Discusses social and cultural challenges that Internet technology raises. Highlights include preserving the freedom in cyberspace, the information distribution scheme of the Internet, two-way interactivity, search engines as marketing tools, the insecurity of cyberspace, online safety rules for children, educating children to "walk…

Although the Supreme Court's "Mergens" decision settled the controversy over the constitutionality of the Equal Access Act, the ruling seems to make more ambiguous the definition of a limited open forum for student expression and the legal status of devotional activities. (55 references) (MLF)

A University of Michigan policy barred harassment or discrimination based on race, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, creed, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, handicapped, or Vietnam-veteran status. It was declared unconstitutional because it violated First Amendment rights. University officials may rewrite policy or…

Discusses the issue of industry-sponsored research at universities. Gives a case showing the current state of the issue. Describes many other examples including government and foreign industry sponsored research. (YP)

Discusses the mission of Catholic librarianship in the context of the Catholic school and the Catholic Church. Topics covered include challenges facing Catholic education, the moral dimensions of librarianship and professional ethics, and the role of the library in Catholic education. (34 notes/references) (Author/CLB)

Examines the relationship between centralization and public education. Suggests that compulsory schooling is key to the increasingly centralized and "managed" nature of society and that the nationalization of schooling has undermined individual rights to liberty and democracy. Advocates that communities be responsible for their children and for…

Provides an overview of the 1994 American Library Association Convention. Highlights include problems with the location; teen violence; federal legislation; awards; speakers; gender issues and technology, including video games and the Internet; intellectual freedom; multiculturalism and librarian recruitment; CD-ROM; and exhibits. (LRW)

Discussion of the Rosenberger vs. Rector case, involving the ability of public universities to decide whether or not to fund religious speech, evaluates contemporary jurisprudence concerning the establishment and free speech clauses and applies theories in these areas to funding of student religious speech on college campuses. It also outlines…

This article examines the constitutionality of educational institutions using mandatory student fees to support controversial student groups, focusing on the implications of the Smith v. Regents of the University of California, in which the California Supreme Court held the assessment of mandatory fees unconstitutional if those fees support a…

Maintains that "New York Times v. Sullivan" (1964) was the greatest political libel case ever decided by the Supreme Court. Asserts that it is a monument to the idea that open political discourse is the best guarantee of democratic self-governance. (CFR)

Includes seven articles that discuss censorship and intellectual freedom in junior and senior high schools. Highlights include access to appropriate information; library material selection; dealing with complaints; a list of potentially controversial titles and topics; a history of book burning; the censorship of fiction; weeding versus…

Reports on the actions of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) during 1990-91. Topics discussed include activities in the areas of access to information; relevant legislation and funding; intellectual freedom; public awareness; personnel resources; and library services, development, and technology. (LRW)

Practical advice to help librarians prepare for and face challenges to the content of their library collections includes suggestions for developing selection policies and networks of support, as well as a recommended course of action for librarians in the event of a challenge. (MAB)

Discusses the university's role in emerging economies of the Pacific Rim's Newly Industrialized Countries, noting that universities are central to educating people for technologically oriented societies, providing a voice to emerging democracies. (SM)

Review of American Association of University Professors cases (n=17) concerning college employment practices and policies during retrenchment draws a parallel between patterns of resource reallocation in higher education and redistribution of wealth and power in the larger society. Retrenchment is seen as a socially constructed not a…