Hofstra University (New York) contracted with a vendor to provide a student information kiosk system on a campus computer network that would improve and enhance delivery of student services. Installed in under two months, the system has quickly addressed some persistent challenges, including easy access to information and security. (MSE)

Describes the Central Media Resource System (CMRS), a method that allows multimedia instruction to large groups of students. Highlights include the information infrastructure, including fiber optics and coaxial cable; use of the CMRS in the classroom and in the media resource center; and future possibilities, including local and wide area…

A physics teacher at rural Cedar Falls High School (Iowa) describes how teacher telecommunication networks provided ongoing support following summer teacher workshops, his inability to get fellow teachers engaged in telecommunication, and the benefits of a telecommunication network to rural teachers. (SV)

Describes the Edison Project, a plan to integrate technology into schools and school systems that will support communication, collaboration, research, text and multimedia authoring and publishing, resource access and management, assessment, and administration and management services. Computer networks that link schools and external sources are…

Discusses the role librarians can take in the international transfer of information. Topics discussed include the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), preservation of materials, international networks and information services, international telecommunications, international librarian exchanges, and…

Describes support delivered by Harvard University's Beginning Teacher Computer Network which helps beginning teachers in disparate geographic locations. Data from mail surveys, computer message counts, and follow-up interviews indicate the network was most effective in providing moral support and least effective in providing technical support of…

A new generation of home-use electronic information systems could help transform American schooling. These services reach beyond computer enthusiasts, using various combinations of mass marketing techniques, attractive graphics, easy-to-use controls, localized information, low-cost access, and dedicated terminals. Representative samples include…

Describes the Canadian Database Promotion Initiative (CDPI), which was created to develop projects that link telecommunications with information technologies for a variety of business and educational organizations. Topics discussed include computer-mediated communications; networks for businesses, research organizations, and universities; and the…

Ethical issues related to computer use on college campuses are of increasing concern, and some are studying them for possible solutions. Issues include copyright of instructional and other computer materials, rude and threatening messages on computer communication networks, and teacher behavior as a model for students. (MSE)

Investigates whether differing conceptualizations of voice mail (VM) exist among different types of VM users. Analyzes semantic networks of comments by people who use VM as a traditional telephone genre or as a new, messaging genre. Finds considerable similarities among four types of users, but also differentiates somewhat between high senders and…

Reports on Bill and Melinda Gates's tour of Alabama, the first state to be wired to the Internet by the nonprofit Gates Library Foundation, and the model for connecting 1000 more libraries this year. Mutual appreciation between Alabama librarians and the Gateses resulted. An interview with Bill Gates focuses on challenges libraries face in…

Changes in library services due to advancing information technology constitute a revolution comparable to invention of the printing press. Democratization of access to knowledge is a positive development, but it should not be confused with democratization of knowledge. This is where any system of information networking may be misleading; in…

Monotonic logic requires reexamination of the entire logic string when there is a contradiction. Nonmonotonic logic allows the user to withdraw conclusions in the face of contradiction without harm to the logic string, which has considerable application to the field of information searching. Artificial intelligence models and neural networks based…

Describes a theoretically and empirically based framework for how users formulate and employ information-seeking strategies in open-ended information systems (OEISs). Discusses challenges related to OEISs. Describes OEIS theoretical and users' perspectives. Presents an example based on a recent study to illustrate use of the OEIS…

Demonstrates the use of a descriptive assessment of an information policy initiative using the Government Information Locator Service (GILS) as an example. Techniques discussed include historical perspective, review of the key policy instrument, descriptive modeling, side-by-side analysis, review of related policy instruments, literature review,…