September 4, 1986

A ''soldier'' in the Gambino organized-crime family became an informer and wore a secret recording device during clandestine meetings with John Gotti and others in the crime group for more than two years, according to court papers that were unsealed yesterday. One of the recordings made by the informer provides ''direct evidence of John Gotti's role as manager'' of a gambling enterprise, the papers say. Law-enforcement experts said this was the first time a ''made'' member of an organized-crime family - someone who had taken an oath of secrecy - had cooperated with investigators by wearing a recording device while participating in mob activities. Ends Undercover Role Other organized-crime members have become informers, but only to tell of past activities, the authorities said.

The Doctor's World column in Science Times on Aug. 5 about shock treatment for snake bites incorrectly described lithotripter machines, used to break up kidney stones. The machines use electronically generated shock waves to smash the stones.

IT used to be that most doors and windows in special shapes and sizes - octagonal or fanlight windows, wood-framed french doors -were synonymous with custom millwork. Requiring time-consuming hand labor, they were expensive to make and often took months to complete. But lately, major millwork manufacturers have begun to offer a wider selection of stock windows and doors that have a custom look at much lower prices. Now, local lumberyards or specialty window stores offer home remodelers and architects the latest in round-top and sidelight windows or glass-paneled doors designed for easy installation and available within two or three weeks. Most come as total units, packaged complete with frames, hardware and screens. ''There is no local custom mill where I'd meet the same deadline or prices,'' said Lee Skolnick, a New York architect. ''Not only are more stock items available but suppliers now know what you are looking for when you ask for a window or door to match the feeling of an older building.''

An Associated Press article Tuesday on a radio program featuring Abbie Hoffman gave an incorrect location for the taping of the show tomorrow. It will be taped at the Village Gate, Bleecker and Thompson Streets.

About 600 boys who attend a Hasidic school in Orange County - following their religious belief that the sexes should be separated -yesterday refused to board school buses driven by women. Their action was the latest step in a yearlong legal battle over the contention by the women, who are employed by a public school district, that they should be assigned routes without discrimination according to sex. The Hasidic school is part of the Orthodox community of Kiryas Joel in Orange County, about 60 miles from Manhattan. Kiryas Joel, a village named for the late Joel Teitelbaum, grand rebbe of the Hasidic Satmar sect, is within the Monroe-Woodbury School District.