Discussion of community electronic networks focuses on the role of public libraries in terms of leadership, local information needs, access to electronic information including the Internet, education and training, and server hosts. A guide to resources on the World Wide Web is also included. (LRW)

Presents both positive and negative aspects of using the Internet as a teaching tool. Offers suggestions for overcoming some of the negative aspects. Discusses ways to tailor searches to age level, proper equipment to improve student access, the need for careful planning and observation, and possibilities for instructor training in Internet use.…

Describes a study that examined the professional information needs of rural secondary school teachers in New South Wales (Australia). Concludes that teacher librarians have a pivotal role in meeting information needs, and that computer networks provide a means of overcoming the teachers' professional and geographical isolation. (LRW)

Reviews developments related to standards in electronic and networked information. Discusses traditional library and Internet communities, and notes the importance of having a supporting infrastructure in place. Topics include: Z39.50; Z39.56 Serial Item/Contribution Identifier (SICI); Interlibrary Loan (ILL) Protocol; character set standards;…

Examines the World Wide Web as a curriculum resource and teaching tool. Finds much to recommend in the system's access to electronic databases, publications, listservs, newsgroups, and e-mail. Abuses and deficiencies include misinformation, lack of access to computers, and very few tools for assessment. (MJP)

Examines varied types of Ontario public and Catholic school board collaboration, focusing on the structural characteristics of interorganizational networks, such as age, size, organizational members, number and degree of shared activities, operational and governance mechanisms, and cost savings obtained. The primary motives behind the 43 coop and…

A study of a junior high school inclusion program that provided four students with disabilities with nondisabled student aids found the students with disabilities experienced growth in levels of independence, social networks, academic skills, and in behavior. Describes beneficial outcomes for the student aids and contributing successful program…

Taken together, the articles in this special issue contribute to the collective sense of recent progress in research on networked learning in higher education. In combination, they help explain some of the key relationships between teachers' and learners' intentions and experiences, the affordances of text-based communications technologies and…

Reports part of a wider study aimed to develop a theoretical understanding of learning in networked courses, where the subject matter is directly related to participants' practical experience. Proposes a taxonomy as a tool for analyzing the learning potential. A phenomenographic perspective on learning underpins the study. (AEF)

Interviews with low-income, American Indian, single parents on the Rosebud Reservation in Todd County, South Dakota, included families who were on and who had left Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. Welfare reform issues discussed included transportation problems; access to affordable, quality child care; food insecurity; and the scarcity of…

The challenges and potential benefits of automating university libraries are reviewed, with special attention given to cooperative systems. Aspects discussed include database size, the role of the university computer center, storage modes, multi-institutional systems, resource sharing, cooperative system management, networking, and intelligent…

Reports survey results from 2,234 Montana students on drinking prevalence, age at first drink, drinking consequences, nondrinkers' reasons for abstinence, acquaintance with teenage alcoholics, friends' drinking behavior, and drinking and driving. Finds prevalence of alcohol use among Indians significantly higher than that of non-Indians. Discusses…

Suggests a dilemma confronts sociologists in the review and publication of their works. Claims that relying on peer review impedes the practice of open and fair judgments because social networks bind people to one another. Observes that peer review can limit new and critical thinking. Urges that manuscripts be judged on their own merits. (NL)

Describes Project Jupiter, which was developed to promote the United Kingdom's Joint Academic Network (JANET) to its member libraries. Library uses of JANET are described, including online catalogs, commercial services, and electronic mail; the convergence of local area networks (LANs) and wide area networks (WANs) is discussed; and future…

Examines technical and support issues that impact on libraries' decisions to provide patrons with remote communication access to CD-ROM local area networks. Areas discussed include licensing costs for CD-ROM, remote control communications software, dedicated hardware, system maintenance, computer security, and the provision of quality, user…