This special issue includes 13 articles that address the need for educating library support staff. Highlights include certification of support staff; examples; attending relevant conferences; support staff in professional organizations; a model for staff development and training; union versus nonunion benefits; networking; and mentoring. (LRW)

Economic and social changes are precipitating a health care crisis in Russia. With Western support, nursing education programs are being revitalized, and nursing associations are being formed. (SK)

Professors and the Florida State Board of Regents have agreed to experiment with an alternative to tenure at Florida Gulf Coast University, scheduled to open in 1997. Administrators will have the option of whether to offer new professors tenure or multi-year contracts. The arrangement is a compromise between elimination of tenure and the contract…

The successful organization of the 1990s will fundamentally remake its employee relationship, especially through increased employee influence on the nature of work, organizational context, and quality of product/service. An employee advocacy peer review conflict resolution process has been useful in improving labor relations and enhancing the…

The legality of employment involvement programs--participation of workers in workplace decision making--has not been established. Three National Labor Relations Board decisions illustrate the complex legal, policy, and economic issues relayed to faculty unions. (SK)

Reviews trade union education practices in the Netherlands, roles of volunteer tutors, and types of support they need. Develops a model for support environments ranging from structural (extra strong, medium strong, and strong support) to incidental (light support). (SK)

Reviews the literature and analyses of the joint problem-solving strategies that have emerged during the 1980s and are used by management and labor to improve company performance, employee welfare, and labor-management relations. Includes a 58-item bibliography and 32 additional references. (JOW)

Labor-related issues to be considered by the Supreme Court include veterans' rights to reemployment, union organizing practices, pension entitlements, and the taxability of back pay recovered in damage suits. (JOW)

When dealing with a real dispute based on conflicting goals rather than a misunderstanding, it is better to avoid multiple rounds of "clarifying communication." A better approach is to solicit the opposite party's concerns and critiques, thereby eliciting a sequence of constructive responses until agreement has been reached. Examples are provided.…

Examines the legal and sociological aspects of worker participation programs. Contends that the judicial doctrine may promote an ideology that furthers managerial control over workers and enables management to undermine support for union representation through participatory techniques. (Author)

Since the early 1980s, several unions have negotiated for training and education funds paid for by the employer and administered jointly by the union and the company. However, the link between lifelong learning and productivity is more a matter of belief than a proven fact. (JOW)

Bjorkquist and Lewis's model for training research includes workers' concerns (autonomy, compensation, health, and worker-environment fit) as well as influences on training outcomes (performance deficiencies, learning conditions, and worker commitment). Rosen's reaction considers whether meaningful worker participation in planning can take place…

Includes "World Industry on the Move"; "The Future Belongs to Those Who Can Adapt" (Fromont); "The Automobile Industry: Engines of Change" (O'Brien); "Negotiating Flexibility to Save Jobs" (Fromont); and "Fixing the Rules of the Game: Partners State Their Case." (JOW)

Discusses the need to keep union lists of serials holdings updated and describes efforts by the University of Notre Dame library to update holdings on the Indiana Union List so that fill rates for interlibrary loan requests are improved. Results are reported that indicate an improvement in fill rates. (LRW)

North Carolina charter schools are operated by private, nonprofit corporations with federal, tax-exempt status and multicharter licenses. The application process is easy, the political climate under Governor Jim Hunt is progressive, and public employees are not unionized. On balance, the system seems both flexible and accountable to taxpayers.…