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Arriving at the end of a three‐year “semester,” it's exam time at the trailing edge. Didn't the author mention that there would be a test? Sixty‐six “true or false” statements test your knowledge and understanding of the personal computer field at the beginning of 1992, and the extent to which your view of personal computing is congruent with the author's. The latter is significant because, if most of you see things entirely different, then Library Hi Tech is wasting its paper printing this column and the author is wasting his time writing it. Some of the material on this quiz comes from the last eleven Trailing Edge columns. Some does not. The quiz, and the commentary accompanying answers, are the author's way of summing up three years of personal computing before moving on to another cycle. The author also provides notes from PC literature received during October‐December 1991. It's “printer quarter,” otherwise covering a wide range of topics. As usual, all the year‐end “awards” and predictions are ignored.

This paper aims to set out a coherent intellectual framework to help to better understand how people create, organise, manage, use and dispose of their personal digital archives. The context for this is the increasing volume and diversity of digital information objects being captured and stored by individuals in their personal capacities and the need to find ways to preserve this material for posterity.

The research presented here is based on literature analysis, the questions having been informed by an earlier series of in‐depth interviews. The approach taken is to synthesise key concepts from the computer science, information management, and archives and records management literatures. Key concepts from the existing literature in computer science, information management, and archives and records management were elicited and synthesised to create a coherent document lifecycle narrative.

Individuals exhibit great diversity in terms of personal information management and digital archiving practice at just about every point in the digital information cycle: much more so than is the case in formal repositories. Practices exhibited are not always conducive to efficient document management. This represents a very keen challenge for professional curatorial practice.

Little is known about how individuals manage digital information resources in their personal capacity, outside of their corporate or institutional employment. Yet both individuals on their own and professional curators on behalf of repositories are increasingly being faced with the challenge of how to deal with digital media. It is hoped that this paper will contribute to a growing debate in this area.

Personal information management from the perspective of personal digital archives is a surprisingly under‐researched area and the proposed model adopts an archival information lifecycle approach. It seeks to apply and promote an archivally‐oriented personal information management.

In this paper a sector will be dealt with, which is lately characterized by an increase in decision‐making in a scientific rationalized way, i.e. the sector of personal social services. Decision‐making is in many cases closely related and attributable to the fact that the social services are increasingly availing themselves of personal computers. An innovation which is most often discussed in terms of technological rationalization and facilitation for the provision of personal social services. This may be the case as long as the computer is used as just another, be it a different, mode, to provide services, e.g. to do away with routine, administrative, and management tasks, such as record keeping (Bloom 1975), information retrieval systems (Rubin 1976), fiscal management (Mutschler 1983), etc.

The purpose of this study explores what factors may influence information professionals to adopt new technologies, such as cloud computing in their organizations. The objectives of this study are as follows: to what extent does the technology acceptance model (TAM) explain information professionals intentions towards cloud computing, and to what extent do personal characteristics, such as cognitive appraisal and openness to experience, explain information professionals intentions to use cloud computing.

The research was conducted in Israel during the second semester of the 2013 academic year and encompassed two groups of information professionals: librarians and information specialists. Researchers used seven questionnaires to gather the following data: personal details, computer competence, attitudes to cloud computing, behavioural intention, openness to experience, cognitive appraisal and self-efficacy.

The current study found that the behavioural intention to use cloud computing was impacted by several of the TAM variables, personal characteristics and computer competence.

The study expands the scope of research about the TAM by applying it to information professionals and cloud computing and highlights the importance of individual traits, such as cognitive appraisal, personal innovativeness, openness to experience and computer competence when considering technology acceptance. Further, the current study proposes that if directors of information organizations assume that novel technologies may improve their organizations’ functioning, they should be familiar with both the TAM and the issue of individual differences. These factors may help them choose the most appropriate workers.

We have followed recent developments in computer hardware library and information uses in these pages. Readers have likely noticed that the emphasis has been on equipment for micro/ personal computers. That will continue to be the focus here.

Argues that the personal computer is dead as a workplace phenomenon. Suggests that the financial pay‐off associated with using personal computers to increase knowledge and worker productivity is no longer viable; and that leading‐edge organizations are in transition between the close of the PC era and the accession of the new age of value‐on‐demand interpersonal computing. Highlights failings of the personal computer paradigm including points such as: focus on the individual and the desktop is misplaced; and the PC paradigm is flawed because the world which spawned such thinking no longer exists. Concludes by providing an action plan for conquering the interpersonal computer interregnum.

Personal computers are most commonly thought of as consumer products, but now they are being developed for use by many different classes of retailer; in fact they have found application in small newsagents, pharmacists and others. Additionally, in conjunction with portable data recording terminals they can be used as packaged systems which will read bar coded labels, and carry out localised data processing of the information gathered. This article examines some of the latest developments and looks at the relevance of this class of system at a cash point within a retail outlet.

Those who have an IBM/PC connected to a telephone line and find they frequently need to talk to the party on the other end, as well as use the keyboard, will appreciate the Asher modem board. It plugs into the computer and provides for a telephone handset that plugs into the board.

The purpose of this study is to explore the current usage and acceptance of classroom technologies by secondary math/science education teachers in one community.

Forty‐seven secondary education math and science teachers in one American city responded to a survey about their use and perceptions of technology in their lives and classrooms.

Results indicate teachers use technology more for personal instructional reasons, such as class preparation, than for interactions with their students whether inside the classroom or outside the classroom. Primary factors inhibiting the use of technology relate to time, training, and preparation. Teachers can see the benefit of using technology to promote students’ learning experience. However, teachers are neutral about technology being advantageous for improving in‐class activities.

A significant connection between teachers’ technology acceptance and usage is presented.

Microcomputers are rapidly becoming commonplace in libraries today and will become even more so as prices fall and capabilities increase. Microcomputers can provide a wide range of services, from being an integral part of a circulation system to serving as a terminal to access online databases and information utilities such as the Source or CompuServe. Software can be purchased or developed to assist in online literature searching (record keeping or standardization of database commands). Database packages, or even word processing programs, can be used to help compile local newspaper indexes or other local information files. Statistical packages can be used to analyze library usage and even the laborious task of writing reports or letters can be greatly aided by word processing programs. Even though the availability of software is a determining factor in choosing a microcomputer, this report will concentrate on meeting the hardware needs of individual libraries.