Catalogers, catalog managers, and others in library technical services have become increasingly interested in, worried over, and excited about FRBR (the acronym for Functional Requirements of Bibliographic Records). Staff outside of the management of the library's bibliographic database may wonder what the fuss is about (FERBER? FURBUR?), assuming…

The purpose of this article is to provide five empirically-derived guidelines for knowledge map construction tools that facilitate problem solving. First, the combinational representation principle proposes that conceptual and corresponding procedural knowledge should be represented together (rather than separately) within the knowledge map.…

This article presents the idea that databases are very useful tools for teaching languages over the Internet. Databases in Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) are commonly used in three ways: for reference sources such as dictionaries, in the management of large websites, and for data processing such as language tests and learners'…

Purpose: Online content has largely replaced traditional print-based resources as the primary tool for literature searching throughout much of the academic and research community. This paper presents the results of a small-scale study, commissioned by the JISC in 2004, to assess the potential efficiency gains that may be achieved through the use…

Many employers in the United States have been initiating or expanding policies requiring background checks of prospective employees. The ability to perform such checks has been abetted by the growth of computerized databases and of commercial enterprises that facilitate access to personal information. Employers now have ready access to public…

In this article Harvey Quamen examines how the philosophy of open source software might be of particular benefit to humanities scholars in the near future--particularly for academic journals with limited financial resources. To this end he provides a case study in which he describes his use of open source technology (MySQL database software and…

An account is given of the design and compilation of a freely-available database, updated on a monthly schedule, listing journals, books, conference proceedings and online publications concerned with any and every aspect of low vision. Specific topic areas can be located by means of keywords and through other bibliographical details such as the…

The initial goals of IAMFC included conducting and fostering programs of education in the field of family counseling, and promoting and conducting programs of research in the field of marriage and family counseling (International Association of Marriage and Family Counselors, 1990). The goal of fostering program development shows signs of success,…

Presents the findings from a study of 48 Colleges of Further Education (FE) who have participated in a diagnostic benchmarking exercise using the learning probe methodology. Learning probe has been developed from the established service probe tool (developed originally by London Business School and IBM Consulting) to support colleges of FE in…

The chronic academic underperformance and student failure of most American urban high schools are actually created by the antiquated way that schools evaluate student academic performance and award (or deny) course credits. When the school leaders in a small inner-city high school in Chicago began to question the "received wisdom" of…

The purpose of this article is to introduce the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten (ECLS-K) database to school social work practitioners and researchers. This database not only serves as a viable source for evidence-based practice pertaining to the influences of families and schools on the academic achievement of children beginning at…

This document, which is designed to provide classroom teachers at all levels with practical ideas for a computer applications course, examines curricular considerations, teaching strategies, delivery techniques, and assessment methods applicable to a course focusing on applications of computers in business. The guide is divided into three…

Beginning this annual report is a letter to the OCLC membership from OCLC President and Chief Executive Officer, K. Wayne Smith. Statistical data are then presented in tables and/or graphs for OCLC programs and the system's financial status for fiscal years 1990/91 and 1989/90; the growth of the OCLC Online Union Catalog from 1971-1991 in terms of…

This document describes a study that designed, developed, and evaluated the Pennsylvania school-district database program for use by educational decision makers. The database contains current information developed from data provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Education and describes each of the 500 active school districts in the state. PEP…

A 5-year study of the Illinois Eastern Community College District 529 Information Referral and Retention (IR&R) Project was conducted. Its purpose was to evaluate demographic and educational information regarding 888 students enrolled in the IR&R Public Assistance Program from November 1983 through June 1988. As part of the study, an…