This publication, presented in pocket guide format, contains data from 2007 vocational education and training (VET) statistics collections. It includes key data on students and courses, apprentices and trainees training activity, graduates, the financial operations of the VET system, and employers' use and views of the VET system. Among the…

Presents a guide to assessing optical data disks based on descriptive evaluation (facts about the product), comparative evaluation (whether the content is available in another form) and use evaluation (who will use it, why, and how). A checklist of evaluation criteria is provided. (CLB)

Examines digital copyright issues for developers and users of CD-ROMs and online information systems. Offers seven copyright tips for multimedia developers and discusses the growth of copyright law, automated copyright licensing, and Internet royalty meters. A sidebar lists copyright print resources and names of corporate and legal contacts. (JMV)

Discusses databases and database management systems and explains how they can be used to organize and provide access to information. Highlights include relational models, database design considerations (particularly normalization), query languages used in programming, screen displays, data integrity and security, and effects of the organizational…

The practical advice for the evaluation of laser/optical data disk materials (e.g., CD-ROM) is based on a review of the relevant literature. An evaluation framework is outlined and collection development tools and sources of published reviews are identified. (34 references) (Author/CLB)

Discusses privacy concerns relating to electronic information media. European privacy initiatives from the European Community are described, including personal data protection, impact on the online industry, and telecommunications privacy; and activities in the United States are examined, including telephone caller privacy, electronic mail…

Kids Count, a project of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, is a national and state by- state effort to track the status of children in the United States. By providing policymakers and citizens with benchmarks of child well-being, Kids Count seeks to enrich local, state, and national discussions concerning ways to secure better futures for all…

Presents selection and design considerations to help libraries make informed decisions about hardware configurations of CD-ROM systems. Highlights include CD-ROM configurations, including single drive workstations, daisychains, and jukeboxes; network configurations, including remote access; microcomputer features; CD-ROM drive selection; and…

Discusses library use studies that examined library catalog search failures and demonstrates types of online catalog access that can reduce the failures caused by card catalog flaws or by user search errors by half. The use of single keyword, implied Boolean, or derived truncated key retrieval is suggested. (14 references) (LRW)

This study presents a review of selection factors for the seven major general-purpose programming languages: Ada, BASIC, C, COBOL, FORTRAN, PASCAL, and PL/I. The factors covered include not only the logical operations within each language, but also the advantages and disadvantages stemming from the current computing environment, e.g., software…

Should private employers have a right of access to criminal history record information in order to make employment decisions about applicants and employees? This book addresses both legal and operational questions relating to the use of criminal justice data for private employment and decision-making purposes. The informative, non-prescriptive…

This overview of the research process for the novice information retrieval (IR) researcher provides guidance on selecting a research question, choosing the type of test, defining variables, developing or using databases, finding and processing queries, assigning treatments to experimental units, collecting and analyzing the data, and presenting…

This report is a revision and expansion of an earlier research report that described the design of the University of Guelph's documentation system for the organization of government publications within university libraries. The design of the Guelph document system represents a deliberate departure from cataloging and classification theory and…