Discusses the declining performance of the Internet in light of the rapid growth of commercial enterprises on the Internet and World Wide Web, along with plans by the National Science Foundation, the Federation of American Research Networks, and research universities to develop a new, high-performance Internet (or Internet II) for educational and…

Discusses the advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing remote access to campus computer networks and the Internet, focusing on improved service, cost-sharing, partnerships with vendors, supported protocols, bandwidth, scope of access, implementation, support, network security, and pricing. Includes a checklist for a request for proposals on…

Study in three small Louisiana towns introduced operational refinements to a systemic model of individual attachment to community in which length of residence, social position, life cycle stage, and local economic conditions influence social networks, participation in school and community groups, and community satisfaction. Discusses implications…

Discusses problems such as redundancy caused by isolation of community colleges. Suggested means for overcoming institutional isolation and improving communication among community colleges include hosting conferences, accessing the Internet, instituting faculty exchange programs, offering faculty membership in professional societies, allowing…

Discusses e-mail programs to view and write in Japanese and Chinese script in a Windows setting. Notes that the big issue is not so much displaying the text but inputting it, a formidable task considering the thousands of characters to learn. (Author/CK)

Reviews public library services in the People's Republic of China since 1949. Describes the Shanghai Library, the second largest library in China; the Shanghai system's three level network (municipal, district or county, and street or town) of public libraries which provides for resource sharing, librarian training, professional activities, and…

Outlines the factors in hardware, software, and administration to consider in developing specifications for choosing a computer operating system. Compares Microsoft Windows 95/NT that runs on PC/Intel-based systems and System 7.5 that runs on the Apple-based systems. Lists reasons why the Microsoft platform clearly stands above the Apple platform.…

Describes the Pennsylvania County Mapper, which provides economic and social data by county and enables users to create and customize electronic thematic maps through the Internet. Discusses conditions leading to the development of the site and basic requirements for service; relates experiences with building an online mapping system. (AEF)

Since 1987, Indiana Middle Grades Reading Network, funded by Lily Endowment, initiated a variety of projects designed to promote young adolescents' reading. A Reading Bill of Rights was developed to create communities of readers. Some valuable lessons emerged: attention must be given to teens' reading needs; schools must be central; students need…

Interviews of 51 employers showed they do not use transcripts or teacher recommendations in hiring. They mistrust applicant information from most sources, emphasizing interviews and "gut instinct," which often gives invalid results. They tend to use information from other employees or long-term social networks. (SK)

Studies an information retrieval system for bibliographic entries or abstracts using queries from the INSPEC database on the FOLIO system at Stanford University (California). Highlights include strategies for distributing indexes across a set of processors and for performing queries in parallel; inverted lists; simulations; local area networks;…

Saint Mary's University Academic Library (Texas) established remote access to its computer network. Discusses access issues including network protocols and support; multitasking; CD-ROMs; printing capabilities; connection methods; and keyboards. Describes choices of operating systems and software: J&L Chatterbox, bulletin board systems, and…

Describes the Bridges program which aims at forming bridges between teachers and students within districts and extending those bridges across district boundaries in the Los Angeles area while enhancing science instruction in the classroom. Discusses the planning, implementation, evaluation, and summary of the program. (JRH)

Compares technological advancements in fishing nets and in the use of computers and information networks in education. Discusses the need for lifelong learning for survival in a rapidly changing world. Cautions that, just as technology has overwhelmed ecological good sense in the fishing industry, an omnipresent network of increasingly powerful…

One solution to limited school library resources is for media specialists to create networks within the school, the district, and beyond to the Internet. Besides access to resources, networks create links for professional development and cooperation. (SK)