A demonstration, evolved during the teaching of information science courses in graduate library schools, of how Fairthorne's theory can aid in systematizing the analysis and improvement of library operations. (Author/PF)

Uses a case study from information-seeking studies to analyze theory growth in information science, differentiating three contexts: unit theories, theoretical research programs, and metatheories. Illustrates the usefulness of tools in the analysis of theory growth by reconstructing a theory used in current information-seeking study. Includes a…

Presents the semantic information theory, formulated by the philosopher Fred Dretske, as a contribution to the discussion of metatheories and their practical implications in library and information science. Highlights include mathematical communication theory; digitization, perception, cognition, and concept formation; information and knowledge;…

It is shown that there is no ambiguity in Bradford's theory of distribution. Starting with two basic postulates laid down by Bradford, a mathematical expression is derived such that its curve agrees with the experimentally plotted data for periodicals in fields of applied geophysics and lubrication. Five references are listed. (Author/EJS)

Metatheory is the analysis of the presuppositions of a field of knowledge or practice. This article examines presuppositions underlying concepts of information science: information, knowledge (personal and public), message, message designation, information want and need, query, and relevance and information search. Summarizes presuppositions in…

After discussion of the equivalency of the information laws of Bradford, Leimkuhler, Lotka, and Mandelbrot, aberrations from Leimkuhler's law (including "Groos droop" as encountered in practice) are studied. Other aberrations of Leimkuhler's law are explained, starting from generalization of verbal formulation of Bradford's Law. (18…

Review of recent developments in statistical theories for social sciences highlights Haitun's statistical distributions, Laplace's "Law of Succession" and distribution, Laplace and Bradford analysis of book-index data, inefficiency of frequency distribution analysis, Laws of Bradford and Zipf, natural categorization, and Bradford Law and…

Parallels between subsistence foraging and scholarly information seeking are described in the context of the World Wide Web. Suggests that the prevailing information retrieval paradigm does not capture the complex of behavior and stimuli that drives scholars' quests for new ideas and insights. Research questions are suggested by extended use of…

Duality is an important topic in informetrics, often less studied in information retrieval where it relates to the unification or symmetry of queries and documents, search formulation versus indexing, and relevant versus retrieved documents. This article examines duality in information retrieval and highlights its connection with hypergeometric…