Argues that bookstores are not superior and do not pose a threat to libraries. Discusses what libraries can learn from bookstores; where bookstores fall short; low wages of bookstore clerks; misshelving problems in bookstores due to the classification system; how the library classification system can be improved; and libraries' strengths. (AEF)

Reviews federal special-education laws and their effects on children with reading and other disabilities and identifies tensions in sorting and placement decisions. Explores how 1997 amendments to the reauthorized Individuals with Disabilities Education Act can advance national reading competence goals for all children. Multifaceted advocacy is…

This study examined the degree to which clinicians use various discrepancy models to identify a child as learning disabled by reviewing the case files of 105 urban (predominantly African-American) children who had been classified as LD and were receiving special education. Results suggested clinicians' decisions do not reflect recommended models…

Used content analysis to examine the depiction of poverty in 18 books for young children. Book content was coded using nine categories (occupation, income, employment, unemployment, race, ethnicity, geographic locale, education, and family structure). Found that all nine categories appeared in the books and that although some findings diverged…

Applied the analytical judgment standard setting method to 90 papers from the 1996 Grade 8 National Assessment of Educational Progress science assessment. Compared sorting versus direct classification, long and short versions of the classification scale, and effects of discussion on cutscores. Results from 17 Georgia teachers and 8 Michigan…

Using cluster analysis, a study empirically divided 54 children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) based on their Full Scale IQ and reading ability. Clusters had different patterns of cognitive, behavioral, and neurochemical functions, as determined by discrepancies in Verbal-Performance IQ, academic achievement, parent…

Proposes a methodology using citations to measure the quality of journals, proceedings, and book publishers. Explains the use of statistical sampling, bootstrapping, and classification that results in ranked lists of journals, proceedings, and publishers, as evidenced in a case study of the information systems field. (Author/LRW)

Presents an investigation of 13- and 14-year-old students' classification skills when they analyze scientific data in science lessons. Finds that less-able students could only classify according to discrete criteria, and that the scientific context influenced students' classification skills. (Contains 18 references.) (Author/WRM)

Recommends the use of beans as an inexpensive, durable, and readily available resource for developing science-process skills in K-8 students. Shares strategies for using beans in graphing, patterning, and classifying. (DDR)

Referral, placement, and retention decisions were analyzed using item response theory (IRT) to study whether classification decisions could be placed on the latent continuum of ability normally associated with test items and to study the existence of classification differential item functioning. Results with 352 kindergarten children demonstrate…

Discusses bibliographic instruction in libraries. Topics include a history of bibliographic instruction; the Internet and electronic searching; librarians' use of technology; defining information needs; locating and accessing information, including classification systems and Boolean searching; evaluating information; using and communication…

A study compared children with autism or Asperger syndrome with speech delays (n=23) with those without speech delays (n=24). No significant differences were found on any of the 71 variables analyzed, including autistic symptoms and expressive language. Results suggest that early speech delay may be irrelevant to later functioning. (Contains…

Provides a review of 20 digital libraries from around the world. Examines library objectives; funding, including the role of government and private sector organizations; subject coverage; collections; information storage and retrieval; search features; access to the collections; output formats; and sorting search output. (LRW)

Explores the future of reference librarianship within the context of the enabling technologies that will chart library development in the 21st century. The article types libraries into categories of "traditional,""automated,""hybrid," and "digital." The typology delineates shifts in human/machine…

Examines data collected by the federal Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) on the identification and classification of special education students. Analysis suggests that the OSEP count data, by themselves, do not indicate how many children have disabilities or what types of disabilities they have, and the data cannot by used to evaluate…