Discusses issues facing research libraries relating to information technology and access to information. Considers the proliferation of digital information; the reliability of digital information; traditional library roles in the support of scholarship and research; future issues; and current projects relating to digital information. (LRW)

Presents conceptual frameworks for discussing distance education. Considers the networked environment; the higher education market; rationales for distance education, including expanding access to educational and training needs; learner segments, including lifelong learners and professional development; indicators of institutional readiness;…

Discussion of information technology and course redesign focuses on readiness criteria that can help identify which courses are successful redesign candidates. Examines impact on the curriculum; capitol-for-labor substitution; collective decision making; faculty attitudes; curricular materials; requisite skills for participants; learning outcomes;…

Presents a list of pre-conditions--or readiness criteria--that must be in place before a higher education institution can successfully implement an information technology-based redesign effort and thus see a return on its investment. Includes examples of the ways that different institutions have met these criteria. (AEF)

Higher education is undergoing a period of innovation and competition due to new educational methods that use new advanced technology. Among some of the changes already taking place are a proliferation of distance education courses, collaboration between institutions, and high school seniors taking college freshman courses via the Internet. (JM)

The pace and the magnitude of the changes taking place in our society today are threatening to skew the balance between copyright holders and information users. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act has the potential to undermine the public right to access information and to share information with others. (JM)

The authors argue that the digital divide is not a serious problem. Even without government help, entrepreneurs are offering myriad services and products geared towards people in the lower economic brackets. More of a problem, according to the authors, is the lack of basic skills in areas such as math and reading among younger people. (JM)

Assuming that our society is determined to bridge the digital divide, we must develop policies that tackle the issue as comprehensively as possible. To continue to proceed, we must better leverage literacy programs to interface with Internet-access programs and we must encourage the expansion of public interest Web content. (Author)

Education is playing an important role in the realization of our democratic ideals in this digital age. Educators need to be persuaded that the new technologies need to be embraced and utilized. Technology skills should be taught, but basic skills such as reading, writing and critical thinking are also more important than ever. (JM)

Changes Hawkins predicts include: higher education markets will be smaller than anticipated; residential campuses will still be important; institutions will need to partner with other institutions to remain effective; competition will continue to increase in the postsecondary education field; and providing electronic sources of information in lieu…

The authors examine some of the conceptions around the information age they refer to as 6-D vision: demassification, decentralization, denationalization, despacialization, disintermediation and disaggregation. These conceptions tend to oversimplify the forces that are at work in society by discounting any influences outside of information and…

Describes the Personal Access Web Services (PAWS) at Louisiana State University, a portal application which offers enterprise, workgroup, and personal services. The paper highlights: PAWS project planning; PAWS as a portal; PAWS implementation; account accreditation; user authentication; legacy integration; mapping credentials; transmission of…

Presents suggestions from four higher education chief information officers about optimizing the job transition process, highlighting ways to make the negotiation process during a job search beneficial and educational. Topics include: how to know when to change positions; how to objectively assess one's own capabilities; how to assess new jobs in…

Recruitment and retention of higher education information technology (IT) professionals is a campuswide problem. This paper presents information from meetings of a working group of IT professionals, human resources (HR) professionals, and business officers that examined recruitment, retention, retraining, and restructuring, highlighting:…

One barrier to Web-based education is lack of an effective system to identify and authorize involved participants, content, and institutions. PKI (public-key infrastructure) is an emerging technology that can certify the correct identity of each person and communication in Web-based learning. A June 2000 National Science Foundation workshop…