Investigates one component of a Web site--the index structure, comparing the effectiveness and efficiency of 20 subjects who used one index and three experimental variants to complete five tasks. Findings indicate that a hypertext index with multiple access points for each concept, all linked to the same resource, led to greater effectiveness and…

Based on a five-year ethnographic study of the activity of an online, international academic community of practice supported by ListServer technology, this article covers selective findings pertaining to patterns of communication deemed crucial to community building. Implications of learning and collegial support are discussed. (Author/AEF)

Because North Carolina's telecommunications services have been unable to provide cost-effective, statewide dial-access service to public libraries, the state library has had to identify a suitable alternative for public library network access. This article outlines the state library's efforts to provide access to the Internet and to electronic…

Describes developments in Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) electronic reference services. Presents a background on networked cataloging and the initial implementation of reference services by OCLC. Discusses the introduction of OCLC FirstSearch service, which today offers access to over 65 databases, future developments in integrated…

Describes a method of full-text scanning for matches in a large dictionary. The method is suitable for selective dissemination of information systems, accommodating large dictionaries and typical digital data rates. It can be implemented on a single commercially-available board hosted by a personal computer or entirely in software. (Author/AEF)

MyLibrary@NCState (North Carolina State University) is a customizable Web interface to the electronic resources licensed by the library and to the pages that compose the Web sites of the library and the university. The author, part of the MyLibrary@NCState management team, shares the thoughts and ideology behind the design of this personalized…

Discusses the Association of Higher Education Facilities Officers' (APPA) objective of developing a network system wherein K-12 community members can access facilities-related information and communicate with APPA members or other school districts. Specific considerations are highlighted that need to be addressed before a successful and effective…

Argues that as the electronic information industry matures, the ground occupied by the medium-sized host, and by products aimed at the medium-sized customer, is shrinking. Discusses changes, outlines possible legal barriers to industry consolidation, and describes users' concerns about information monopoly. (Author/AEF)

Proposes a particular educational configuration based on computer-mediated communication (CMC) technology, the Learnet. Describes the three components of the Learnet model--social dimension, technological dimension, and educational dimension--and summarizes the features of each. Identifies and tabulates the variables of the Learnet model, and…

Discusses how information technologies and distance education are changing workforce development. Focuses on the Digital Dakota Network (DDN), a cooperative effort to make distance education opportunities available to residents. Examines the related issues and implications of trends in the labor market. Outlines four recommendations for realizing…

Analyzes the emerging community informatics evaluation literature to develop an understanding of the indicators used to gauge project impacts in community networks and community technology centers. The study finds that community networks and community technology center assessments fall into five key areas: strong democracy; social capital;…

Explores organizational influence in the policy network that formed around the issue of determining essential services on the Canadian information highway. Qualitative content analysis found the essential services issue had two main aspects: ensuring universal access to telecommunications networks and determining the criteria for defining…

Explains how electronic mailing lists operate, and provides information about the objectives and membership of the four largest physics education-related electronic mail lists. (WRM)

Discusses a multidisciplinary workshop that addressed issues concerning internationally distributed information networks. Highlights include multilingual information access in media other than character-coded text; cross-language information retrieval and multilingual metadata; and evaluation of multilingual systems. (LRW)

Suggests that the money spent ($100 billion) to fix the Y2K bug in the United States resulted in improved campus computer systems. Reports from campuses around the country indicate that both mainframe and desktop systems experienced fewer problems than expected. (DB)