Examines some of the problems that must be solved before the Internet can realize its educational potential, including access that is educationally beneficial; hardware and software availability; charges for Internet access; technical and curriculum support; lack of coherent structure, stability, and documentation; censorship; and quality control.…

Examines possible barriers to adequate reference services to children and young adults. Topics discussed include the effects of budget pressures and shifting priorities in public and academic libraries; equity in access to information; reference policies; communication between children and adult services staff and administration; multiple service…

Identifies problems that undergraduate searchers encountered in a search of the ERIC database on CD-ROM. Results of participant observation, questionnaires, and interviews are reported; a taxonomy of user problems is proposed that includes syntactic errors and semantic errors; and recommendations for menu selection systems, online help, and…

Describes the planning process for designing a new library for Algoma University College (Ontario). Topics discussed include the building committee, library policy, design considerations, an electric system that supports computer technology, library automation, the online public access catalog (OPAC), furnishings and interior environment, and…

Describes a study that evaluated implementing a constructivist process approach to learning information skills in school library media programs. Training institutes for media specialists, a longitudinal case study, and the identification of inhibitors and enablers of successful programs are discussed. (Contains 13 references.) (EAM)

Reports on a study of the information searching behavior of 35 high school students. Problems that the students had searching an online catalog are identified, and implications for instruction are considered. (EAM)

Examines the effects of CD-ROM on academic library reference work. Topics discussed include the impact on job duties of the reference librarian; impact on users; system drawbacks; location of equipment; search strategies of users versus librarians; budgetary concerns; and future ramifications, including networking and electronic publishing. (10…

A unit in a college course on technology and human values involves the students' questioning of traditional Western values as they relate to technological rationalism, calling dominant ideology into question. The approach is based on Paulo Freire's problem-posing pedagogy, and incorporates analysis of selected paintings from the Futurist movement.…

Discussion of navigation through virtual information environments focuses on the need for robust user models that take into account individual differences. Considers Pask's information processing styles and strategies; deep (transformational) and surface (reproductive) learning; field dependence/independence; divergent/convergent thinking;…

Explores the cases of two states, Louisiana and Ohio, which found budget problems to be the occasion for concerted statewide efforts to improve academic library services. Both states ultimately established statewide multipurpose resource-sharing academic library consortia, supported by electronic library networks, as the solutions to their very…

This paper discusses the problems and difficulties faced by school libraries in the United Kingdom (UK), specifically England and Wales. These problems are lack of funding, lack of a central role in the curriculum, lack of a central role in the management structure, and inadequate staffing. Lack of library funding stems from overall under-funding…

This paper argues that while hypermedia and multimedia contain great promise for supporting literacy learners engaged in reading children's literature, software in this area has generally failed to consider the potential of connecting reading and writing experiences within the same electronic environment; reading and writing software has generally…

Through a series of focus group interviews, 63 students at George Mason University (Virginia) related their academic and student life experiences. The goal of the researchers was to find a means of reporting the findings in a way that retained the integrity of the contextual data (student voices) and maximized audience impact. Three ways of…

The utilization of teleconferencing as part of the information highway, mainly among schools in North Carolina, is examined. The National Information Infrastructure, outlined by Vice President Gore in January 1994, is the official name of the information system. The U.S. Congress issued four pieces of legislation in support of high-tech…

The six papers in this collection address as many different topics. In "Circulation Desk Staff Amiability and Patron Satisfaction," Laureen Cardon and Nathan M. Smith describe a study at Brigham Young University which demonstrated that interpersonal relations training for circulation desk staff could improve patron satisfaction. Anna L.…