Use of machine-readable databases to support a large SDI service

The current awareness [or selective dissemination of information (SDI)] services of AT&T Bell Laboratories are described. Several bulletins announcing over 80,000 externally published items/year are issued at regular intervals and sent to about 6100 subscribers. Production is done by the BELLPAR (Bell Laboratories Publication, Alerting, and Retrieval) system, which processes four commercial machine-readable databases and prepares camera-ready bulletin copy. A photocopy service processing some 10,000 requests/month provides document delivery for items announced in the bulletins. Subscribers may order photocopies electronically if they wish. A “captive” journal collection supports the copying operation; non-journal articles, such as conference proceedings and technical reports, are ordered from external suppliers. Improvements in the SDI service include electronic bulletins, more focused bulletins and additional databases as input.     

Communications programs in higher education

Summary There has been a steady growth of communications programs in higher education. These programs are interdisciplinary approaches to the study of the mass media. Even though there continues to be active concern and questioning regarding the spread of these programs, they continue to be established and will continue to grow, if experience is any indication. There is little consistency in the administrative patterns of organization. The administrative labels cover the gamut from departments and loosely organized committees to schools and colleges. It is possible to find institutions which offer bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees in communications, the degree being dependent upon the institution. There are many traditional academic areas represented in the various programs but the three most common areas are: journalism, radio-television and audiovisual-cinema. All programs seem to draw heavy support from courses in the social sciences. This discussion leaves many unanswered questions. What are the forces which caused programs to be established? What is being accomplished under the communications label that could not otherwise be accomplished? How do the objectives and curricula compare? These and other questions will be answered in subsequent articles.     

Life-science concept development among beginning kindergarten children from three different community settings

Two basic questions were investigated. (1) Do beginning kindergarten children from three different community settings (inner-urban, outer-urban, and rural-farm) vary significantly in performance on a Life-Science Concept Acquisition Test (L-SCAT)? (2) What independent variables are the most useful predictors of performance on the L-SCAT? The L-SCAT was developed by the investigator. It was administered to seventeen subjects from each of the three community settings (N = 51). Among the results were the following: (1) there were significant differences (p < .05) among the scores made by the subjects; (2) a major source of significance was between outer-urban and inner-urban subjects' mean scores; (3) when all physical, mental, and sociocultural variables were used as predictors, a subject's I.Q. and his chronological age were the most useful predictors of L-SCAT performance; and (4) when sociocultural variables alone were used as predictors, the number of years education of a subject's mother was the most useful predictor of L-SCAT performance.