Provides an overview of the current state of networking technology in rural libraries and describes a model for educating rural librarians in accessing electronic networks. Topics discussed include information needs in rural libraries; telecommunications technology access in rural areas; and examples of services to enhance information access.…

Discusses intelligent software agents, or knowledge robots (knowbots), and the impact they have on the Internet. Topics addressed include ethical dilemmas; problems created by rapid growth on the Internet; new technologies that are amplifying growth; and a shift to a market economy and resulting costs. (LRW)

College and university initiatives to recruit students through the Internet are described. Issues discussed include the kind and quality of information made available, different means of accessing it, and responding to user requests. Techniques for publishing on the World Wide Web and reaching the appropriate Internet audience are offered. (MSE)

Discusses the need for improving science education, and suggests that electronic mail is an effective, motivating instructional strategy for improving science teaching. Highlights include how electronic mail is currently being used in elementary and secondary education, especially in Nevada; and why it is not used more. (LRW)

Describes an approach to electronic document delivery which has evolved at Tilburg University (Netherlands), leading to the development of a system called Ariadne. Highlights include various generations of electronic document delivery systems; standards, including the work of the Group on Electronic Document Interchange; and a description of the…

Since the Summer of 1991, the Boulder Valley Internet Project has been providing network links between the district's K-12 schools and the community. This article focuses on the project's planning, training, and support issues. Highlights include a discussion of advantages of district level projects; central servers; and ongoing teacher and…

Describes the design of a learning environment, called the Climate Visualizer, intended to facilitate scientific sense-making in high school classrooms by providing students the ability to craft, inspect, and annotate scientific visualizations. Discusses how visualizations can promote creation of scientific theories, especially in conjunction with…

Describes several projects that integrate the Internet and specific Internet resources into undergraduate teaching and learning. Problems are discussed, including trying to retrieve specific and useful information, questions of reliability and accuracy of information, the need to become more user friendly, and demands on libraries for training and…

College business officers whose institutions are not connected to the Internet can gain affordable access as individuals. Lists of Free-Net and community network systems in most states and of Internet and on-line service providers are offered. Additional sources of accounts are noted. Common Internet terms are also defined. (MSE)

Describes three companies' approaches to marketing and selling CD-ROM products on the World Wide Web. Benefits include low overhead for Internet-based sales, allowance for creativity, and ability to let customers preview products online. Discusses advertising, information delivery, content, information services, and security. (AEF)

Examines attempts by environmental educators to adopt computer-mediated communication (CMC), primarily computer conferencing, to enhance instruction. Discussion includes the advantages of online communication, common technical and training problems, and social considerations for the design and implementation of environmental CMC projects. (JKP)

Discusses one component of the Iowa Distance Education Alliance that encouraged science reform through distance education using the Iowa Communications Network. Topics include curriculum and school reform, learning processes, student engagement and involvement, constructivism, the use of interactive television for distance education, and the Iowa…

Outlines the issues and concerns of providing spatial data that have been encountered by the Map and Geographic Information Center (MAGIC) at the University of Connecticut's library. Highlights include collecting and archiving, cataloging and indexing, networking, distribution, user education, geographic information systems, and a glossary of key…

Describes World Wide Web sites and hypertextbooks for interactive learning related to the following academic subjects: calculus, chemistry, medicine, astronomy, engineering, and literature. Provides examples of large Internet sites that act as clearinghouses for information on hypertextbooks. (AEF)

Discusses the 1995 OCLC/NCSA Metadata Workshop that met to define a standard set of data elements for describing network-accessible information resources. These document data elements had to be simple enough for authors and publishers to use, to facilitate discovery and retrieval, and to be useful as a basis for descriptive cataloging. (JKP)