The future of the information broker business depends on certification. Some obstacles are lack of commonality, control, a professional title, and time. Core competencies (ethics, professional conduct, and client care) and specialties could determine certification criteria, and a grace period for phasing in established brokers could be initiated.…

Gatehouse Books in Manchester and Pecket Well College in West Yorkshire are publishers of adult basic education materials. They offer different and inspiring models for what can happen when adult literacy work merges with the activities and philosophy of the community writing and publishing movement. (JOW)

Reviews the history of children's fiction series publishing, examines the childhood reading histories of adult readers who currently read for pleasure, and investigates the reading of series books as an essential stage in the reading development. Also discusses the need for public libraries to be aware of different patron reading levels. (contains…

Reviews the origins and history of Konrad Duden's "Vollstandiges Orthographisches Worterbuch," the standard reference work on correct German spelling since the 1880s, which since the early 20th century has been referred to simply as "Duden." Also emphasized are the historical and cultural impact of "Duden" spelling…

Presents results of a survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers of its employer members. Responding organizations (n=422) rated on-campus recruitment as the most effective method of attracting college graduates. General trends are analyzed in terms of diversity, downsizing, company growth, competition, and selectivity. (JPS)

Discusses fair use guidelines based on the Copyright Act of 1976 and their applications to distance education issues. Topics include concerns of users and publishers, copyright permission that is needed for distance education and not for traditional instruction, multimedia fair use guidelines, and licensing systems. (LRW)

Introduces the special section by discussing the concept, definition, and practices of lifelong learning. Highlights four themes of an international conference: lifelong learning competencies, access, technologies, and the learning organization. Addresses implications for industry and higher education and includes an action agenda for lifelong…

While businesses have been building electronic highways, education is traveling an electronic dirt road. There are 10 reasons for using technology in classrooms. Students learn and develop at different rates. Graduates must be globally aware, proficient at accessing, evaluating, and communicating information, and adept at solving complex problems.…

Examines the effects of the political events of the last decade on Russian libraries. Topics include libraries in the old Soviet Union, decentralization of control and financing, relaxation of censorship, changes in the Russian publishing industry, channels of distribution, and future needs. (LRW)

Discusses multilingualism as a basic requirement of European industry and the link with cultural competence in light of a unified European marketplace. (24 references) (VWL)

Discusses results of a Green Index, published by the Institute for Southern Studies, that ranks the 50 states on the basis of 256 environmental indicators. Explores how and why the deep South states are all at the bottom of the list. A vignette provides a comparison between state hazardous waste generation and spending on waste management. (MCO)

Defines electronic data interchange (EDI) as the exchange of data between computer systems without human intervention or interpretation. Standards are discussed; and the implementation of EDI in libraries and the serials publishing community in the areas of orders and acquisitions, claims, and invoice processing is described. (LRW)

Examination of production jobs in 93 manufacturing firms (1978-86) and clerical jobs in 211 firms (1978-88) suggests (1) significant upskilling within most production jobs; (2) in clerical jobs, an even split between raised and lowered skill levels; and (3) decreasing skill levels associated with office automation. (SK)

Presents interviews with people deeply involved in multicultural literature for children and adolescents to give more perspectives on key issues related to publishing, selection, and classroom use of such literature. (RS)

Discusses the relationship and interdependence of children's libraries and publishers of children's books. Developments in publishing for children in the United States, Great Britain, and Canada are examined; publishing trends are described, including a more global approach; and the influence of technological changes are considered. (five…