The increasing presence of electronic materials, databases, and networks in society's institutions raises a number of new questions related to copyrighted and intellectual property in cyberspace environments (e.g., How will the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law and practice be extended to electronic situations?). Such questions have…

Formerly reserved for use by scientists, researchers, and computer buffs, computer networks now have capabilities that make them extremely useful to science teachers and their classes. This digest is designed to provide educators with some basic background on computer communications and to provide a few examples of computer networks that are…

This document consists of the final report and executive summary of a distance education technology study conducted on behalf of the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board (WECB) during 1992-93 in order to provide information to assist the educational institutions of the state in formulating strategic directions for the development of distance…

Microcomputer-based laboratories (MBLs) are believed to have significant potential for improving laboratory experiences in science classrooms. A study funded through a grant project called STEPS to Better Science sought to broaden the knowledge base by examining MBL use by teachers and students in a variety of science classrooms in six high…

Part of the always-changing field of microcomputers is the growing use of electronic mail/message systems (EMMS), a general term for describing the transmission of messages using computers and telecommunications facilities. As a result of these advances, it is possible for administrators, teachers, staff, and students to have immediate access to…

This membership meeting of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) opened with an overview of the challenges facing research libraries and the relationships between the three U.S. national libraries and the members of ARL by Sidney Verba of Harvard University. The directors of the national libraries then spoke on their current programs and…

This annual report documents the activities and accomplishments of the South Carolina State Library in 1988-1989. Introductory materials include lists of the members of both the South Carolina State Library Board and the library staff; an organizational chart; the goals and mission statement of the South Carolina State Library; a history of the…

This document consists of three papers which explore aspects of language use in science classrooms descriptively and prescriptively, based on naturalistic and experimental observations. The discovery of the importance of the verbal mode of communication through involvement in creating computer-based activities is discussed. Papers include: (1)…

A writing program was developed and implemented, using available technology, to increase the quality and the quantity of written communication of three heterogeneously grouped classes of fifth graders. The students learned to use the word processor, Magic Slate II, for process writing assignments. A modem, Supra Modem 2400, and Proterm software…

In many school districts throughout the country, the unplanned and inequitable distribution of computers has tended to widen the gap between advantaged and disadvantaged, male and female, and majority and minority students. One of the missions of the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) is the task of achieving equality of educational…

The papers in this collection, which explore selected aspects of scientific and engineering communication, are the results of a study designed to learn more about the relationships between information resources and scientific productivity. The first three sections contain three key papers related to a conference sponsored by the Council of Library…

The first of two phases of this study consisted of assessing the need for a more formal library network in Virginia by surveying libraries, conducting site visits, interviews, and regional hearings, and reviewing documentation on existing levels of automation and networking in the commonwealth. Information gathered during this phase supported both…

This report to the Governor and state assembly members reports two major achievements during the year: the opening of a new library facility for the blind and physically handicapped, and the continued growth of the computerized networking system linking the public libraries of the state. Introductory materials include lists of the members of the…

Predicting that a large component of the library of the not so distant future will be an electronic network of file servers where information is stored for access by personal computer workstations in remote locations as well as the library, this paper discusses innovative computer technologies--particularly CD-ROM (Compact Disk-Read Only Memory)…

An overview of the NovaNET Computer System, a time-sharing networking computer system for the delivery of computer-based education, is followed by a description of the SYS IV system, which is used for management and record keeping in mathematics, reading, language arts, and spelling curricula. A description of lesson design features follows, along…