Describes the economic and societal perspectives of information and its importance to society by analyzing the nature of the information sector. A new classification model of the information economy is proposed, and implications for policy decision making in an information society are suggested. (25 references) (LRW)

A general theory and taxonomy of human communication is discussed within which the information handling propensities of the special librarian can be evaluated for relevance to the axioms of library and information science. (Author)

Explores ethical issues for online searchers that are exacerbated by the searcher's gatekeeper function--searcher competence, searcher bias, inaccurate search results, misuse of search results by client, and privacy and confidentiality. A model for ethical decision making is presented and a list of guidelines for ethical conduct is suggested. (EJS)

Describes E. Frank Harrison's model of decision making and discusses its implications for decision making by librarians and information managers. Questions relating to decision quality, group size, reward and penalty mechanisms, group norms, and the place of information science in the study of decision making are addressed. Nine references are…