Discusses the services provided by the Rural Information Center (RIC), a joint project of the Extension Service and the National Agricultural Library designed to provide information and referral services to local government officials. Numerous examples of requests received by the RIC and the services provided in response to those requests are…

Describes the process of question referral in California's second-level reference centers where questions are referred by public librarians, and provides examples of questions and sources typical of humanities research. Topics include the varied clientele and the use of databases, reference files, library collections, organizations, special…

Explores where the responsibility for information resources management (IRM) can lie, identifying entities which might carry IRM tasks: (1) individuals; (2) departments; (3) institutions; and (4) markets. It is argued that the IRM function should be located at the department level, and that associated departmental costs may be overshadowed by the…

Discusses three kinds of metadata--Dublin Core (DC), MARC21 (formerly USMARC), and Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC)--and how they are used in the Energy & Environmental Information Resources Center (EE-IR Center), a digital special library of text, numeric, and geospatial data in Lafayette, Louisiana. Includes 5 figures. (Contains 48…

Describes how the original ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center) was established as a centralized information center within the Office of Education, and how it was later transformed into a decentralized national system. Discusses the roles of advances in information systems technology, interpersonal relationships, political decisions,…

Discusses operational, organizational, and technological developments that are transforming the workplace; describes the concept of knowledge worker and the information utility model; considers how these factors provide opportunities for library administrators and other information resource management professionals to improve user services; and…

This report, which covers fiscal years 1990 and 1991, is the fourth in a series summarizing the activities and accomplishments of the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) program, which is funded and managed by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement in the U.S. Department of Education. Highlights of the 2 years include a…

This is the fifth in a series of annual reports summarizing the activities and accomplishments of the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) program, which is funded and managed by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement in the U.S. Department of Education. The eight main sections cover: (1) highlights of the year in the areas…

This study provides a detailed description of the process by which parents choose schools for their children and the process by which urban schools adjust to the necessity of convincing parents to choose them. The Parent Information Center programs in the Massachusetts communities of Boston, Cambridge, Fall River, Lawrence, Lowell, and Springfield…

This is the third in a series of annual reports summarizing the activities and accomplishments of the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) program, which is funded and managed by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement in the U.S. Department of Education. One of the highlights of 1989 was the establishment of ACCESS ERIC, the…

In order to further define the role of information centers in institutional research activities, two hypotheses are advanced: there are distinctive markets for information center activities within the university; and different services, products and delivery mechanisms are needed to serve each market. Following a discussion of the evolution of the…

Operations tasking for data center management is discussed. The original and revised organizational structures of the data center at the University of Miami are also described. The organizational strategy addresses the functions that should be performed by the data center, anticipates the specialized skills required, and addresses personnel…

Following a brief description of the role of the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) as a provider of bibliographic control over the fugitive research and development literature in education, this paper reports on a number of studies evaluating various aspects of the effectiveness of the ERIC system. The function of ERIC as a vehicle…

This report presents a description and evaluation of the Bilingual Resource Center (BRC) funded under Title III of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. This center functioned mainly as a clearinghouse, resource library, and dissemination unit on bilingual/bicultural education. The program's primary objectives were related to goals…

The Congressional Research Service, founded in 1914, is staffed by 542 research specialists who provide information services solely to the legislative function of the United States Government. The Congressional Reference Division and seven subject divisions--American Law Division, Economic Division, Education and Public Welfare Division,…