Describes an instructional database for microcomputers which is designed to eliminate the need for costly textbooks and to aid professors in many of their instructional responsibilities. Various types of databases are explained, and guidelines for hardware selection and backup systems are discussed. (LRW)

A high school teacher and a librarian are collecting and analyzing material in every medium for teaching John Steinbeck's novel, "The Grapes of Wrath," including the political and social history of the 1930s--altogether some 33 topic headings touched upon in the novel and in about 54 related works: books, films, television documentaries,…