Reviews literature on informal interaction of college students and faculty. Discusses role of student-faculty interaction with regard to effect on students' academic achievement, satisfaction with college, intellectual and personal development, persistence and attrition, and career and educational aspiration. Research is reviewed that supports…

A survey of undergraduates taking non-course-related library tours found that 86% learned what they expected to learn, 96% believed they learned useful information, and 93% indicated feeling more comfortable about using the library after the tour. Overall use of the tours suggested a need for more promotion of the service. Includes the tour survey…

In this study, small academic libraries (monographic collections of under 30,001 volumes) were surveyed to determine the types and extent of electronic technology available and how it was being used. Satisfaction of users and staff, the correlation between instruction and the use of electronic technology, and funding are also discussed. (LRW)

Discussion of the use of part-time faculty looks at college policies and practices influencing hiring of part-timers, problems emerging from part-time appointments, and policy and structural changes needed to increase the effectiveness of part-time faculty. It is concluded that while the problems cannot be resolved to everyone's satisfaction,…

This study of 18 novice Internet users employed a structured self-report method to investigate affective and cognitive operations in the following phases of World Wide Web searching: presearch formulation, search statement formulation, search strategy, and evaluation of results. Users also rated their self-confidence as searchers and satisfaction…

A study of 539 foster parents found that some of the factors influencing their satisfaction were feeling competent to handle placed children, wanting to take in children who needed loving parents, no regret about investment in foster children, foster mother's age, and agency social worker providing information and showing approval. (Author/CR)

Synthesizes the central themes from a session on how theatre educators can survive in academia which took place at the 1998 AATE (American Alliance for Theatre and Education) conference. Presents the "Top Ten Suggestions for Surviving in Academia," including the following suggestions: clarify what is expected, to whom faculty are responsible, and…

In 1992, the Library Literacy Connection of the Mansfield-Richland County (Ohio) Public Library was established to help promote adult literacy. The library began documenting its impact through a collection of interviews. In this article, adult learners and tutors share their tales of libraries and literacy. (AEF)

Details part of a larger project undertaken by Swedish Save the Children in order to inform the current debate about child labor with evidence from working children engaged in a range of occupations, in contrasting regions of the world. Summarizes issues, children's occupational preferences, and views on work and school. (SD)

Discusses the need for usability testing for information systems and for librarians to recognize what makes computer interfaces either easy or difficult to use. Highlights include user friendliness; navigation; standards; visual appeal; layout and design; feedback; help screens; and the usability-testing process. (LRW)

Directors (N=203) of mental-health agencies responded to a survey designed to examine their level of acceptance and satisfaction with licensed professional counselors (LPC) in Ohio. Responses suggest a preference for hiring social workers over counselors; starting salaries were similar for both groups with comparable educational levels.…

Presents the results of a survey that studied attitudes toward research and students' experiences at the West Bank Campus Library of Delgado Community College in New Orleans. Asserts that students previously unfamiliar with academic libraries and electronic resources were intrigued enough to practice and become capable end users. (VWC)

Identifies challenges in lifelong education of British citizens with intellectual disabilities in the coming century, including the necessity for changes in services, more individual-centered education, increased emphasis on basic skills needed for community living, more engagement with the community, and better opportunities for productive work.…

This article describes the Pride in Parenting Group Intervention Curriculum, developed as part of a multicomponent intervention with a population of indigent African American women and their infants. Exit interviews with 57 mothers indicated parent satisfaction was high for developmental and parenting information and for the support of the group…

Presents a user-centered investigation of interactive query expansion within the context of a relevance feedback system. Data were collected from 25 searches using the INSPEC database. Results discuss issues relating to query expansion, retrieval effectiveness, correspondence of the online-to-offline relevance judgments, and selection of terms for…