Contributors from five libraries--Bentley College, Boston University, the College of Charleston, the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire, and the Resource Sharing Alliance of West Central Illinois--describe their automation projects, including staff impact; costs and funding; time and schedules; users; computer support; vendors; and consultants.…

Discusses present and future developments in the educational software industry for elementary and secondary schools. Topics discussed include problems with making software work on a variety of hardware; planning future development; the widespread use of Apple computers; MS-DOS machines; computer networks; and multimedia. (LRW)

Building networks of workers in the field of adult education can strengthen the sharing of ideas and resources, understanding, social action, knowledge diffusion, and democratization of research. Adult education as a social movement can thus be given the impetus to bring about change. (SK)

Uses library research and international fieldwork to describe local social services for elderly in Hungary stating that supplemental local services are needed to compensate for inadequate universal entitlements. Concludes that current economic and political situation is unfavorable to improving benefit system. (Author/CM)

Describes the organization and efforts of the Young Parent Program. This program, coordinated by a network of representatives of parent support agencies, was designed to enhance services to teenagers who are pregnant. (RJC)

Surveys some of the traditional and nontraditional electronic sources of information that can be of use in research and teaching. The discussion includes information about: 1) cost; 2) ease of use; 3) the earliest bibliographic entries; and 4) the frequency of updates. (Author/LMO)

New technologies have increased the speed with which research results can be disseminated and enable new forms of iterative problem solving, but must be used deliberately and with care. (Author/MSE)

Describes the French Language Information Network in Canada as an example of a national network and discusses the work of the International Federation of Library Associations in developing international networks. It is argued that, in order to design effective networks for developing countries, it is essential to first survey local needs. (seven…

Presents reasons for choosing a connected computer system for student use in secondary schools. The systems approach is discussed; two alternatives are compared, a central computer and a local area network (LAN) of microcomputers; software is described; and two scenarios of LAN use are presented. (four references) (LRW)

Describes the formation of the U.S. Agricultural Information Network, an association whose goal is to provide a forum for discussion of agricultural information issues. Topics discussed include the role of the National Agricultural Library and proposed policies relating to the network's membership, functions, and governance. (seven references)…

Describes Farmers Helping Farmers, a network of rural mutual-help support groups that aim to extend support, increase adaptive coping skills, and share information in rural communities. Discusses individual, family, and community treatment aspects as they relate to rural culture and the rural crisis. Contains 18 references. (SV)

Compared caregiving networks of demented and lucid older adults. Found that demented individuals were cared for mostly by household members while lucid individuals received primarily extra-household assistance. Demented subjects received fewer hours of care from outside the household and from formal providers. Findings suggest that, in cases of…

Explores the qualities of bibliographic and object entities that contribute to the similarities and differences in the data describing them and the possibility of cooperation between indexers of art objects and indexers of bibliographic information. The discussion covers the role of authority control as the linking component between bibliographic…

Explores the underlying concepts involved in the design of art scholarly databases and describes three systems definition projects currently in progress. The discussion covers the revisions of MARC formats and authority controls used in bibliographic information networks that might support an art scholarly database. (eight references) (CLB)

Compares two contrasting perspectives of social contagion processes (structural equivalence and cohesion) associated with the organizational outcome variables of commitment and role ambiguity in organizations. Finds that structural equivalence was more associated with role ambiguity and that commitment was more associated with cohesion. (MS)