This past June, the Iowa River overflowed its banks and deluged 20 buildings on the University of Iowa's Iowa City campus. As the floodwaters finally receded, regents and administrators on the Iowa campus began dealing with all the ramifications and lessons of the flooding--including the key roles of testing emergency plans, nonstop communication,…

Describes the Iowa Communications Network, a statewide fiber optic network capable of transporting interactive, two-way audio, video, voice, and data signals. Topics include statewide cooperation among educational and state organizations; classroom design, including interactive classrooms; access to the Internet; and use by noneducational…

In a letter to her children, Denise O'Brien discusses her and her husband's experiences farming in Iowa and her role as a farm activist. Stresses the importance of changing farm policy in order for her children to have the opportunity to experience the satisfaction of rural farm life. (LP)

Discusses money shortages in Iowa that are affecting school library media specialists and highlights two collaborative efforts: cooperative purchasing of online reference databases, and the Com Cat union catalog. Explains the role of the area education agency (AEA) system in supporting schools and how online databases are being used. (LRW)

Rural ghettos are created when proportionately large numbers of unemployed, low income, and elderly residents live in communities located 30 miles or more from communities which can provide the range of goods and services necessary for a decent quality of life. This definition may apply to 300 Iowa towns. (JHZ)