Presents a brief historical background for computer-assisted instruction and distance learning in the United States and the United Kingdom (UK). Focuses on the National Grid of Learning (NGL), an experiment in the UK to connect all learning institutions electronically. (AEF)

Discusses the development of strategies for providing access to and services for U.S. federal government information in higher education using the global information infrastructure, from the perspective of the Coalition for Networked Information (CNI). Discusses the preservation of electronic information and networked information discovery and…

In addition to building a new facility and providing innovative services to its students/faculty/administration, the Valley Library of Oregon State University, winner of the Gale Group/Library Journal Library of the Year Award, has created partnerships with public libraries, the business community, school districts, and other academic…

Does information technology "pull" the organizational management toward change in terms of authority and control, or is information technology "pushed" through the organization, by management, to maintain its existing system of authority and control? These conflicting positions are explored through a case study of the Federal…

Draws on results of a four-year effort to establish a campus-wide, computer-supported writing environment to suggest that computer networks and specifically designed instructional software can provide the basis for network-supported, writing-center-based writing-across-the-curriculum programs. Discusses development of network communication tools…

Discussion of assigning identifiers to books and bibliographic citations focuses on identifiers in the networked information environment, including URLs (Uniform Resource Locators); URNs (Uniform Resource Names); the OCLC Persistent URL (PURL); the SICI (Serial Item and Contribution Identifier) code; and the Digital Object Identifier (DOI). (LRW)

Outlines ideas for building interactive home pages for economics classes. Illustrates how to link the home page to course materials, sources of economic data and information, as well as lectures and spreadsheets. Discusses using Internet technology to communicate with, engage, and assess students. (MJP)

Marking the 25th anniversary (August 26, 1996) of WorldCat (the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) Online Union Catalog) OCLC and the U.S. regional networks sponsored an essay contest for librarians and library users to write essays describing their impressions of the OCLC Online Union Catalog. Four prize-winning essays from Michigan, Kentucky,…

Provides the rationale for establishing a connection to the Internet. Describes Internet services, including e-mail, telnet, file transfer protocol (FTP), USENET, gopher, Archie, and World Wide Web. Identifies reasons why the Internet is a valuable tool. Outlines steps for establishing a connection and discusses the future of the Internet. A…

A key to successful implementation of a World Wide Web-based library information system is effective collaboration between campus library and information technology professionals, representing a long-term commitment to breakdown of organizational barriers, individual empowerment, and shared vision. The Web sites designed by Indiana…

Discussion of elementary and secondary school classrooms linking with the Internet focuses on policies needed for successful use of the network. A project conducted at Northwestern University (Illinois) for reconceptualizing high school science education is described, and development of a network use policy is examined. (LRW)

Discussion of collaboration between institutions of higher education focuses on the use of an electronic classroom for distance education at Embry-Riddle University (Florida) in cooperation with Nova University (Florida). Highlights include use of the Internet; a description of the interactive nature of the technology; scheduling; and students'…

Describes the Gateway to Educational Materials Project (GEM) at the ERIC Clearinghouse on Information and Technology at Syracuse University. Explicates the GEM metadata element set and how GEM metadata is created. Discusses the syntactic binding of GEM metadata and the mechanisms for its distribution. Concludes with a brief discussion of existing…

Describes the Web-based technologies employed by the Grainger Engineering Library Information Center at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in implementing access to local information resources. Discusses Microsoft Active Server Pages (ASP) technologies and the associated local database structure and format, as well as the general…

Describes Semio, a company founded in 1996 that uses semiology to provide straightforward access to information. Discusses the text-mining engine at the core of the company's software; products; focus on the intranet market; competitors; partnership with corporate portals. (AEF)