Examines the workings of the existing system of computer data bases for technical and scientific information in the United States and raises questions about developing a public national information network. (JMF)

With the introduction of the library's OPAC (Online Public Access Catalog), CD-ROMs, the Internet, and OhioLINK, the University of Toledo library is faced with technological, instructional, and other challenges. The main challenge is the lack of a mediated classroom for group instruction. Current paper-based teaching methods do not always allow…

Discusses distance learning at East Mecklenburg High School (Charlotte, North Carolina), a demonstration site for the North Carolina Information Highway. Highlights include community/adult education, hardware, costs, video and sound equipment, distance learning class scheduling, and future outlooks. (AEF)

Discusses the development of campus networking and networked courseware at the University of Oregon, focusing on the possibilities and limitations of interactive courseware. Preliminary evaluations indicate that Internet-based courseware seems to better engage motivated students and allows for the development of a dynamic core-course curriculum,…

Internet II, a higher-speed information network under development, is supported by almost 100 colleges and universities. It would let researchers develop advanced tools, but would be costly for institutions. A similar but more limited project, the Very High Speed Backbone Network Service (VBNS), has also garnered college support. Technical,…

Highlights both the benefits and the problems associated with networking in libraries and discusses circumstances that are forcing information centers in the Arabian Gulf region to begin thinking about library networking. Topics include governing models, resource sharing, timeliness, cost effectiveness, currency, reliability, and a union catalog…

An Australian study of 42 families of 47 gifted elementary children investigated their experiences across the contexts of family/friendship networks, community resources, and school. Results found parents of able children were subjected to negative experiences in all three settings. The need for counseling support is discussed. (Author/CR)

Covers the five keynote addresses as well as three program presentations delivered at the Spring Internet World (1997) conference in Los Angeles. Highlights exhibited products (offline browsers and tools, push technology and foreign-language applications), online financial services and miscellaneous networks. (AEF)

Presents procedures based on Rasch measurement theory for construction of an assessment network, which is defined as a system of rate and task banks. Three general classes of data collection designs are presented to calibrate an assessment network and provide the opportunity for objective and fair measurements. (SLD)

Presents an overview of user-centered design and usability testing. Describes a Web site evaluation project at a university, the iterative process of rapid prototyping and usability testing, and how the findings helped to improve the design. Discusses recommendations for university Web site design and reflects on problems faced in usability…

Compares the efficacy of different approaches to introducing urban adults to Internet resources. Models tested included two training period lengths and two computer interfaces (text-based and graphical). Findings suggest that the interface used does not significantly affect users' ability to find information on the Internet; user confidence in…

Presents guidelines for making a Web site noticeable. Discusses submitting the URL to directories, links, and announcement lists, and sending the site over the server via FTP to search engines. Describes how to index the site with "Title,""Heading," and "Meta" tags. (AEF)

Explores the question of quality links within the hyper-networked structure of information on the Web by surveying documents selected from the sites of the Alexandria Project, CNET, the Library of Congress and the National Information Standards Organization. Quality was measured by exhaustivity and specificity. (Author/AEF)

Examines issues of viability and necessity regarding the Open System Interconnections (OSI) reference service model with a view on future developments. Discusses problems with the standards; conformance testing; OSI bureaucracy; standardized communications; security; the transport level; applications; the stakeholders (communications providers,…

Universities of the Third Age contribute both to individual well-being and national economies. One new direction is electronic networking and the World Wide Web. Although expensive to implement, this would have the potential of reaching even greater numbers of the aging population. (SK)