Discusses asserting and assessing authenticity of digital information sources and why authenticity is an issue now. Describes three types of technical and social strategies (public, secret, and functionally dependent) for asserting authenticity. Cites examples of requirements for authenticity from the various stages in the research process. (AEF)

Explores integration of information services at universities. Provides a history of integrated information services, details successful mergers, and explores professional and organizational issues that create conflict instead of collaboration. Discusses how newer, more flexible higher education environments may be more conducive to integration,…

Describes research that considered the aims and purposes of teaching information technology (IT) in secondary schools through a grounded theory investigation of trainee teachers' experiences and attitudes to their subject. Discusses two approaches to teaching: one focused on the purpose for using IT and used authentic data; and one focused on…

Reviews the structure and historical development of ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center) and describes resources now available through the Internet. Concludes that ERIC's commitment to the adoption of information technologies has allowed the system to redefine the nature of its information services and suggests these resources should be…

Provides an introduction to articles in this special "Perspectives" issue of "Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology." The articles, taken collectively, contain significant elements of a research agenda in image indexing and retrieval for the next decade. Articles focus on user, representation,…

Details the kind of information technology-related experiences that all curricula should share. Gives examples from elementary and middle schools. Lists goals, subgoals, and activities from the National Educational Technology Standards for Students. (JOW)

Discussion of commercial document retrieval focuses on a two-part searching procedure based on identifiable partitions. Topics include system growth and the effects of information technology; content searching on large databases, including partitioning; the granularity of context; resolving queries; document retrieval and the World Wide Web; and…

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) can help minority business owners while also educating students. Problems facing minority businesses include limited access to capital and challenges of technology. Potential solutions include gaining formal business knowledge and partnering with majority businesses. Five ways HBCUs can help…

Many introductory courses to cryptology and computer security start with or include a discussion of classical ciphers that usually contemplates some cryptanalysis techniques used to break them. Ganzua (picklock in Spanish) is an application designed to assist the cryptanalysis of ciphertext obtained with monoalphabetic or polyalphabetic ciphers.…

Curriculum developers and scholars in China are facing a set of inter-related issues around the goals and the strategies of curriculum reform. This paper argues that there are, as in every process of curriculum development, seven goals to be addressed within China's curriculum reform: (1) the establishment of a new curriculum philosophy or ideal;…

In this column, the author relates his experiences in the use of library technology over his 20-year career at Vanderbilt University. He describes how computers in libraries have transformed almost every aspect of how the library provides its services and performs its work behind the scenes. In addition, the author shares a few successful…

Since technology is so expensive, making the wrong purchasing decisions can have severe financial consequences. The purpose of this article is to describe three technology decisions that failed to achieve their original intent. For each of the three, the author's discuss the expectations of the chief information officer, the vendor's sales pitch,…

The effective school library provides access to information resources necessary for students to complete their work successfully, including information technology in providing access to both print collections within the library and resources through databases and the World Wide Web. This article briefly discusses what makes a school library…

Twenty years of information technology (IT) innovation have transformed American higher education. From the introduction of personal computers to the spread of the Internet and e-mail, information technology innovation has altered the communications, administrative, research and teaching landscapes of colleges and universities. Its reach has…

If you build it, will they come? This is one of the fundamental questions anybody creating a Web site has to confront, whether you're a business person, a Web professional or a home user. One of the fundamental ways to ensure people do come, and return, is to make the content of your site as appealing and as accessible as possible. A new study by…