In answering the question "What is the next trend in usage statistics in libraries?" an eclectic group of respondents has presented an assortment of possibilities, suggestions, complaints and, of course, questions of their own. Undoubtedly, usage statistics collection, interpretation, and application are areas of growth and increasing complexity…

Over the second half of the twentieth century, changes occurred in parent reports of their engagement in cognitive activities with their young children in the United States. This article argues that the growing trend of "parenting for cognitive development" in young children in the latter half of the twentieth century is associated with the…

This paper addresses conflicting views on whether there is now or will soon be a surplus of college graduates and other skilled workers by analyzing data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Ten questions (and the answers reached) are addressed: (1) "Do the latest BLS projections of college graduate supply actually predict a bust--a…

Examines common assumptions about the rationality or irrationality of organizational behavior and finds that decision making occurs in a complex context that successful college/university institutional research offices must recognize and work with. Finds that emerging organizational theories suggest there are limitations on the use of data and…

Six articles discuss the 1987 Economic Censuses: a historical review by Bohme; Worden on the value of economic censuses; Wikoff and Powell-Hill on planning the questionnaire; Blum, Bowman, and Sullivan on changing data needs; Zeisset on the data's availability to users; and Schlueter, Ray, and Hartz on international economic statistics. (EM)

This paper describes the current status of teacher supply and demand in both special and general education, presents examples of the kinds of data and analyses which comply with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and discusses how educational policymaking might be affected by the mandate to project future personnel needs. (Author/DB)

The purpose of this paper is to encourage persons concerned with violence and vandalism in schools to take a more critical look at school-crime statistics and reports and their data-gathering methods. It makes two points. First, writings on or about student crime and violence may be misleading because of certain errors in quantifiable data, such…

Presents the estimated market values of optical data disk products in 1987 and 1988, and describes the primary and secondary market indicators used to evaluate product standings. The discussion covers issues affecting electronic publishing and the optical disk industry. (CLB)

Trends in mechanical translation are reviewed briefly, and difficulties in selecting appropriate equivalencies are cited. Decisions dependent upon real world knowledge rather than dictionary equivalents and grammar are illustrated. (15 references) (LB)

This paper reports an attempt to determine whether or not an analysis and disaggregation of provincial public accounts could illuminate trends in the development of Canadian personal social services. Every third fiscal year between 1963-1964 and 1980-1981 was analyzed to give some idea of trends occurring immediately prior to and since the…

This examination of the literature on doctoral programs, dissertations, and graduates in library and information science identifies trends in the establishment and development of these programs, as well as overriding themes in the literature during three time periods based on the publication of the landmark Danton report in 1959. (CLB)

This critique of prevalent conceptual methodologies in research in library administration examines the current research methodologies, relates them to the positivistic orientation of some social scientists, indicates why they are inappropriate, and suggests how research in library administration can be made more meaningful and relevant.…

This report looks at demographic concepts related to persons with blindness or visual impairment, such as population changes and employment changes. A "New Demographics" is proposed which would consider the entire individual, the variety of social groups, and limitations in the social environment rather than the disability. (DB)

An attempt is made to clarify the language of the Adult Education Act of 1966 to yield operational criteria for identifying its goals within a needs assessment/treatment framework. Criteria for general and special target populations are set forth. Singled out are the group of those with four or less years of formal education and those determined…

School districts must analyze demographic data carefully if they hope to deal effectively with changing enrollment patterns. Sources of relevant data include local planning boards, utility companies, government records of vital statistics, carefully conducted school censuses, and municipal records of housing construction and property transfers.…