This issue focuses on the theme of "Energy," and describes several educational resources (Web sites, CD-ROMs and software, videos, books, activities, and other resources). Sidebars offer features on alternative energy, animal energy, internal combustion engines, and energy from food. Subthemes include harnessing energy, human energy, and…

Describes a usability study conducted with health sciences students at the University of Washington that explored interface issues in the GramStain Tutor, an educational software program on CD-ROM, particularly the navigation of the program and the use of embedded design features. (LRW)

This bibliography lists 64 items on the topic of preservation of library materials that are held by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Library (NAL). The items include books, reports, periodicals, and audiovisual media. The bibliography was presented for NAL staff, who are responsible for the 2 million volumes of books,…

Noting that the merging of various types of media with the computer has presented the field of education with a hybrid technology called interactive multimedia (also referred to as hypermedia), this digest begins by defining this technology as "the integration of text, audio, graphics, still image, and moving pictures into a single,…

Aimed at children ages 1 to 5, this software product is designed to give preschoolers an essential skills head start with sight and sounds that will capture their interest. Different navigation methods in the program are designed for ease of use and also to meet the motor skills of very young children. The accompanying printed teaching guide…

More than 3,300 historical fiction novels, biographies, history trade books, CD-ROMs, and videotapes published between 1990 and 1998 are listed in this resource guide designed for teachers and librarians. The guide allows educators to easily locate quality materials to supplement U.S. history courses. Titles are listed first, according to grade…

This examination of the impact of technology on the educational role of small academic libraries focuses on the information access aspect of technology. Librarians at 26 colleges in Illinois with enrollments of under 3,000 students responded to a survey which measured the libraries' access to databases through online searching and the use of…

Bibliographers and librarians are aware of the new information technologies in information storage and retrieval. CD-ROMs and online database systems are two technologies used daily to assist users in accessing needed information. Although these resources are lacking in the fields of journalism and mass communication, possibilities for…

Digital imaging technology, which is used to take a computer picture of documents at the page level, has significant potential as a tool for preserving deteriorating library materials. Multiple reproductions can be made without loss of quality; the end product is compact; reproductions can be made in paper, microfilm, or CD-ROM; and access over…

The purpose of this manual is to acquaint desk assistants (whose two major functions are to provide information and to instruct patrons how to use library materials) with the services, policies, and procedures of the Reference Department and Jackson Library at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. Information is presented about: their…

This study investigated the use patterns of four CD-ROM systems--Newsbank Electronic Index, SilverPlatter's ERIC and PsycLIT, and Dissertation Abstracts Ondisc--and their print index counterparts in the University of Georgia (UGA) Main Library, which houses collections and provides library services for the humanities, the social sciences, and…

The rapid growth and distribution of scholarly research in the middle and late twentieth century, the limited supply of old books and other paper-based materials, and the deterioration of items printed on acidic paper since the mid-1800s have meant that many libraries lack suitable copies of printed sources that their users would like to read. For…

This feasibility study assesses the potential of optical technology in the development of accessible bibliographic and location data networks both in Canada and within the international MARC (Machine-Readable Cataloging) network. The study is divided into four parts: (1) a market survey of cataloging and interlibrary loan librarians to determine…

Outlines the stages in the decision-making process for libraries acquiring optical data disk systems, including the establishment of a project manager or task force, feasibility studies, creating a planning document, hardware and software evaluation, devising processes and policies, and analyzing contracts. (CLB)

Discusses the development of research skills through online searching by secondary school students, and compares online and optical data disk systems. The factors compared include cost, currency, subject areas, number of uses, search time, preparation needed, search methods, help needed, and alternative uses of the equipment. (CLB)