Explains the theory of noosphere developed by Soviet academician Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky and Jesuit priest Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. States that this theory is based on a new morality concerning the unity of humanity and its responsibility for the fate of the planet. (GG)

Emphasizes the call for excellence in education. Discusses the topic from the perspectives of teachers, parents, taxpayers, artists, and students. Concludes that the schools are making positive steps toward a systematic study of the arts and humanities. (GG)

A medical humanities program emphasizing clinically oriented training is described. The four-year required curriculum, in which students accompany attending physicians on rounds, is taught by faculty representing a wide range of medical and non-medical disciplines. The approach is seen to challenge good teachers and evoke humanities themes from…

Questions whether the world presented in interactive fiction is a "literary one." Defines "literariness" as quality of "making strange" that which is linguistically familiar. Randall presents study of: "Mindwheel,""Brimstone,""Breakers,""A Mind Forever…

Relates the efforts of completing two collections of the works and papers of Mark Twain. Describes the combined efforts of the University of Iowa and the University of California to publish both a scholarly edition and a reader's edition devoted to Twain. (KO)

Discusses problems and ethical issues associated with access to special collections in the humanities. Topics include access to the Dead Sea Scrolls; scholastic monopolies and access barriers; access restrictions and destroyed documents; privacy rights and professional codes of confidentiality; fair use of unpublished manuscripts; and the Freedom…

Over the past decade, Brigham Young University has developed many interactive videodisc programs for personalized foreign language instruction, from early prototypal projects to current HyperCard and Toolbook packages. A broad description of the different models, their variations, and their implementation is provided. (Contains seven references.)…

Describes the development and activities of the Center for Electronic Texts in the Humanities, established by Princeton University and Rutgers University to provide a national focus for the development, dissemination, and use of electronic texts in the humanities. Sidebars explain the Text Encoding Initiative and Standard Generalized Markup…

This third report from a project conducted by the Getty Art History Information Program presents results of interviews conducted with visiting scholars regarding their experiences searching DIALOG databases, the role the searching took in their research, and their attitudes about the future of online searching in the humanities. (LRW)

Reports on the activities of the Soviet Union's Academy of Pedagogical Sciences for the year 1989. Discusses improvements in general education syllabus development, textbooks for various subjects, and Russian language, Soviet history, and social sciences instruction. Examines educational differentiation and humanization. Reports on improvements in…

A new study reanalyzing previous data suggests that the widely publicized sharp increase in number of years to doctorates in the humanities is largely a statistical artifact. The new analysis finds an increase of 15 to 20 percent rather than the previously reported 38 percent in number of years to doctorate between 1972 and 1988. (DB)

A multifaceted society values flexibility, tolerance, and respect for differences, typically studied in humanities and social sciences. Well-balanced and diverse curricula should provide both technical preparation and broad-based interdisciplinary skills, recognizing the problems created by the growing number of part-time students. (Author)

The qualities of strong leadership and their applications in library administration are discussed in terms of Shakespeare's "Henry V." It is argued that, unlike the checklists found in management literature, timeless classic texts embody leadership qualities, dynamically illustrating their relevance and applicability. (10 references) (EA)

Reports on searching behavior of humanities scholars who were given unlimited, subsidized access to DIALOG databases. How much searching the scholars did, the kinds of techniques and DIALOG features they used, and their learning curves are analyzed. Search features studied included commands, Boolean logic, types of vocabulary, and proximity…

This third article in a series describes a study that investigated database selection behavior of end-users of the EasyNet Scan feature in the areas of social sciences and arts and humanities. Databases are ranked in order of user selection, and variables that influence file selection are briefly discussed. (Three references) (LRW)