Aspects of Data Fusion (DF) for information retrieval are explored. Based on a geometrical model of DF, it is shown that in the ideal case, performance of DF for a pair of information retrieval schemes may be approximated by a quadratic polynomial. Compares counter-intuitive cases of DF with cases that behave according to the geometric model. (AEF)

This review of research and development work deals with activities specifically related to digital legal deposit. An overview of research activity in the various stages of the deposit process-particularly in digital preservation-follows. Building the infrastructure and pilot depositories are discussed. Issues that are not currently being addressed…

Explores how, in deals meant to win friends as well as fees, colleges like Drexel University are joining with outside companies to offer online banking services. Discusses the risks and advantages of such private-label financial services for students, faculty/staff, and alumni. (EV)

Discusses how some prominent institutions prompt debate by subcontracting the labor-intensive work of putting documents online to vendors in developing countries. Libraries counter that contractors treat overseas employees well. (EV)

In 3 experiments the author investigated the relationship between the online visual representation of natural scenes and long-term visual memory. In a change detection task, a target object either changed or remained the same from an initial image of a natural scene to a test image. Two types of changes were possible: rotation in depth, or…

Stephen Downes continues his examination of open source learning management systems (LMSs) with a visit to Sakai's Web site. While Sakai's Web site is not particularly easy to navigate, it provides access to a large community and constellation of related online learning products and initiatives. Visitors can visit discussion forums to ask…

Electronic technology has created a revolution in portability of information, documentation, and communication. We are now able to connect with people, information, organizations, and merchandise from anywhere at practically any time. As electronically fabricated environments replace actual physical surroundings, however, we become displaced.…

The Contra Costa County Library is located within the greater San Francisco Bay Area. With 26 physical locations and a virtual branch, it has more than 400,000 cardholders and serves a population of almost 1 million. As part of developing a strategic plan to meet the needs of the public in the 21st century, the library hired a consultant to gather…

The provision of equitable library services to distance learning students emerged as a critical area during the 1990s. Library services available to distance learning students included digital reference and instructional services, remote access to online research tools, database and research tutorials, interlibrary loan, and document delivery.…

Given the recent spate of library system vendor acquisitions and consolidations, integrated library system (ILS) migrations have become a hot topic again. Although ILS migrations happen all the time, they tend to be cyclical in nature. Today, people are thinking broadly about what options might be available to them. These include changing vendors,…

Online systems have come to be heavily used in education, particularly for online learning and collecting information not otherwise readily available. Most e-learning systems, including interactive learning systems, have been designed to "push" course materials to students but rarely to "collect" or "pull" ideas from them. The interactive…

This paper reports on empirical research into formative assessment conducted in a blended learning environment within a professional doctorate in education (EdD.) programme in an English university, focusing primarily on peer discussion forum activity. This was conceptualised within sociocultural learning theories, where learning entails processes…

Electronic newspapers offer a new media channel for public relations materials, but a study of their proposed use and implications for the profession does not fit well into already established research areas. This paper reviews the development and features of electronic newspapers and suggests new avenues of research and uses pertinent to the…

A study examined the strategic behaviors of email users when they are reading online email messages. Three voluntary subjects (an undergraduate student and 2 graduate students) read a group of 24 email messages collected through a listserv discussion group. The messages were collected over a period of 1 month concentrating on one theme. Subjects…

During the past year the popularity of the World Wide Web has eclipsed that of gopher technology. As a way to keep up with the ever changing communications media of the Internet, the National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) established a Web server as a means of disseminating information to its membership. This paper describes how the…