based retrieval system. The terms and limitations of the study are described, and the comparative recall and precision rates are given. The problems and potential of WAIS and other highly interactive search systems are presented.…

Humanists use a wide variety of textual, graphic, and aural materials in their research, each of which presents indexing challenges. Research into the nature of these materials and humanists' information-seeking behaviors indicate that indexing models from the sciences are not adequate. New controlled vocabulary and indexing frameworks are needed.…

Describes a pilot study to help develop instruments appropriate for a full-scale assessment of the Blacksburg, Virginia, community network. A brief overview of the methods employed in the pilot evaluation is given. The results of focus group interviews, lessons learned, and future plans are presented. The 17-item focus group questionnaire is…

Reports on a study to identify the common features of technology partnerships between schools and businesses, universities, or other community groups. The methods partners used to measure success, the most problematic and the most successful features of the partnerships, and differences between technology partnerships and other kinds of…

Reports results of a study that investigated trends in research productivity, as measured by publication rate, among 411 senior faculty at Syracuse University. Highlights include academic rank, pre- and posttenure productivity, academic discipline, sex, productivity over time, and problems with citation analysis as a measure of quality over time.…

Reports the results of a survey of Arizona libraries that gathered information on the collection development policies for state and local government publications. Problems that result from not having a depository system for state publications are discussed, cataloging and classification practices are examined, and use of bibliographic utilities…

Discusses the need for new organizational designs in schools that are restructuring with emphasis on the role technology can play. Topics discussed include improving communication; redundancy skills that educators need; learning to learn; using technology to support variety and diversity; barriers to using technology in restructuring schools; and…

Describes Assessment Center (AC) programs that are used in Germany to prepare university business graduates making job applications to large companies. The simulation of real-life application procedures is explained, problems associated with the validity of the AC are addressed, and the roles and attitudes of students and experts are discussed.…

Discusses potential problems for confidentiality within interlibrary loan requests, outlines legal issues related to confidentiality, and proposes guidelines intended to protect library users' rights to privacy. Interlibrary loan documentation procedures are considered; laws and professional standards are reviewed; and the disposition of…

Reviews four articles from the "Phi Delta Kappan" that describe the educational context impacting the school library media profession. Topics covered include the educational system from the viewpoint of the National Commission on Excellence in Education report "A Nation at Risk"; strengths and weaknesses of American education;…

Describes a study that was conducted to examine the receptivity of faculty at two-year and four-year colleges and universities to distance education. Attitudes toward distance education, the influence of previous experience with distance education and with educational media is examined, and barriers to distance education are discussed. (Contains…