A journal-based information service was developed to access appropriate work-related articles for social services personnel. Short summaries of selected articles from 60 journals are published in a monthly bulletin, and copies of the articles supplied upon request. Initial user responses are analyzed. (JAB)

Examines the concepts of need and need identification, the process of need assessment as it is perceived by adult educators, and the evidence of the adequacy of need assessment in adult education in terms of participation rates. (BR)

A needs assessment survey was conducted with 178 physicians, service agency representatives, and school counselors and administrators in the Texas panhandle area to determine the most needed services for the developmentally disabled. (IM)

Describes the process, and the hazards, involved in conducting a needs assessment for a counseling program. (IRT)

Reports findings of a recent assessment of the health and social needs of children under age 6 in an area of 85,000 people from different racial, ethnic and income groups located in Boston. This assessment documented resource needs, highlighted specific problems and revealed mistaken priorities. (BR)

This research into the affective and academic needs of student teachers, which concentrated on identifying influential persons in their lives and the nature of the influences, revealed a primary need for empathy and release from the anxieties of the beginning teacher phase. (MJB)

Persons facing retirement quite often do not know how to use their leisure time; their interests and abilities are so diversified that it is difficult to form community programs for them and more research and thought is needed to help them in coping with this problem. (JD)

Discusses some of the criteria and assumptions useful to department chairpeople planning for the future of academic departments. Available from: ACA Bulletin, Robert Hall, Editor, Speech Communication Association, 5205 Leesburg Pike, Suite 1001, Falls Church, VA 22041. (MH)

Issues related to family assessment as part of early intervention programs with handicapped children are reviewed and the need for a family needs assessment as a first step in developing family focused interventions is stressed. Suggestions for the design, selection, and use of a needs assessment are made. (Author/DB)

The article describes medical care services of the Developmental Disabilities Center in Morristown (New Jersey), which provides evaluations, primary care, specialty services, inpatient care, health education to community programs, consultation to the state agency, and hospital staff training. Needs in cardiac, endocrine, infectious disease,…

Outlines trends developing in the alcoholism field including: youth, treatment, public policy, education, research, and the Rand Report. Identifies two needs: the need to look at the interrelationships of programs and trends and the need to foster an environment which does not tolerate drunkenness or intoxication. (Author/ABB)

Outlines the process involved in selecting or developing software for building a machine-readable database and the special librarian's role in that process. The following steps are identified: (1) needs assessment; (2) project cost and justification; (3) software selection; (4) implementation; and (5) startup and maintenance. Twelve references are…

Many issues surrounding gerontological education need resolution: the shortage of qualified faculty members, particularly in professional schools; the role and organization of programs leading to gerontology degrees and other certification; the relationship of undergraduate and graduate programs; methods of integrating aging content into…

Comments on Watkins' article describing problems with the current training of counseling psychologists. Addresses Watkins' central arguments, and proposes other solutions to the problems. (ABB)

Designed for parents who wish to develop local respite care services for families with disabled children, this primer outlines strategies for: evaluating current available services and programs; pulling people together; conducting a needs assessment; raising money; and writing a proposal. (CB)