Colleges should consider adopting specific policies for handling incidents of racial harassment. Campus policies for dealing with racial harassment "should be written, posted, and specific, and make a commitment that there will be no retaliation against a complainant." (MLW)

Discusses the problem of differentiating librarianship from other information-related occupations. Several models used to define the concept of information are presented; and the relationships of information to knowledge, information science, library science, and the mission of the academic library are explored. (34 notes with references) (CLB)

This working paper focuses on the educational planner as a bureaucratic actor. To explain planner influence or lack of influence in the policymaking process, practitioners need to explore the micropolitics of organizations and understand individual, organizational, and situational forces demanding their engagement. Planners need an engaged…

Discusses specific selection criteria used in making collection development decisions and presents both a model for arriving at a selection decision, and a mechanism for assigning a priority to each selection. (CLB)

The Network of Colleges and Universities Committed to the Elimination of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, a national higher-education group for exchanging information about substance abuse programs has issued a set of 22 standards for college policy formation and enforcement. Institutions will be invited to join the network. (MSE)

Provides policy guidelines for state and local officials, professionals, and child advocates seeking to improve the reporting and investigation of suspected child abuse and neglect. (BB)

Describes the events that led to the establishment of the national policy for informatics in Brazil, which restricts foreign involvement in that nation's computer industry. The governing agencies are described, controversies and debates surrounding the policy are summarized, and the reaction of the American government is discussed. (Author/CLB)

Evaluation is a part of political process, but public policy decisions are not always based on evaluations. The following steps should be used to enhance this process: (1) develop policy questions; (2) translate them into evaluation questions; (3) conduct the evaluation; (4) answer the policy questions; and (5) use the results to generate new…

Committee N on Representation of Economic and Professional Interests and Committee T on College and University Government (both of the American Association of University Professors--AAUP) issued a statement on collective bargaining and the part it plays in shared governance in colleges and universities. (MLW)

A recent policy statement on educational business activities is presented that was sent to members of the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO). The model guidelines demonstrate to small business leaders, state legislatures, and Congress that colleges recognize their responsibilities to provide for the needs of…

Colleges must have a system to safely control the ordering, delivery, transport, storage, and use of hazardous material. Information on hazardous material management is excerpted from "Managing Hazardous Waste at Educational Institutions. (MLW)

Presents a model that calculates the conditions under which a library may adopt a highly service-oriented online catalog access policy at minimum additional cost. The use of arrival rates, service rates, and queueing calculations to arrive at a cost-effective policy is explained. (Author/CLB)

Presents a study of 36 selection policy statements from community college libraries in the United States including a content analysis of the policies. Recommends 20 components for inclusion in a community college library materials selection policy. (CBC)

The president of the Education Commission of the States urged state policy-makers to proceed cautiously in developing plans to allow parents to pre-pay college tuitions years in advance at discounted prices. Reciprocal agreements between the states and exploration of other options are suggested. (MLW)

The knowledge base of state politics involved in formation of educational policies has become richer and more complex, with individual research findings beginning to hang together. Continued study of political cultures and policy makers' orientations is needed to create a knowledge base that can support theory development. (CB)