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This paper was presented at the Professional Historians Association (NSW) Islands of History conference held on Norfolk Island in July 2010. It argues that the reliance on overseas workers to address skills shortages has been present ever since the first white settlement of Australia, which has, in turn, shaped attitudes to the governance of vocational education, in particular the notion of an industry-led system. The paper then suggests some areas for primary historical research. (Contains 4 footnotes.)

Nancy Siraisi has been a prolific and leading scholar in the history of medicine and science of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. This lecture of hers is the twenty-eighth of series of lectures named for Charles Homer Haskins, first chairman of the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) and himself a famed medievalist who brought attention to the work of the medieval university and the liberal arts. Siraisi's lecture was presented at the ACLS Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on May 7, 2010. In her lecture, Nancy Siraisi shared her pursuit of learning across all sorts of boundaries. A biography of Nancy Siraisi and an introduction by Pauline Yu are included. (Contains 2 notes.)

For thousands of years the craft of reading and writing was the closely guarded monopoly of small elites. Only relatively recently has literacy become available to most people in developed nations. Historical surveys of literacy have used a wide range of definitions of the skills involved, one of the more important of which views reading as a system of decoding written symbols into spoken language. As for the levels of literacy, the media makes new claims all too frequently suggesting that reading and writing abilities are dropping. Consider, however, society's increasing demands on the reading ability of its public. Further, the accelerating advance of technology that has occurred in the latter part of the 20th century can be seen to be partly the result of advanced levels of education and literacy. The organization of society can thus be seen as completely literacy-dependent, and it is up to the schools to "bestow" literacy upon the populace. Unfortunately, for many the process of being educated is not a happy one, and many children do emerge at 16 inadequately literate, and ill-prepared for life. There are some children who arrive at school with more factors that will facilitate the relatively easy transition to literacy than others. There are no doubt some failings in the system. One such failing is that the educational system of England makes little allowance for the varied pace of development of children. (Contains 17 references.) (TB)

Four papers discuss research exchanges between the United States and the USSR and East Europe. The first paper considers the evolution of perceptions of social scientists in these countries during the Cold War and Detente. The dominant view of American researchers during the Cold War was that the United States, as the most modern society, was the yardstick for measuring other societies. The United States experienced rapid growth of training and research related to the Soviet orbit. However, Soviet scholars were constrained by Marxist-Leninist doctrine and by educational and research policies. In the 1960s, American social scientists gained a greater appreciation for the complexities of modern societies and East European social scientists began innovative studies. The second paper discusses evaluations of research exchanges between the United States and the Soviet Union. The conclusion is that these exchanges are scientifically valuable to both countries. The most serious problem is Soviet political repression of its scientific community. The third paper discusses problems and accomplishments of East European studies in the United States. Although progress seems to be steady, American social scientists have come to pursue topics that are politically safe, and thus often of secondary importance. The final paper suggests that in exchanges between the Soviet Union and the United States, both academic and government communities profit. The point that Soviet exchanges are generally in sciences and engineering and American exchanges are in history and literature illustrates that each side sends whom it wishes. Thus, the author concludes that this type of exchange is neither unbalanced nor unfair. (Author/KC)

This working paper discusses the critical role that higher education in the United States and Mexico must play since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The paper gives an overview of recent transformations in areas of economic development and business needs which require that higher education better prepare students to compete in the global workforce. These include changes in the economies of the U.S. and Mexico since World War II, with world leadership for the U.S. and an inward-looking development path for Mexico. The rapid collapse of Mexico's oil economy in 1981 led to a full-scale economic crisis. Higher education institutions in both countries are now responding to new global market challenges. In response to changing business and workforce training needs and advances in educational technology and communications, these institutions are working to implement curricular reform, increase access to higher education, and keep higher education affordable. The paper concludes with initiatives currently underway and gives recommendations for higher education policy makers for the development of a competitive and culturally aware workforce. (Contains 41 references.) (JLS)

Declining productivity is a major problem in the American economy. Gains in productivity, and finally, actual rates of productivity, have been declining since the late 1960s. Specific problems arising as a result of this decline in productivity are the inflationary pressures that we face as a nation, the increased regulatory environment under which we must live, and the growth in the size of the public sector that has been associated with the growth in regulatory activity. Some reasons for the decline of productivity in the United States include reduced investment, larger service sector, government regulations, environmental expenditures, labor restrictions, and work disincentives. Unless productivity improves in the U.S. in this decade, we will all suffer a decline in our standard of living. There are certain challenges that need to be considered in addressing productivity: definition and measurement, politics, planning and behavior--"What's in it for me?" Unless an organization or a nation can answer that final challenge, productivity is not going to improve. Improvement pf productivity in any organization requires a structured productivity program. One recommended program has ten elements: awareness and acceptance, organization, goals, resource effectiveness, employee involvement, incentives and gain sharing, rewards and recognition, training, measurement, and leadership. This program can bring improvements in productivity. (KC)

This article presents an address on anthropomorphism in psychology. Anthropomorphism assures that human beings are given human characteristics when participating in psychological research. This is significant because the research community does not often report results of studies in the language of feelings, thoughts, or desires, which has led to the pathology of psychology. The paper gives the historical perspective on why this pathology has developed in the profession, and concludes that psychology must be tolerant of the unknown, or the mystery of life. (JDM)

This article reports on a symposium commemorating Lillien Martin's dissertation, "Analysis of Difference Sensations," by published in 1899. The symposium marked the centenary celebration in acknowledgement of Martin's pioneer efforts for women in the field of psychology. Psychophysics was concerned with the quantitative assessment of sense perceptions. Her dissertation work began by measuring different thresholds in weight perception to demonstrate that psychophysical measurements can be made to establish sensitivity to stimulus differences. In an attempt to determine differences to stimuli, Martin and her mentor, Georg Elias Muller, investigated factors that could affect the results of these measurements. Circumstances interfered with her completion of her work in psychophysics. She went on to contribute other research to the field of psychology. (JDM)

Two papers on rare books and documents which were delivered at the 1982 International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) conference are presented. In "Museums of the Book: Their Problems and Their Relations to Libraries," Jaroslav Vrchotka (Czechoslovakia) provides a discussion of museum activities, noting similarities and dissimilarities with library activities. Also given is the text of a resolution from the 1977 Conference on the Problems of Museums of the Book and their Role in the Modern World. The resolution recommends the establishment of a working group on international cooperation between libraries and museums of the book within the IFLA Section of Rare and Precious Books and Documents. The paper entitled "The Union Catalogue of Incunabula (GW) and Collections of Incunabula in Libraries Worldwide" by Ursula Altmann (German Democratic Republic) describes international cooperation in incunabula research and the activities of IFLA in promoting the compilation of the Union Catalogue of Incunabula, which is being published by the Deutsche Staatsbibliothek; it is currently available up to the first part of volume 9 covering "Gabelle to Gerp." (ESR)

Papers on audiovisual information resources, the history of technical libraries, online legal information, and information technology for schoolchildren, which were presented at the 1983 International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) conference, include: (1) "Continuing Issues in the Provision of Audiovisual Information Resources - An Australian View," in which Paul T. McNally (Australia) discusses the need for guidelines on provision of library nonbook materials, national bibliographic control of audiovisual materials, and copyright law reform to enhance use of nonbook materials for research and study; (2) "Library History and the History of Technology: The British Experience," in which K. W. Humphreys (United Kingdom) describes the history of British library collections containing works on technology and the establishment and development of full-fledged technology libraries under the auspices of national, association, government, academic, corporate, and large public libraries; (3) "The Development of an International On-line Legal Information Service and Its Cooperation with Similar Services," in which Nunn Price outlines the objectives, accomplishments, and problems of EUROLEX, which provides online full-text information on European Community (EC) and United Kingdom law; and (4) "Information Technology for Schoolchildren," in which Jean C. Beck (United Kingdom) describes British projects to introduce schoolchildren to microcomputers and information technology, particularly the Schools Information Retrieval (SIR) Project, which resulted in the development of a microcomputer information retrieval system for use by secondary school students. (ESR)

Examined in this paper is the relationship between the early reconnaissance and arrival of individual Italians and the great flow of migration into Canada by the Italians at the turn of the century. Taken into consideration are the Italian origins of some early Canadian heroes and the degree of their "Italianita." Differences between these individuals and the less notable Italian settlers and soldiers who set many of the patterns that were important in the later mass migration are pointed out. Lapses in the immigration of Italians to Canada are described from a historical perspective. Occupations and trades characteristic of the Italian immigrants and their influences on Canadian enterprise and society are discussed. Problems of stereotyping and discriminatory attitudes experienced by the immigrants are also discussed from both sociological and historical viewpoints. In addition, references are made to the on again/off again relationship that existed between the Canadian government and the immigrants at different points in history. Considerable attention is given to the ways the "new immigrants" were at the heart of the organization and full industrialization of Canada. (EB)

The growth of federal influence on American higher education and the roles of state and local governments are discussed. The shift of power to a central government and precedents that over the years have established federal involvement in educational issues that are not directly enumerated in the Constitution are addressed. A decision that affirmed the right of the federal government to establish the conditions under which grants-in-aid may be made also strengthened the position of the federal government and ultimately affected in direct ways all educational institutions. One way of identifying the level of involvement of the federal government in education is in terms of the amount of the funds educational institutions derive from federal sources. Four categories of federal involvement in education are: establishing and maintaining institutions; identifying issues and influencing educational policy through advisory committees or commissions; providing categorical assistance through grants-in-aid; and influencing policy and operation through issuing specific regulations concerning eligibility for federal funds. The states differ in the degree of centralization of authority and control, and the financial support of the schools is based upon the combination of state and local suppport. (SW)

Drawing from histories of communal encampments, organized camps and outposts found their first growth in the Centennial years of U.S. history. Nineteenth-century America and the solitary camps of wilderness pilgrams also shared a kinship in a search for another course than that marked by the prevailing customs and conventions of urban life and institutions. Their beginnings, like the rural intentional communities and isolated hunters' camps of the same era, lay hidden beneath the more conspicuous flourishing of America's Guilded Age and were overshadowed by the events of a transitional period of history. Today, while America's outposts of lake and forest learning and recreation have multiplied beyond belief, they are still but partially known and explored features of the nation's educational enterprise. Social tasks of camps, for the century ahead, are much like that of the Centennial era camps: to seek and sustain alternatives in community and vision; to reveal the connections of past and present; to support the linkages of cities and nature; to safeguard the diversity and humanity of life; and to open passages to a renewal of purposes and responsibilities, for men and women and their institutions. (Author/AH)

Parallels between three main approaches to development education and peace education are pointed out in this discussion. Specifically examined are informational, community action, and "qualitative" approaches to development education and correspondences in the growth of peace education. The document also describes organizational forms of development education and peace education as well as activities undertaken within institutions of formal education at primary, secondary, and higher education levels. Topics discussed include the role of professional associations, both national and international, and the separation of issues in the United Nations system. It is concluded that, whereas both educational concerns have common goals, hopes, and methods, development and peace education are separate activities competing for time, attention, and resources. Their integration is viewed as desirable and possible. (RH)

The purpose of this paper is to establish the position of the Michigan State Board of Education regarding the humanities through a definition and an explanation of the purposes of the humanities within the schools. The humanities are most clearly identified with philosophy, ethics, comparative religion, history and criticism of the arts. In the K-12 curriculum, the humanities are most frequently taught in the social studies, literature, foreign languages, music, and art courses. The humanities serve the most basic goals of public education by preparing students for citizenship and work environments, as well as enriching and rewarding their personal lives. The humanities can free each individual to pursue in a reflective and responsible way his or her individual vision. (SM)

This report reviews the activities, structure, and organization of the Southwest Michigan Library Network (SMLN) and provides a review of multitype networking in several other states, sources of funding, and issues in national networking. The SMLN is a cooperative group of 56 libraries located within the five counties of Allegan, Berrien, Cass, Kalamazoo, and Van Buren. It is one of 15 regions of cooperation (ROCs) organized to provide an opportunity for all types of libraries to share resources and to fill interlibrary loan requests within the region, if possible, before referral to the major reference research libraries in the state. Following a preface, the document covers the history and development of the SMLN including its organization, funding, relationship to other cooperatives, and accomplishments. A section on interlibrary cooperation and resource sharing covers legislation, establishment of multitype cooperatives, and cooperative services and programs in Michigan's ROCs. An overview examines cooperatives in several other states and provides detailed descriptions of activities in California and Texas. Issues and concerns in multitype networking generally are then outlined, followed by conclusions and recommendations to the SMLN. Data and additional information on multitype library networks are appended, and an extensive bibliography is provided. (THC)

This paper offers an historical perspective on the practices of school psychology. It briefly describes the mechanism currently in place to assess the competency of professional psychologists. Then, the beginnings of the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) are reviewed along with information on related school psychology developments. It recounts how the American Psychological Association (APA) accepted doctoral school psychology programs for accreditation in 1968, the same year school psychology was recognized as a new examination area by the ABPP. School psychology has prospered as a specialty in APA and ABPP. However, currently the status of school psychology as a specialty in good standing within ABPP is in jeopardy since it is not processing a sufficient number of diplomate candidates annually to need ABPP requirements. Making the diploma a dominant feature of doctoral school psychology in the years ahead will be a challenge for all school psychologists who work for the future of the profession. (JDM)