The value of evidence-based policy is well established, yet major hurdles remain in connecting policymakers with the wider research community. Here we assess whether a UK Evidence Information Service (EIS) could facilitate interaction between parliamentarians and research professionals. Fifty-six UK parliamentarians were interviewed to gauge the…

Introduction: The role of library and information science professionals as knowledge facilitators is solidly grounded in the profession's theoretical foundations as much as connected with its social relevance. Knowledge science is presented in this paper as a convenient theoretical framework for this mission, and knowledge engagement…

Student plagiarism and difficulties with writing have been widely investigated in the literature, but there has been less research on staff perspectives. A Joint Information Services Committee (JISC)-funded questionnaire (n = 80) and focus group study investigated the views of lecturers, librarians and study advisors at a UK post-92 university,…

The Joint Information Systems Committee National e-Books Observatory Project will assess the impacts, observe behaviors, and develop new models to stimulate the U.K. higher education e-books market. The project has licensed a collection of e-books that are highly relevant to U.K. higher education in four disciplines and will evaluate the use of…

This description of experiments with the use of videotex systems in British public libraries includes activities and undertakings sponsored by the British Library Research and Development Department, commercial and public videotex services in the U.K., and videotex projects initiated by library associations such as ASLIB. (JL)

Purpose: The paper seeks to record the work of the committee and its interaction with the much better known Electronic Libraries (eLib) Programme. It also examines the principles that underlay the development of content acquisition and supporting infrastructure in UK university libraries in the 1990s. Design/methodology/approach: A historical…

The author discusses various aspects of the difficulties in ensuring an efficient system of information transfer to small industries. (11 references) (Author/SJ)

Progress in the development of advanced chemical information systems in the United Kingdom is briefly described. (8 references) (Author)

Britain is becoming an increasingly diverse society in ethnic, cultural, and linguistic terms. Race equality as a matter of governance has gained momentum through legal developments and prioritization in policies. However, ethnic inequalities in health and healthcare are marked and persistent and language has been identified as a key barrier to…

Discusses four major changes in patent law--the British Patents Act, European Patent Convention, Community Patent Convention, and Patent Co-Operation Treaty--and comments on their likely effect on information scientists and commercial information services. Some predictions are made of likely usage of the European Patent Convention by British…

The structure and development of the Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux are discussed; as well as the journals, books, and services offered. Each institute and bureau comprising the organization collects and disseminates information in a particular branch of agricultural science. (Author/JPF)

This paper reviews recent measurement work on User-Created Content (UCC) undertaken in OECD countries. It shows that UCC is emerging as a significant area of economic and social activity worthy of consideration for official measurement and discusses the implications for the OECD Model Survey on ICT Access and Use by Households and Individuals.…

Summarizes three years' experience in providing online information about all types of courses in the United Kingdom through the Educational Counselling and Credit Transfer Information Service (ECCTIS). (JOW)

Discusses the development a national information policy in the United Kingdom (UK): policies for national information infrastructures, electronic information services, privacy and data protection, copyright, public and national libraries; reviews problems inhibiting Internet use; compares the UK's and the European Commission's approaches to…