Discusses the provision of Internet-based distance learning courses in the library and information science field and investigates the current market situation for online courses. Highlights include types of courses, including self-instruction courses, short credit courses, and full degree programs; Web site characteristics; technical issues;…

Discusses the state of library education in Australia and refutes a previous article that suggested a loss of quality. Topics include faculty staffing questions; information science education versus library education; theoretical versus practical knowledge; and offering opportunities for fieldwork. (LRW)

This paper describes one lecturer's experience of teaching the information society, addresses some of the concerns expressed by those who teach in the area, and examines the problems that tend to restrict the learning and teaching environment and methods. Uses a Bernsteinian model of framing and a Panglossian perspective of optimism. (Author/LRW)

The most critical challenges that school librarians face are not about finding and organizing resources. The real dillemas lie in working with faculty to plan lessons that take advantage of the resources and tools school libraries have at their disposal, in identifying the skills students need to negotiate new information formats; in anticipating…

Genetic algorithms (GAs) are a problem solving strategy that uses stochastic search. Since their introduction (Holland, 1975), GAs have proven to be particularly useful for solving problems that are "intractable" using classical methods. The language of genetic algorithms (GAs) is heavily laced with biological metaphors from evolutionary…

This paper presents a comparison of first-level LIS education and training between South Africa and Canada, and based on this comparative description, qualitative identification of similarities and differences are made to highlight strengths and weaknesses in each case. The paper concludes that while similarities exist, the differences stem…

The purpose of this study was to explore and investigate the ways faculty at The School of Information Science at the University of Pittsburgh, obtain information to support their academic tasks. Library and Information Sciences faculty at the University of Pittsburgh were chosen as the population for this study. The study matched e-journals,…

Reports results of a survey conducted by the British Library to identify distance education packages relating to library and information science (LIS) education in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. Resistance to distance education in LIS is discussed and attitudes toward distance education are…

Describes Portugal's role in the development of a European information market. Highlights include the role of the European Economic Community, particularly the Commission of the European Communities; information management education at the University of Sheffield in Portugal; and future possibilities. (eight references) (LRW)

Describes how an interactive text retrieval system with natural language queries is used in information studies education. The benefits of programing methods involving encapsulation and inheritance are explained in terms of reusability and extendibility, and future plans to produce a library of reusable objects for information retrieval are…

Presents a statistical survey of international students' enrollment in American library and information science schools from the late 1880s to 1988. Data are presented regarding home countries of foreign students, and trends are identified, including the increase in the number of Asian students and a decrease in the number of European students.…

Describes how "intertextuality" shapes a course in children's literature: the professor begins with the notion of children's book history as a story told by image and myth; the course progresses with a series of significant children's texts; the writing component which follows is directed toward reader response; class time is devoted to…

Presents a methodology for educators to assess coverage, overlaps, and gaps in their curricula, of validating their present course offerings, and of monitoring subject-matter trends by using descriptors from commercial bibliographic databases. Describes a study that modeled the curricula for Drexel University's College of Information Science and…

Drexel Institute of Technology began an information science (IS) curriculum in 1963. This article deals with the eight years of the separate degree program from fall 1963 to fall 1971. The author recalls the background, need, and Drexel's response as learned from her experience as student and faculty member in the program, and comments…

Assesses the present condition of the emerging specialism of information society studies. Topics include the information economy; information technology; the information explosion; the Japanese version of information society; information society as social democracy; sociology and information science; scholarly journals; and the need for…