Effective school leadership may be increasingly defined by new models and new paradigms for training and development. Principal development must educate principals about change; build sound, effective relationships; create sharing, networking, and mentoring activities; teach, support, and encourage reflection; discuss transcendent and…

Memorial Hall Library in Andover, Massachusetts wanted to offer live reference service online but with limited resources, they couldn't do it alone. The 24/7 Reference cooperative program administered by the California State Library required Memorial Hall's librarians to monitor only 10 hours a week in return for live reference coverage. Memorial…

Describes the development of the national integrated online information network in the Republic of China. Highlights include a history of library and information automation in Taiwan, the coordination efforts of the central government, creation of the Chinese MARC format, and automation under the leadership of the National Central Library.…

The Anchorage Library Information Network created the STAR (State of the Art Reference) group to deliver reference training to Alaskan librarians and information providers. Librarians were trained to run workshops that focused on acquiring communications skills through practice, coaching, and reinforcement on the job. Due to budget constraints,…

Examines whether the Internet will be an equalizer or will increase social stratification, whether the Internet will be a boon to rural areas, and how it can be made more appealing or acceptable to rural areas. Discusses the "missionary movement" model of economic change and rural issues related to access to infrastructure, censorship,…

Discusses the implications of moving from working primarily on paper to working primarily online. Notes that this change is happening within a generation instead of over several hundred years and that those who have mastered high print literacy are in the position to see online literacy in the light of print literacy. (seven references) (CK)

State-sponsored teacher networks in Vermont and California are compared, using interviews with teachers, network staff, and policymakers. It is concluded that state-sponsored networks can improve teachers' knowledge and motivation while empowering them. Recommendations are made for loosely coupled and capacity-building strategies to support…

Election of a new executive director for H-Net, a humanities and social sciences mailing-list network, is marked by controversy over the large role of Michigan State University in the network, due to the incumbent's faculty status there, and over the extent of his authority. The conflict has extended to how open the network should be to diverse…

Examines issues related to CD-ROM services in libraries in developing countries, and focuses on planning, funding, hardware, software, database selection, installation, staff and user training, publicity, use policies and procedures, document non-availability, and evaluation. Recommends a partnership approach between library information systems,…

To improve availability of sound recordings for music students, Indiana University has digitized over 1,300 selections and made them available on two computer network servers. High-quality audio technology provides compact-disc-quality sound. Some technical difficulties remain, but users have adapted well to the new system. (MSE)

Traces the interrelations between neighborhood sociocultural factors and adolescents' networks, leisure preferences, and school behavior. The overall conclusion is that both the background variables and most of the network indices correlate with the outcome variables. Results show that time spent with peers indulging in passive leisure consumption…

Explains how Texas A&M University libraries developed a wireless network, including problems encountered, and describes three wireless services currently being delivered using Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), tablet PCs, and wireless laptop computers. Topics include costs versus value; data security and access; wireless access points;…

A new theory of geographical analysis--sociospatial knowledge networks--provides a framework for understanding the social and spatial locations of a community's health knowledge and beliefs. This theory is guiding an ethnographic study of health beliefs, knowledge, and knowledge networks in a diverse rural community at high risk for type-2…

Discusses the historiography of women's education as it relates to the need for marginal groups to becomed involved in networking structures. Offers three frameworks (networking, religion, and money), illustrating ways to make gender more central to educational history. Argues that there is much work to be done in identifying a useful framework…

Proposes to measure sojourner's acculturation in terms of their social exchange networks, measuring second language success in terms of pronunciation. Provides strong evidence to support Schumann's (1978) acculturation theory. The acculturation experiences and second language pronunciation of 9 American women residing in Norway are described and…