When Lars Ulrich, drummer for the rock group Metallica, testified before Congress about his group's lawsuit against Napster in 2000, many people who followed copyright issues in the music industry were not surprised (Ulrich, 2000). Ever since downloading audio files became as easy as clicking a few buttons on a personal computer, charges of…

To assess their knowledge, use, and attitudes regarding peer-to-peer (P2P) applications, this study surveyed academic librarians (n = 162) via a mail-in survey. Correlations between the sample characteristics (age, gender, year of MLS, type of library job) and P2P knowledge, use, and attitudes were also explored. Overall, academic librarians…

The pervasiveness of powerful computers and computer networks has raised the specter of new forms of abuse and of concomitant ethical issues. Blurred boundaries, hackers, the Computer Worm, ethical issues, and implications for academic institutions are discussed. (MLW)

This paper discusses the process for developing a campus-wide computer ethics policy at Illinois Wesleyan University. As a part of a campus-wide computerization planning effort, the university realized it would be necessary to set in place rules of conduct, methods of monitoring conduct, and penalties for transgressions of these policies. The need…

Discusses intelligent software agents, or knowledge robots (knowbots), and the impact they have on the Internet. Topics addressed include ethical dilemmas; problems created by rapid growth on the Internet; new technologies that are amplifying growth; and a shift to a market economy and resulting costs. (LRW)

Widely accessible networked computing reduces important barriers to learning, gives students real-world tools for real-world problems, and broadens practical collegiality. The challenge is to ensure that members of the electronic community understand the legal and ethical boundaries they must respect. This is essentially an educational issue. (MSE)

Topics addressed by 40 papers from a conference on microcomputers include: developing a campus wide computer ethics policy; integrating new technologies into professional education; campus computer networks; computer assisted instruction; client/server architecture; competencies for entry-level computing positions; auditing and professional…

Papers from a conference on small college computing issues are: "An On-line Microcomputer Course for Pre-service Teachers" (Mary K. Abkemeier); "The Mathematics and Computer Science Learning Center (MLC)" (Solomon T. Abraham); "Multimedia for the Non-Computer Science Faculty Member" (Stephen T. Anderson, Sr.); "Achieving Continuous Improvement:…