ASSESSMENT OF NORTHWEST LIBRARY COLLECTIONS 160 libraries involved in assessment of library collection in the Pacific Northwest · The Pacific Northwest Conspectus Database, a new regional, subject-based assessment file, alr~ady contains over 50,000 individual subject assessments from 160 participating libraries. The database produces reports for individual libraries and reports for libraries to compare themselves to other libraries. Reports are available in both text and graphic format and can be selected based on a variety of factors including library type (academic, special or public), location (state, county, city), population served, materials budget, enrollment (for academic libraries), funding source (public or private), or cooperative group. To collect assessment data, 350 librarians from 234 libraries were trained under a project administered by the University of Washington School of Library and Information Science. An outgrowth of these regional training meetings was the Pacific Northwest Collection Assessment Manual. The 90-page manual was written as a reference tool for those who were trained in the conspectus methodology of collection assessment. Manuals are available for $10. The Conspectus Database is administered by the Oregon State Library Foundation and funded by a grant from the Fred Meyer Charitable Trust. For More Information: Peggy Cummings Forcier, Project Director, Oregon State Library Foundation, State Library Building, Salem, OR 97310-0642, 503-378-5082. COMPUTER EDUCATION NETWORK FOR Eight Oregon school districts linked via a statewide computer network Eighty Oregon school districts are linked electronically via Ore-net, a statewide computer network that gives them instant access to each other and to a wide variety of education data. A joint venture of the Oregon School Boards Association, Oregon Department of Education, Confederation of Oregon School Administrators, Oregon Community College Association, Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory and the University of Oregon, Ore-Net is the only such cooperative education network in the nation. Each participating organization is connected by its own computer to a large mainframe computer where data is stored. Within seconds, school officials can obtain the latest information on Oregon education news, pending legislation affecting schools, labor relations, school board policy and much more. The network features over 40 activ·e files, and also allows subscribers to communicate via electronc mail. For More Information: Ore-Net, Oregon School Boards Association, PO Box 1068, Salem, OR 97308, 503-588-2800. NORTHWEST WRITERS HANDBOOK 192 pages of information about the publishing industry in the Northwest The second edition of the Writer's Northwe·st Handbook has been published. This edition contains 192 pages of articles, interviews, publishers lists, business forms, and other resource material. The directory lists more than 2,200 book and periodical publishers with their editorial guidelines. Markets for non-fiction, fiction, poetry, scripts, and photographs in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Alaska, and British Columbia. Also listed are educational programs, writing and publishing events, arts agencies, contests, book distributors and special services for writers. Howto information includes how to select an agent, selfpublishing, business tips for freelancers, publicity techniques, and desktop publishing-the entire edition was published using desktop publishing equipment (on Altos, Macintosh, and Laserwriter Plus). For More Information: Writer's Northwest Handbook, published by Media Weavers, PO Box 19755, Portland, OR 97219, $12.95. Fall 1986 RAIN Page 41
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