A cost-effective alternative to high utility bills for middle-sized and smaller utility users is the service of utility rate consultants. The consultants analyze utility invoices for the previous 12 months to locate available refunds or credits. (MLF)

This discussion of the effects of library automation and networking on original catalog librarians describes personal experiences with the transition from a manual to an automated cataloging system at the Michigan State University Libraries, and presents recommendations for the future. (MES)

Discusses ways microcomputers can be used to create the single machine-readable record that will be used by an automated library system. The options described include in-house conversion, part in-house and part service bureau, and service bureau. Specific vendors' services are listed and pros and cons of various options are explained. (EM)

Examines efforts of the Research Libraries Group to use RLIN (Research Libraries Information Network) to support cooperative and individual member library preservation activities. Areas covered include enhancements to make item-specific microform information available and efforts to code information on the physical condition of materials. (30…

Provides technology educators with an overview of the electric utility industry and present and future developments in energy technology. Discusses the process of teaching about energy in technology education programs. (SK)

This report offers California college faculty a closer look at contextualized teaching and learning (CTL) as a promising set of strategies and practices that can be expanded through the state's Basic Skills Initiative. The report is relevant to a range of instructional and counseling faculty, including academic and career and technical education…

In 1986, Northeast Utilities began helping shool administrators combat school building energy wastage through a program called Energy Alliance. The typical school can reduce its energy bill by 30 percent by adopting a wide range of conservation measures, including cogeneration, relamping, and energy audits. (MLH)

An effective way to increase electricity energy savings for school districts is to integrate rate case participation (rate reduction) with conservation and load-management efforts (rebates) and retrofit operations, to obtain a total energy cost reduction package. Describes how a Pennsylvania consortium of school districts saved its member…

Describes a three day activity in which students divide into groups, each group arguing for the construction of a power plant using coal, oil or nuclear energy. (CP)

Identifies the four basic functions of library automation as circulation systems, online catalogs, acquisitions, and serial check-in, and compares the advantages and disadvantages of integrated library systems versus linked systems in terms of these functions. (3 notes with references) (CLB)

Reviews the Linked Systems project protocols in the Name Authority Distribution Application and describes the requirements they were designed to meet. A technical evaluation of the protocols in actual operation at OCLC is presented, and suggestions for improved performance are made. (Author/CLB)

A number of school systems are saving money with computerized energy management systems. Administrators of Elizabethton Public Schools, Tennessee, also changed the school calendar with an extended winter break that substantially reduced electrical peaks. (MLF)

A public utility company uses laser wands to read bar-coded labels on furniture and equipment. The system allows an 80 percent savings of the time required to create reports for inventory control. (MLF)

Presents the syllabus for a nine week, college level unit on energy topics. (CP)

President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Rural Electrification Act changed farm life dramatically. The miracle of electricity in rural East Texas is examined in "Electricity Comes to East Texas" (Brandi Anderson and others). Chronicled is a description of life without electricity and how everyday chores were done in its absence. Local citizens…