Discusses knowledge communities and emphasizes the way that the epistemology of science influences scientific society. Topics include positivist and nonpositivist discourses; knowledge creation and organization; a sociological approach to knowledge communities; social epistemology and an epistemological sociology; and implications for information…

Proposes model to American National Standards Committee (ANSC) Z39 to serve as basis for integrated set of standards for representation, storage, and communication of bibliographic and related data. Background of ANSC Z39, description of model, benefits, relationship of existing standards to model, and implementation are discussed. Six references…

Reviews issues surrounding ethical determinations of the credibility of online materials. Highlights include the volume of Web material; the self-sustaining nature of the Internet; the speed of growth and dispersion of information available; recognizing credible sources; and defining credibility, including timeliness and comprehensiveness. (LRW)

Discussion of the use of mathematical tools in library and information science focuses on information retrieval applications of fuzzy set theory. Topics include fuzzy set theory in informetrics and bibliometrics; and the literature of fuzzy set theory. (Contains 87 references.) (LRW)

Introduces a scientometric model (ISI-S model) for describing the institutionalization process of scientific information. ISI-S describes the information and knowledge systems of scientific publications as a global network of interdependent information and knowledge clusters that are dynamically changing by their content and size. (Author/LRW)

Explores seven ethnic professional library associations to understand their origins and roles among the professional associations in library and information science. The ALA Ethnic Materials and Information Exchange Round Table and the ALA Office for Literacy and Outreach Services are considered in connection with the ethnic American library…

Analyzes subject trends from 1975-84 in nine influential journals in library and information science. Thirty-two subjects which constitute 89 percent of the subjects published are discussed under five categories according to their distribution characteristics: (1) boom topics; (2) declining topics; (3) roller coaster issues; (4) stable subjects;…

Shows how a philosophical analysis of the moral value of information can help librarians rethink some aspects of their professional values, especially their commitment to neutrality. Discusses the historical background of allowing fiction into library collections; the impact of technology; the moral character of information; and information,…

Proposes a model called information genetics to elaborate on the origin of information generating. Explains conceptual and data models; and describes a software program that was developed for citation data mining, infomapping, and information repackaging for total quality knowledge management in Web representation. (Contains 112 references.)…

Compares the qualitative method of grounded theory (GT) with Ranganathan's construction of faceted classifications (FC) in library and information science. Both struggle with a core problem--the representation of vernacular words and processes, empirically discovered, which will, although ethnographically faithful, be powerful beyond the single…

Considers history of data archives, which preserve machine-readable data files (MRDF) for posterity and provide services to users, and current educational scene for data archive personnel. Pros and cons of current system, a 1980 survey of managers of MRDF collections, and alternatives for future are discussed. Twenty-three references are provided.…

Discusses barriers to the implementation of quality management in the library and information science sector in Europe. Topics include Total Quality Management and other business experiences, an information quality infrastructure, supplier/customer relations, customer satisfaction, and a European Quality Model. (LRW)

Addresses seven changes in role of the information professional--role as part of information transfer chain, need to harness technology and management tools, shift to individual-oriented information services, need for new directions in education, changing image of information professional, ethical commitment, increased international awareness.…

Discusses electronic publishing as it refers to machine-readable databases. Types of electronic products and services are described and related topics considered: (1) usage of library and information science databases; (2) production and distribution of databases; (3) trends and projections in the electronic information industry; and (4)…

Traces emergence and development of research in library science; argues that prevailing ideology posits desirability of adoption of a positivist epistemology for research in the field; and proposes drawing of work in critical theory and hermeneutics, to rethink the epistemological foundations of research in library and information science. (38…