Summative evaluation of library instruction at UCLA found no difference between undergraduate biology students in a lecture group and those in a computer-assisted instruction (CAI) group and prompted the elimination of the lecture method. This article discusses the conceptual framework for the CAI and includes the follow-up survey results. (PEN)

Examines paparazzi and copyright law, regulation of the Internet, the European Union Database Directive and U.S. efforts to change database laws, Tasini v. The New York Times, freedom of information and access to public sector information, company law and e-mail messages, electronic commerce, cryptography export controls, domain names and trade…

Library and information studies (LIS) traditionally emphasize pluralism (behavior of interacting individuals) and managerialism (organizations treated as systems) rather than class perspective, which argues that LIS curriculum is a middle-class practice aimed at maintaining cultural hegemony. Examines the corporate world links,…

The Online Computer Library Center's (OCLC) access options have kept pace with the evolving trends in telecommunications and the library computing environment. As libraries deploy microcomputers and develop networks, OCLC offers access methods consistent with these environments. OCLC works toward reorienting its network paradigm through TCP/IP…

Describes a survey of graduates from master's in library and information studies programs concerning social responsibility and gender issues and the treatment that these subjects received in their classes. Results are discussed that indicate that librarians and library education are less progressive than commonly depicted, and a copy of the survey…

Describes a visit to the Moscow State University of Culture which includes the largest library and information science program in Russia. Highlights include lecture formats and topics; the lack of instructional technology; visits to other libraries; language barriers; the value of smaller group interactions; and recommendations for program…

Describes focus-group activities designed to generate information for use in decision making about core and elective courses in a library and information science (LIS) curriculum. Discusses how focus-group activity fits with LIS program review. Also includes questions asked and responses; and feeding opinions into a decision apparatus. (AEF)

Discusses the need to motivate students to make information literacy programs successful and demonstrates how a middle school library media specialist used Small and Arnone's Motivation Overlay for Information Skills Instruction to build a set of customized toolkits to improve student research that includes the Big6[TM] approach to library and…

Students in a creative writing class at McLean High School (Virginia) were asked to write an original piece of spy fiction. A four-way collaboration model, which utilized the strengths and expertise of a teacher, library media specialist, business partner (the technology division of the CIA), and vendor, provided students with unusual learning…

The executive director of the Special Libraries Association (SLA) and the president of the Association of Independent Information Professionals (AIIP) answer questions about outsourcing information services. Relevant policy, vendor-client relationships, managerial considerations, and effects on libraries are discussed. Two sidebars offer 19…

Presents a model instructional session that was prepared and taught by librarians to introduce college students, faculty, and staff to the Internet by teaching them how to join listservs and topic-centered discussion groups. Describes the sessions' audience, learning objectives, facility, and course design. Presents a checklist for preparing an…

Describes a study that examined novice online searchers in an academic library as they used a full-text magazine article database on DIALOG. Purposes and motivations for using the database are discussed; affective, cognitive, and sensorimotor search behaviors are examined; and satisfaction with the results are considered. (LRW)

While college libraries embrace new technologies to provide access to a broader range of information, they must also cope with high costs, both financial and legal. In the print medium, access and distribution are governed by copyright laws; in the electronic media, they are dependent on the technology available to the library and on terms of…

Plans to upgrade the nation's telecommunication infrastructure should include provisions for expanding public and affordable educational services. Suggests a "Corporation for Public Telecommunications," modeled after the "Corporation for Public Broadcasting," that could help provide services that would benefit education, health care, social…

Describes the development of a computer-supported cooperative problem-solving environment designed to help librarians and remote access users work together in performing an online search. Results of a study of graduate students indicate that groups using the computer demonstrated more effective skills than those performing the same tasks face to…