Provides guidelines for purchasing and installing CD-ROM technology in school libraries. Considerations include hardware and software selection and familiarity with new products. Two lists are provided that contain contact information for six companies and recommendations for six standard CD-ROM reference sources to include on a network. (JKP)

Suggests that good software: constitutes a coherent text within a consistent theoretical framework; encourages users to take action; makes sense of complexity of information; has a consistent interface; allows connection to other programs; lets the user know what is going on; and is flexible from the teacher's and the student's points of view. (RS)

Based on the presumed criteria by which Australian secondary school teachers would select computer software for their students' use, an adventure game concerning Australian gold rushes was developed. It and other games were tested by students in and outside the classroom. Criteria for selecting appropriate software for student use were identified.…