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This paper describes the findings of an OECD project examining ICT impact measurement and analyses based on official statistics. Both economic and social impacts are covered and some results are presented. It attempts to place ICT impacts measurement into an Information Society conceptual framework, provides some suggestions for standardising terminology and methodologies, and advocates for further work in a number of hardware and software areas. (A bibliography is included. Contains 19 footnotes, 4 figures and 3 tables.)

The rhetoric surrounding career education programs was examined by exploring two questions. The first question was which employment sectors anticipate significant job growth and what skill levels and academic competencies were required to work within those sectors. The second question was whether increasing the level of student knowledge and skill made a difference in addressing the problems identified as the motivation for various skill initiatives in career education programs. The analysis focused on labor patterns in British Columbia. The analysis established that little evidence exists to support the widespread assumption of a growing skills gap separating the academic abilities of students leaving secondary school and the actual competencies required for current and projected employment opportunities. Rather, the major job growth areas in Canada and other industrialized countries appeared to be in low-salaried, low-skill service occupations in the hospitality, food service, and retail sectors. The assumption of many policymakers that a highly skilled labor market protects national competitiveness and that investment in education and training helps form the human capital that is vital to ensuring economic growth and individual advancement and reducing inequality were also concluded to be flawed. Career education was called a reflection of neoliberal ideology. (Contains 29 references.) (MN)

Papers on the education and training of librarians, which were presented at the 1983 International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) conference, include: (1) "The Role of New Technology in the Librarianship Syllabus," in which J. A. Large and R. F. Guy (United Kingdom) describe possible problems related to the integration of new technology in library school curricula and the experience of introducing such instruction at the College of Librarianship Wales; (2) "Teaching New Technologies: Whose Role Is It?" in which G. Edward Evans (United States) outlines his view that library schools must teach students about operations, applications, and use of information/telecommunications technology; (3) "The Codified System of Post-School Training of Librarians in the Slovak Socialist Republic," a report by Horst Hogh (Czechoslovakia) on that country's permanent cyclical continuing education system for librarians; (4) "Comparative Trends in Library and Information Science Curricula in the USA, Canada, and the Federal Republic of Germany--A Study Originating from the IFLA Project 'Equivalency and Reciprocity'," in which Diann D. Rusch focuses on educational requirements and specializations and on the response of library schools to changes in the job market; and (5) "The Training of Librarians for Technological Society. Polish Experience and Problems" by Stefan Kubow (Poland). (ESR)

Papers on information technology which were presented at the 1985 International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) conference include: (1) "Technology in the Public Library: The Impact on our Community" (Kenneth E. Dowlin, United States); (2) "Software Evaluation: Sources and Resources in the United Kingdom" (Stephen Flood, United Kingdom); (3) "Exploiting Technology to Build a Canadian Library and Information Network" (Cynthia J. Durance, Canada); (4) "Linked Systems Project in the United States" (Sally H. McCallum, United States); (5) "Assimilating the Micro: The Use of Microcomputers in Public Library Services" (Leena Siitonen, United States); and (6) "Statistical Measures for Library Accountability" (Daniel O. O'Connor, United States). (THC)

Argues for a child-centered approach to thinking about child cycling accidents. Helmets instill a false sense of safety in children and adults, while a profound change in the habits of adults is the only strategy that can protect children from accidents. Suggests steps for local analysis of the problem of cycling accidents. (MOK)

Proposes adding intellectual freedom and censorship issues to the information science curriculum, and describes how 60 British and Canadian public library directors were surveyed to develop instructional case studies. Results indicate a concern for the right not to be offended, the right of all ideas to be heard, and the conflict between intellectual freedom and multiculturalism. (JKP)

Describes the preliminary findings of a comparative study investigating what "English" as a discipline means to secondary school and college teachers and students in the United States, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Situates these findings in a historical context, reviews current discussions about the discipline, and looks to the future. (TB)

Topics discussed in 14 papers concerned with software design, curriculum development, evaluation, and intelligent systems include teaching and learning systems, development of computer-assisted learning (CAL) courseware (music and reading), evaluation of CAL packages for mastery learning and modelling, assessment of CAL in physics and the primary curriculum, and technical management. (BBM)

This series of articles cites a variety of sources and synthesizes a number of studies on the effects of new technologies on the world of work and on social and economic life in general. These studies are related to several industrial nations and are also concerned with the new information-oriented society. (SSH)

This report examines selected public sector direct job creation schemes that were in operation in 1977-1978 in Canada, Denmark, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Based on responses to a questionnaire and discussions with officials in the five countries, the information presented in the report is not intended to evaluate any one program but rather simply to show the results of a series of different job creation programs and later to develop some of the implications of these results. Following descriptions of major programs in each of the countries, the various existing program types and their common characteristics are outlined. Presented next are data pertaining to the following areas: number and types of jobs created; characteristics of participants (employment status, sex, age, educational attainment, economic status); targeting success; transition and postprogram experience; attitudes and satisfaction; wages; net costs; net job creation/displacement; start-up and phase-out; value of output; and financing of programs. In a section on the implications of the findings, the multiple objectives, employment impact, and inflationary impact of direct job creation are explored. Mentioned next are some considerations relating to future policy development, including program design, funding, training, transition, and community dependence on programs. (MN)

This report of an Australian overseas study tour to the United Kingdom (UK), the United States (US), and Canada reviews developments and practices as of December 1980 in educational communications and technology, the management and utilization of learning resource centers (LRC's) and independent study programs in postsecondary education, and library automation and network development. A list of the agencies and institutions visited in each country is provided. Based on study tour experiences, it is concluded that despite economic difficulties the influence of computer and communications technologies is more immediately apparent in the UK and North America than is yet the case in Australia. Recommendations are made for Australian action in the areas of screened data or videotex systems, computer-based education, interactive video learning systems on videotape and videodisc, distance education, the use of radio and television for educational broadcasting, education technology units, the establishment of LRC's at selected community colleges, the introduction of automated technologies in libraries, the planning and design of library buildings, joint-use library services, further overseas study tours, and staff exchanges between corresponding agencies and institutions in Australia and the other three countries. (ESR)

This report contains case studies from six countries on local efforts to ease the transition of youth from school to work and to stop or prevent them from regressing to semiliteracy or illiteracy. The countries studied are Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, Yugoslavia, and Zimbabwe. A short summary of each of the case studies is also provided along with an action agenda for municipal decision makers. The document concludes that there are general lessons that are apparent from the projects studied, and a number of these are about a question of universal significance: how to improve the relevance and effectiveness of programs with resources that are limited. The 10 suggestions to municipal officials include: (1) being prepared to respond to the ideas of organizations working with the young; (2) encouraging existing groups; (3) ensuring a full understanding of the need by preliminary research; (4) continuing support; (5) building networks of people and organizations; (6) making clear statements of aims and objectives; (7) developing styles and structures that encourage maximum participation by youth; (8) enabling disadvantaged youth to become a more effective part of the labor circuit through the existing educational system; (9) identifying resources; and (10) modeling projects after successful local ones while maintaining as much local control as possible. (21 references) (KC)