Issue 11

The State Library of Victoria and RMIT have received funding for a joint project to be known as VICNET. It is intended that VICNET will give inexpensive access to the Internet either directly to home users or via public libraries (and schools). It will also provide access to state and local government information and services. VICNET will be piloted during the latter stages of 1994 and hopefully will be operational the following year. Vicnet newsletter, no 1, September 1994.

Often changes in the USA herald future directions in Australia. Moving to the virtual library by John Moran, The Age, 21 June 1994, p40 describes what may become the reality for Australian libraries as they become an access and learning point for public interface with the Internet.

The August issue of Orana launches a new column The international network by Laurel A Clyde and Margaret Butterworth. It contains interesting information concerning internet gophers suitable for school libraries and some school internet statistics, p 208-210.

Reviews of CD-ROM encyclopedias in Information at your fingertips by John Hilvert and Linda Bruce, PC User, September 1994, p 98-99 and Encyclopedias in evolution: rating the latest, by Neil Randall, CD-ROM Today, April-May 1994, p 64-67.

CD-ROM and the data superhighway by Tom Halfhill, explores the issue, is CD-ROM technology now outdated by access to the Internet? CD-ROM Today, April-May 1994, p112. In The next step in CD-ROM interfaces, he gives a prediction of future directions, CD-ROM Today, August-September 1994, p112.

Are we learning yet? Peter Scisco explores whether CD-ROM educational software do really teach skills. CD-ROM Today, August-September 1994, p 40-46.

For those with a Macintosh environment 10 steps to troubleshooting your multimedia Macintosh, by Steven Anzovin, may be useful. CD-ROM Today, August-September 1994, p 54-57.

If you are thinking of buying a new modem to access the information superhighway, Modems, by Trevor Sheffield, Your computer, October 1994, p26-37 will be an extremely useful tool.

Have you ever wondered about Informit, the publishers of AUST-GUIDE CD-ROMs (among others)? Questions & answers by Sandra Oxley provides interesting back-ground on issues such as network licensing, standards and copyright. New librarian, October 1994, pl0-11.

The videodisk collection at the State library of the Northern Territory. Diana Giese discovers how the past has become accessible via the new technology. National library of Australia news, July 1994, p 6-7.

The translation of print into speech is a service offered to vision impaired readers using the Kurzweil personal reader. Hi-tech reading, Susan Powell in National Library of Australia news, June 1994, p 3-6.

Leaming, thinking and research in the age of information technology, by CF Munns and Megan Perry, Independence, vol 19, no 1, 1994, p42-46. In this article, the Principal and head of Information Services at John Paul college discuss the impact of technology at the school. A companion article by Trudi McIntosh, entitled The education superhighway at John Paul College also appeared in Orana, August 1994, p198-199.