Examines six information centers that have used innovation as the pathway to success. Topics include three factors that affect information centers' roles in organizations: the economy, globalization, and technological advances; the need for a clearly defined mission and strategy; customer needs assessment; decentralization; training end users; and…

Describes the impact of information technology on higher education. Highlights include balancing the educational mission between research, teaching, and service; accountability; the growing knowledge base; limited resources; the influence of universities on economic development; systemic change; strategic planning; learning environments;…

Discussion of academic research libraries' changes in organizational structure focuses on experiences at the Indiana University Libraries. Highlights include principles encouraging organizational change and empowerment; the role and nature of the library, including a focus on the user; library reorganization; and strategic planning, quality, and…

Discusses the utility of Cable Television (CATV) in information services and education, noting its high fidelity and versatility. Examines efforts to introduce it into the Nigerian information scenario and the apparent problems. Provides suggestions for strategies the Nigerian government could adopt to encourage the operators of CATV to develop…

The development of institutional performance indicators in higher education is viewed as part of a broader approach to management information and decision making. The experience of the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems in developing useful information from raw data, selecting appropriate performance indicators, and applying…

Examination of the history of use of performance indicators in three European national higher education systems (Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom) suggests that their role at the national level is declining at the same time that institutions are moving toward more broad-based quality assessment strategies. (Author/MSE)

Simultaneous trends in student demography, consumer patterns, competition, limited resources, and information technology combine to make possible truly revolutionary change in higher education. The same mix of intelligent planning, risk taking, and technology that has enabled institutions to create change during retrenchment can help address these…

Based on an educational consultant's experience with a Pacific Telesis Foundation school restructuring program, this article shows the importance of time and culture. Restructuring means formally rearranging time usage to allow schools to create and sustain an interactive culture and supporting infrastructure for improving student learning. To…

The legal framework covering government information procurement, production, and dissemination has been in place for over 100 years. Congress is currently developing revisions to the U.S. Code to reform this system. Fundamental principles of public access, embodied in the Federal Depository Library Program, must guide these revisions, and…

In collaboration with teachers, teacher librarians have a positive impact on student achievement in content areas, information literacy, and reading motivation and ability. Current professional issues of teacher librarians include role clarification, appropriate preservice education, standards for student information literacy, articulation of…

College and university Web site managers are offered advice for creative funding and staffing, including how to determine actual human, equipment, and financial resource needs; six ways to break out of the conventional funding paradigm (using existing resources well, using others' money, advertising, priority shifts, shared resources, and in-kind…

Three former senior academic officers, all later to become college presidents, offer best practices for governing board members and chief academic officers (CAOs) on participatory governance, strategic resource planning, and relationships among the CAO, the trustees, and the president. Topics addressed include an effective institutional governance…

A fictitious memorandum from Niccolo Machiavelli, a 15th-century author, to college presidents, senior administrators, and faculty leaders seeking change in higher education offers suggestions for organizational development and governance in the form of ten rules and related change tactics. Topics addressed include integrity, team-building,…

Describes work at the University of California libraries to accommodate change and plan for digital technology. Topics include cost-effective resource sharing, supporting print collections, beneficial collaborations, scholarly and scientific communication, continuous planning, and the establishment of the California Digital Library. (LRW)

Describes an approach outlined by sciences and engineering librarians at the University of California, Santa Barbara to attract users--specifically graduate students and faculty--to the available online databases and services. The strategy focused on the essentials of planning, preparation and publicity, presentation, and post-workshop evaluation.…