To provide effective leadership and assure project success, policy makers should understand two major pitfalls in pursuing purchased administrative systems solutions. First is the failure to organize for successful project implementation and monitoring, including organizing for contract negotiation; second is the failure to develop an effective…

Discusses the problems encountered at the Duquesne Light Company of Pittsburgh's nuclear power plant as the result of an inability to process information effectively and keep pace with technological change. The creation of a separate division trained and directed to manage the plant's information flows is described and evaluated. (CLB)

The seven articles in this symposium review the Office of Technology Assessment report, Informing the Nation: Federal Information Dissemination in an Electronic Age. Symposium contributors comment on the recommendations and conclusions of the report, and offer suggestions to improve the federal information policy system. (CLB)

Described is hypermedia including computers, videodisks, and monitors. Classroom and industry applications are discussed. Some criticism and issues involving the hypermedia are summarized. (YP)

Describes a project that examined the provision of library services starting with basic automation requirements. The discussion covers the possibilities of designing integrated systems using current technologies and software, and compares the situation in Nordic countries with the international situation. Recommendations are offered for planning…

Surveys seven geographically and demographically diverse rural areas, assessing socioeconomic, personal, and sociocultural factors of information technology use. Finds that residents of commercial communities are as likely to use and be well disposed toward computer technologies as their nonrural counterparts, regardless of age, income, and…

Discusses connections between the organization of communications and information facilities (focusing on technological innovations and "privatization"), and the nature of citizenship in Great Britain. Argues that when provision of information is entrusted to the privatized marketplace, then people's access to information becomes…

Computing and information technology at Arizona State University have developed within the University's large, complex decentralized culture. Delivery of central services, faculty and student computing, networking, administrative computing, and the construction of a computing and network services building are discussed. (MLW)

Reviews the adoption of a three-part program for statewide library automation and the appointment of planning committees by the Board of Regents of the New York State Department of Education. The discussion addresses the recommendations of the committees covering general issues, databases, linking, training and consulting, and operational…

A process developed at Colorado State University to assess college students' knowledge of microcomputers prior to taking an introductory microcomputer course uses self-questionnaires to place students in the microcomputer learning curve according to their knowledge of and interest in microcomputers. Students can then be grouped into different…

Discussion of the U.S. research and development community focuses on the education system and access to information. Topics discussed include demographic changes; computer networks that link research and higher education, including the National Research and Education Network (NREN); and the need for a corporation with national responsibility for…

Describes Pennsylvania Research and Economics Partnership Network (PREPnet), which links research universities, Bell of Pennsylvania, and the State of Pennsylvania. Highlights include the U.S. communications and information infrastructure compared to other countries; and the need for national networks that will link higher education; business,…

Examines the impact of electronic communications systems on library networking, using such examples as interlibrary loans and union catalogs to illustrate the effects of telecommunications on library services. The need for strict adherence to library standards in order to ensure continued library cooperation is discussed. (CLB)

Considers the relationships between bibliography, library records, and catalogs in light of computer technology. Consequences of electronic publishing for bibliography and catalog design are discussed, and an approach to information retrieval in the future is suggested. (24 references) (MES)

Provides an overview of technological change and the capabilities of technology in libraries. Three trends that drive changes in library technology are discussed: (1) integration of technologies; (2) idiosyncratic use of information; and (3) disembodiment of the library through electronic information. Areas of concern, including access,…