Describes a study that determined the readability of medical information found on such CD-ROM products as the Health Reference Center on InfoTrac. Findings revealed that the readability scores all exceeded the accepted standard reading level of eighth grade, so they would not meet the needs of people with poor reading skills. (Author/LRW)

Discusses the influence of electronic publishing on communication of scientific research. Topics include subscription costs; lagtime between submission and publication; peer review; attitudes of librarians and publishers; value-added features of electronic journals; copyright and licensing issues; and author collaboration. (Author/LRW)

Discusses how to use stories to help children connect mathematical ideas to their own lives. Gives examples of picture books and other children's books that present math ideas, suggests the use of visual learning and real-life applications, and explains how to adapt ideas to library media center activities. (LRW)

Notes the California's Reading Task Force's heavy emphasis on phonemic awareness (PA) evaluation and training. Argues that although evidence shows that phonemic awareness will emerge by simply reading, California's school libraries--ranked near last in the nation--would require a massive commitment to rise to the task. Argues (in an ironic tone)…

Discusses results of a 1997 "CMC News" readers' survey of the top 10 CD-ROM titles used by schools. Compares results of previous surveys (1993 and 1995). Four tables and figures show number of users for each of the 10 CD-ROMs, top-10 rankings for year 1993, 1995, and 1997, increase in ownership of 7 of the 10 titles, and total respondents owning…

Presents educational facility citation award winners of the American School and University Interiors Showcase for design of common areas, classrooms, libraries and media centers, and cafeterias/food service. The architectural firm responsible is listed for each entry as are the square footage involved, costs, completion date, and a brief…

Discusses access to Internet resources in school libraries, including the importance of evaluating content and appropriate use. The following online services that provide current factual information from legitimate resources are described: SIRS (Social Issues Resource Series), InfoTrac, EBSCO Host, SearchBank, and the Electric Library. (MES)

Provides an annotated list of Internet sources (World Wide Web, ftp, and gopher sites) for current and historical statistical business data, including selected interest rates, the Consumer Price Index, the Producer Price Index, foreign currency exchange rates, noon buying rates, per diem rates, the special drawing right, stock quotes, and mutual…

Discusses violence in schools and highlights ways educators can address the issue. Presents a list of print resources and ERIC documents, as well as World Wide Web resources for United States Government information, centers and organizations, and services. (AEF)

Discusses the process of writing grants and requests for proposals (RFPs) from regional, state, or federal sources by school libraries. Topics include statement of need, goals and objectives, implementation of plans, staff development, evaluation methods, budget, and future issues. (LRW)

Analyzes the change that Internet-based OPACs (Online Public Access Catalogs) have represented to the structure, administration, and maintenance of the catalogs, retrieval systems, and user interfaces. Examines the structure of databases and traditional principles that have governed systems development. Discusses repercussions of the application…

Librarians are taking up the challenge of teaching students to use World Wide Web resources in a meaningful way. This article discusses issues and implications for library instruction raised by the authors' experiences of teaching the Web as an additional information source to freshmen in business writing courses. (Author)

Describes the joint NSF/JISC (National Science Foundation/UK Joint Information Systems Committee) International Digital Libraries Initiative. Discusses JISC funding criteria and procedures; personalized information environment (PIE), a conceptual architecture that allows unified, highly customizable access to distributed information resources; and…

Examines 900 job announcements published in four journals in 1996 and uses content analysis to compare requirements and benefits among various positions in academic libraries. Compares results with an earlier study from 1988, including levels of computer skills, foreign language requirements, previous work experience, educational requirements, and…

Describes a study that investigated the use of a natural language processing technique called noun phrasing to determine whether it is a viable technique for medical information retrieval. Evaluates four noun phrase generation tools for their ability to isolate noun phrases from medical journal abstracts, focusing on precision and recall.…