In this article, the author highlights a recurrent issue related to the historical measurement and use of attendance data: The challenge of producing uniform and reliable records on school attendance. Comparing this issue in the late 1800s to nearly two centuries later, he observes that while the capacity for record keeping and analysis has…

The author reflects on advances in academic professional education for archivists over the past 35 years, makes the case for autonomous master's degree programs in archival studies, and identifies some of the challenges archival education faces now and into the future.

This article presents the author's comments on the article "Family Experiences of Young Adult Sex Offender Registration" by E. B. Comartin, P. D. Kernsmith, & P. W. Miles (2010). In the article "Family Experiences of Young Adult Sex Offender Registration", Comartin, Kernsmith, and Miles (2010) put forth a telling argument about the impact of the…

Basic human respect compels everyone to ask about the effect of the current policies to prevent further abuse on family members of those who have abused. Sadly, only a handful of researchers are examining the effects of policies on the affected parties, such as victims, the abusers themselves, or their families. No one yet has asked a random…

This paper presents the author's comments on the Michigan sex offender registration article "Family Experiences of Young Adult Sex Offender Registration" (Comartin, Kernsmith, & Miles, 2010). The article is an important piece of research that addresses a much neglected and almost invisible population in the annals of research: the…

Describes how one federal form (Library General Information Survey IV) came to be created and the purposes for which it was designed. (IRT)

Presents excerpts from Pasco (Washington) school board meeting minutes beginning with 1885. (JM)

Information technology poses a threat to confidentiality of medical records. The number of parties claiming a need to know is increasing, but unrestricted access can lead to improper disclosure. Making health records semipublic may affect when and how people choose to obtain medical services. (SK)

Proposes three methods to be used by database searchers in structuring online search sessions with the goal of minimizing the negative effects on interlibrary loan operations. Forms management, management of printed search results, and the instruction of patrons are discussed. (Author/EM)

Discusses the federal regulation process, federal/grantee relations, and report requirements, particularly the Personnel Activity Report system. Believes there is room for negotiation with respect to the form and format of documentation that will satisfy the government's requirement for accountability and the school's desire for less paperwork.…

Addresses the question of whether to input a new record or to adapt an existing one when cataloging a variant edition of a work using the OCLC system. Specific attention is paid to issues of cost and interlibrary loan service in the OCLC environment. A six-item reference list is attached. (Author/JL)

This paper indicates the benefits obtained when child care center staff use a daily log to record the activities of infants in care. Designed to provide parents with information about their child's activities, the log consists of entries such as time of feedings, food consumed, diaper changes, stimulation, play, sleep periods, crying periods, and…

Stressing the value of documents and records as information sources for the educational evaluation community, this report explores the differences between the two, their utility for inquirers, and methods and procedures for dealing with them. Three forms of documentary analysis are described: (1) simple tracking, which involves documenting both…

Defines forms and the processing characteristics of working forms, and introduces the proposed prototype form definition language to specify the information requirements and to describe the nonprocedural execution in activity processing. The article also outlines the integrated forms-based information system, focusing on the interactions among the…

The purposes of educational paperwork, the reasons it may be excessive, and suggestions for mitigating excessive paperwork are presented in this document. According to the author, educational paperwork has four purposes: as a substitute for onsite inspection, as a "pseudo-contract" to encourage compliance, as a due process and…