Considers some of the problems posed by electronic mail systems when the identity of the user is protected by the server. Suggests that high school instructors and administrators have good reason to circulate electronic messages through a central site, as students need to be protected from exploitative users and prohibited from sending abusive…

Explores the impact of PRForum, an Internet newsgroup, on the public relations community by examining the nature, function, and content of online exchanges. Finds that PRForum is used for three functions: to facilitate the exchange of information; to create a forum for debate on issues; and to cultivate a sense of self-validation on personal and…

Offers a framework for developing school publications that interest and inform the public. Suggestions include sending a consistent, simple message, knowing your audience, and involving the community. Provides recommendations for a distribution schedule, kinds of publications, and going online. (LMI)

Introductory exploration of two usenet newsgroups focused on political discussions. The goal is to answer questions regarding issues such as who is participating in these online discussions and whether the online groups resemble more traditional discussion networks. (Author)

Explores the possibility of considering the creation and maintenance of reference librarians' personal Web sites as part of their professional duties. Reviews a sample of personal Web sites and the results of an e-mail survey targeting such sites and their creators. Examines three home pages to provide more detailed information about site…

Presents an abstract for a planned panel session on technologies for user-centered authentication and authorization currently deployed in pilot or production implementations in academic computing. Presentations included: "Implementing LSAP for Single-Password Access to Campus Resources" (Layne Nordgren); "Implementing a Scalable…

Most online news sources are electronic versions of printed newspapers that have been filtered, from news produced each day, with a given community profile in mind. An evaluation of user preference for personal editions versus community editions of online news was performed. A personalized edition of a local newspaper was created for each subject…

This article derives from a review of key challenges confronted by libraries that are actively investing in online collections and services. Conducted in the first instance to help refine programmatic goals of the Digital Library Federation (DLF), it took account of digital library developments, successes, needs, and challenges perceived by…

Reviews the current literature concerning distance education and student assessment, including a focus on the unique circumstances found at the community college level. Topics include computer-based assessment; online computer-based testing; commercial testing agencies; and assessment styles. (Contains 10 references.) (Author/LRW)

Considers the problem of improving the performance of Web access by proposing a reconstruction of the internal link structure of a Web site to match quality of the pages with popularity of the pages. Provides a set of simple algorithms for local reorganization of a Web site, which results in improving users' access to quality pages in an easy and…

Topics include: digital library projects in the National Science Foundation's NSDL program; an electronic reserve platform at the University of Calgary; highlights from the sixth International Summer School on the Digital Library; the Digital Imaging Project of South Africa; a database of local information at the Oregon State University library;…

Uses data over a seven-month period from three teams' use of a collaborative electronic technology ("Team Room") to illustrate that genre systems--sequences of interrelated communicative actions--are a means of structuring (deliberately or habitually) six dimensions of communicative interaction: purpose (why), content (what),…

Examines computer conferencing systems for distance education from a design perspective. Outlines structured and unstructured communication, organization and management of communication structures, and functions for users and managers of conferencing environments. Contrasts Web- and non Web-conferencing. Suggests how to choose a…

Managers look at online training as an activity that should be done "off time" whereas employees still think of it as something to be done during working hours. No valid study has shown that online delivery reduces learning time. A better understanding of learning needs must be considered before requiring online training. (JOW)

Describes characteristics needed by online research librarians to be effective online searchers. Highlights include basic computer skills; expertise in at least one professional online service; ability to search the Web; professional development; people skills; the ability to conduct a good reference interview; and project management skills. (LRW)