April 2005

Edutech April 2005 full issue PDF
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Museum Information Systems
By Thomas Warger
Many campuses have museums, galleries, or special collections. In the digital era, these have become increasingly important local, regional, or even international resources as the Internet has provided access to collections databases. Students at all stages of education now expect to find images and primary information. Sometimes the actual objects of study are in a nearby collection, just waiting to be discovered and directly encountered.

NEWSBRIEFS
DoD Awards $43.9 Million to Universities for Research Equipment, EDUCAUSE Publishes E-Book on Educating the Net Generation

The Art of Contract Negotiations
By Linda Fleit
It probably goes without saying that the “sample” contract or agreement that a vendor offers is designed in the vendor’s favor, and his fondest wish is for the CIO and the institution to just simply accept it as is. But since the real value in a good IT contract is spelling out the full set of responsibilities of both parties, and further, in detailing the steps that will be taken if something goes wrong, it is very important that the contract be structured as fairly as possible, and as much in the best interests of the institution as of the vendor. It’s not just about price – being able to negotiate the terms and conditions of the contract is one of the most important skills a CIO can have.

Quotes of the month

Edutech Responds
How to cope when the gatekeeping is not the optimal technical liaison, protecting the campus community from Internet fraud, responding to help status inquiries.