Provides a checklist of concerns for libraries planning to implement shared research databases in a consortium environment, based on experiences at OhioLINK. Highlights include database selection criteria, licensing, pricing, funding, vendor considerations, database profiling, custom data processing, hardware selection, database access,…

Schools' course structures and policies allow some families to garner the best educational resources. To treat all students fairly, schools must recognize privileged parents' racial/class motivations, infuse academic talk into informal networks, acknowledge "invisible" parents' aspirations, demolish communication barriers, and encourage…

A long-range facilities plan includes anticipated large expenditures and contingencies. The plan should include an overview of existing facilities, enrollment projections, program changes, and projected capital improvements. A school-planning checklist is provided. (MLF)

Describes an AIDS-centered curriculum for a composition class in a New York City community college. Describes selecting a text, assignments, attending a conference, guest speakers, and the research paper. Notes that the subject of AIDS not only provokes reflective writing and much class discussion but also compels writers to express and sometimes…

Discussion of the Internet and the guidance of the World Wide Web Consortium focuses on scientific communication and electronic publishing. Considers the speed of communicating and disseminating information; quality issues; cost; library subscriptions; publishers; and risks and concerns, including the role of editors and reviewers or referees.…

Provides an annotated bibliography of trade books that can be used in studying the Spanish-American war. Although aimed at adolescents, the selections include books for students with limited reading skills. Covers fiction and nonfiction including writings on the war from Stephen Crane and Mark Twain. (MJP)

Understanding prospective employees' rights (under the 1964 Civil Rights Act and other federal legislation prohibiting discriminatory practices) can help principals protect themselves, their schools, and their districts from litigation. Scenarios are described, along with permissible staff-selection steps: position analysis, recruitment,…

A study of first-year chemistry students (n=962) in one Canadian university investigated factors that may contribute to retention or withdrawal of women in science study. Results show transition patterns into and during the first year of university that suggest that career paths and lifestyles begin to differentiate between genders in ways much…

The role of the college athletic coach has changed substantially in recent decades, with the ideal of the coach as an educator obsolescent. Institutions must work with the National Collegiate Athletic Association and coaches' associations for reform, addressing three major issues: need for a better hiring process, provision of meaningful…

This study applied probability models in a four-year case study at a selective liberal arts college. The study found that, while admissions decisions matched institutional goals for student characteristics, discrepancies between acceptance and enrollment decisions frustrated the institution's efforts to achieve diversity and highlighted the…

CD-ROM periodical indexes are becoming increasingly tailored for specific age ranges and are also providing access to full text. Two charts separate several full-text CD-ROM products by intended audience (middle school versus secondary school students) and compare costs and features. Tips are provided on assessing institutional needs and…

Provides concise and interesting reviews of the recipients of the 1995 Carter G. Woodson Book awards. The awards celebrate books for young readers that "treat topics related to ethnic minorities and race relations sensitively and accurately." Reviewed works include biographies of Benjamin Banneker, Marian Anderson, and Harriet Beecher…

Gently rebukes many acclaimed children's books on Africa for perpetuating an exotic and folkloric picture of that continent. Asserts that the daily reality of most Africans is centered around cities, occupations, transportation, and other aspects of modern life. Includes a list of 19 picture books that focus on these aspects. (MJP)

Presents a geographically based overview of children's literature highlighting the extraordinary experience of ordinary people. Recommended books cover subjects as diverse as the U.S. West and economically developing countries. A special effort has been made to include a multicultural perspective. (MJP)

Two years after California's ban on racial and gender preferences became law, supporters and opponents of affirmative action are debating the impact on college faculty diversity. Some institutions have maintained slow but steady growth in minority faculty; diversity at others has declined. Some say that not all effects of the change, including…