Designed to assess the maturity level of the novels which students read, the Novel Reading Maturity Scale (NRMS) is based on the notion that fiction of high quality is characterized by a number of themes or topics. The list of 22 topics in NRMS came from a survey of several guides on books for teenagers. To explore the reliability of the scale,…

This interview with Bertrum MacDonald discusses the decisions that determined the character of a national bibliography on science and technology in Canadian history. Topics discussed include the scope of the project; classification and indexing decisions; the database management system used; unexpected problems; and predicted usage of the…

Reviews the development of the Western History Department of the Denver Public Library and describes the current collection, which includes military records, manuscripts and personal papers, newspapers, photographs, and paintings. The discussion covers library policies that balance public access and preservation, financial support for the…

Describes the transition of the Getty Center Photo Archive from a museum library serving a select curatorial clientele to a major art research library, and the resulting need to devise new cataloging schemes. The discussion covers efforts to reconcile existing cataloging formats with MARC formats. (CLB)

Discusses the evolution of GIS (geographic information systems) services and the roles that reference and public services professionals may play in providing this technology to users: developing collections to incorporate GIS; providing access to spatial information and software tools; and facilitating intellectual access to GIS concepts and…

The goals of Kenyon College's (Ohio) Summer Institute on Academic Information Resources are to expose a select group of faculty and students to the many academic information resources available both on the Internet as well as locally on campus and to promote the use of these resources by faculty and students to affect innovative changes in the…

This directory is designed to give a brief, non-technical synopsis of the data files available at the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Information regarding tape prices, technical specifications, and ordering information are provided on the opening page. Eleven surveys are listed under the heading Elementary and Secondary, nine…

One of a series of instructional booklets designed to introduce adult education program planners to the basic concepts integral to and alternative strategies for conducting needs assessments, this instructional booklet deals with determining where to find information for use in conducting needs assessments. Described first is the relationship of…

One of a series of instructional booklets designed to introduce adult education program planners to the basic concepts integral to and alternative strategies for conducting needs assessments, this instructional booklet deals with determining how to gather information for a needs assessment. Described first is the relationship of the process of…

Designed to assess analytically the quality of children's fictional stories, this study is composed of a set of twelve scales: structure, word usage, characterization, setting, point of view, conversation, detail, appeals to senses, values, ending, sentence structure, and situation. Each scale is scored 0, 1, or 2, with the highest possible score…

Designed to assess the quality of children's narrative compositions, the Glazer Narrative Composition Scale (GNCS) consists of eighteen scales outlined under plot, theme, setting, characterization, and style. Each scale is scored 1, 2, or 3, depending on how much of the scale element is present in the narrative, with the highest possible score…

Describes a research seminar required of graduate students at Queens College which focuses on educational research, statistical analysis, and library search skills. Topics covered include the use of bibliographies and review of research, periodical indexes and abstracts, and online databases. (CLB)

The needs of the user of theater arts resources are examined in three articles describing the types of services and materials required by amateur theater groups, television researchers, and secondary schools. Ways in which libraries, archives, and museums can meet these requirements are suggested. (CLB)

This guide to selected reference sources in the McGill University (Quebec) Library for Sinology (the study of the language, history, literature, and civilization of China) contains annotated listings for English and Chinese language materials in the following categories: (1) guides to the literature (6 references); (2) encyclopedias (3…

The role of the legal bibliography and the many resources available in contemporary law libraries are discussed and evaluated in 15 articles. The articles have been placed into categories describing efforts of the past, practices of the present, and goals for the future. (CLB)