This study examines the cost and performance of six commercial document suppliers accessible via Online computer Library Center (OCLC), compares their service to traditional interlibrary loan (ILL). Results indicate that, although commercial firms cannot replace ILL, they can add flexibility to a library's plan for document delivery. (Author/AEF)

Discusses the availability of virtual communities on the Internet. Stresses that there are online environments for nearly everyone, and offers advice for those designing new communities by relating experiences from the development of the specialized MediaMOO, a multiuser dungeon. Discusses restricting access, shaping development of the community,…

Discusses 29 sources of information on student employment in academic libraries. Categories include management, orientation and training, surveys and job descriptions, student assistants in small libraries, students supervising students, student problems and perspectives, benefits, and new roles and challenges in student employment. (AEF)

Lists resources useful for school library media specialists and other individual users of the Internet as well as some that can be used to teach others. Titles include background and philosophical contexts, journals, network access and service providers, ERIC resources, fiction, videos, textbooks, and the U.S. Department of Education Online…

Examines data from the National Center for Educational Statistics to determine whether networking and resource-sharing activities of public libraries have increased libraries' use of Interlibrary Loan (ILL). Results suggest that libraries have significantly increased their borrowing through ILL in recent years. Two tables provide loan statistics.…

The student-per-computer ratio identifies school districts with the greatest need for educational technology. Figures compare 12-year student-per-computer trends in K-12 public schools and rank the states with the greatest need. Results indicate that California, Illinois, Tennessee, Ohio, and Pennsylvania have districts in the greatest need…

Examines television news programs as media for discovering diversity. Discusses television as a means of information and communication, its role in the creation of public opinion, its inability to permit understanding, and the need for empirical research to assess its influence on cognitive processes. (AEF)

Describes consumer or business-oriented online services that provide access to current news information and offers a less expensive alternative to standard online databases. Online clipping services are discussed, their costs are examined, and profiles of five services are compared: CompuServe, CompuServe as a gateway to IQuest, DELPHI, DIALCOM,…

Discusses the importance of oral tradition in African culture; describes efforts to collect, organize, and disseminate oral tradition; and highlights associated problems. It is concluded that librarians in Africa should place greater emphasis on oral tradition as a supplement to documentary sources. (18 references) (MES)

Compares issues in the commercialization of public information through wide area networks in the United States and Europe. Policy and legal questions, the public's right to access information, government copyright issues, the potential for public-private-sector synergy, and the need to standardize formats and pricing are discussed. (Contains 45…

Describes a study that was conducted to determine which databases provide access to the CD-ROM journal literature that meets the information needs of librarians and information center managers. Search strategies are explained, journals are ranked by frequency of citation, databases are evaluated for their usefulness, and further investigations are…

A study investigating variables in Canadian Chief Executive Officers' use of information sources to scan external business environments is reported. Findings show that frequency of source use correlates to perceived uncertainty and that source quality is more important than source accessibility--a finding that contradicts past user studies. (28…

Presents an annotated bibliography of 44 information sources on computer technology in Eastern Europe. Topics addressed include the history of computer technology in former Soviet Bloc countries; computer use in the economic, military, and educational sectors; information technology and its effect on society; and technology transfer and East-West…

Analysis of 126 medical school application forms included classification by application type, use of school-specific or supplemental forms, and additional biographical and behavioral information sought. Results suggest that schools eliciting more extensive responses seem to be gauging a student's potential for developing specific characteristics…

Describes the Internet Hunt, a game designed to challenge and inform librarians about information sources available on the Internet. The use of telnet, and FTP (File Transfer Protocol) are described, and the results of the first Internet Hunt are provided. (EA)