Reports on an interview with Gary Paulsen, the 1997 winner of the Margaret A. Edwards Award honoring an author's lifetime contribution in writing books for teens. Highlights include the importance of librarians and reading encouragement, the author's experiences and writing, and readers' responses to books. (Author/LRW)

Describes principles underlying the development of guides for electronic indexes such as the Catholic Periodical and Literature Index (CPLI): begin with basic steps, keep it simple, answer questions most frequently asked, be consistent, emphasize search techniques that use the strengths of the index. Includes a copy of the guide for the CPLI on…

Examines the development of undergraduate library and information science education at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth in the context of educational change in the United Kingdom from 1967 through 1997. Discusses the joint honors program, the merger of the College of Librarianship Wales and the University College of Wales, and distance…

Proposes a research model to test the dependence of a field list of internationally visible journals on the initial set. Outlines applications of the experiment and hypothesizes on the validity of the Institute of Scientific Information's (ISI) impact factors. Suggests that in some cases lists of journals selected by linguistic or geographic…

Technological advancement has changed the way the role of archives, especially electronic records, is viewed by archivists. Based on experiences at the Center for Electronic Records of the National Archives and Records Administration, this article discusses finding aids and reference tools, reference services and electronic records in archives,…

Discusses ways to evaluate school library media programs and how to demonstrate quality. Topics include how principals evaluate programs; sources of evaluative data; national, state, and local instruments; surveys and interviews; Colorado benchmarks; evaluating the use of electronic resources; and computer reporting options. (LRW)

Explains the copyright policy battles now pending in Congress and the courts, with a discussion of what they mean for free speech, access to information, and democratic culture in school libraries. (MES)

Reports on a pilot study conducted to determine whether the benefits of the case study method as a training framework for change initiatives in academic libraries could successfully transfer from traditional instruction to a virtual Web-based format. Presents results of a survey that evaluated the study and showed positive feedback. (Author/LRW)

Presents an annotated list of selected recent scholarly and general reference works under the subject categories of archives; literature; music; psychology; sociology; black studies; women's studies; history and area studies; and new editions and supplements. (LRW)

Reviews the so-called "library crisis" and literature on the determinants of journal prices. Discusses the impact of the recent merger activity among journal publishers and notes the possibility that electronic publications may slow down the increase in journal prices. Discusses the question of why substantial improvements in computer technology…

Discusses issues concerning metadata in Web pages based on experiences in a vocational education center library in Queensland (Australia). Highlights include Dublin Core elements; search engines; controlled vocabulary; performance measurement to assess usage patterns and provide quality control over the vocabulary; and considerations given the…

Describes a Web usability study conducted at Western Michigan University to investigate students' success in locating journal articles. Participants' search paths and comments revealed widespread confusion about the article-finding process and revealed weaknesses in the library's Web site which led to improvements in page layout and library…

Discusses a variety of topics and their implications for library and information science professionals and their education. Highlights include the nature of science; contingency theories; the assumptions of sociology; the approach of symbolic interaction; recent scholarship on organizations; and the advantages of qualitative research methods.…

Describes the layered model of Open Systems Interconnection (OSI); summarizes the three upper and lower layers; and discusses data communications standards associated with specific layers. Architectural concepts are explored, including hierarchy and abstraction, levels of dialogue, internetworking, and end-to-end communication. OSI is compared…

Describes and compares several general interest periodical indexes available on CD-ROM. Features described include target audience, coverage, updates, subscription prices, licensing, the availability of turnkey systems, search features and interfaces, screen displays, full-text support, and installation and support. The addresses of the companies…