In the policy making process, one of the important steps is the consideration of the consequences deriving from the alternative choices. For the case of information policy, the present research has begun the development of a methodology for doing so. The methodology chosen was modeling. Information policy modeling serves the dual purposes of…

Designed to minimize information overload in telecommunications systems, the formal model developed in this paper predicts the usefulness of a message based on the available message features, and may be used to rank messages by expected importance or economic worth. The assumptions of binary and two Poisson independent probabilistic distributions…

Defines library and information science as the creation, sorting, managing, and transferring of information. Introduces ODAPCOSRIU (origin, dissemination, acquisition, properties, classification, organization, storage, retrieval, interpretation and use) to help define it and explains I&OE (Inner and Outer Environment Model) as a graphic…

Describes various methods of measuring information contained in a database or in a document collection. Economic worth or utility of information to the user is discussed, the value of data in decision making is considered, and an example comparing information in two library collections is presented. (41 references) (LRW)

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…

Processing complex multivariate information effectively when relational properties of information sub-groups are ambiguous is difficult for man and man-machine systems. However, the information processing task is made easier through code study, cybernetic planning, and accurate display mechanisms. An exploratory laboratory study designed for the…

Reviews research on obsolescence (decline over time in validity or utility of information), citing two major state-of-the-art reviews and subsequent research involving citation studies and use studies based on circulation and reshelving statistics. A problem-solving management model developed to aid libraries deal with obsolescence is discussed.…

Discusses the role of human information gatekeepers. Topics addressed include gatekeeper research in health sciences, education, science and technology, communication studies, journalism, and library and information science; cultural context; information needs and use models; cross-cultural research; ethnolinguistic gatekeepers; and research…

Presents abstracts of 15 special interest group (SIG) sessions. Topics include navigation and information utilization in the Internet, natural language processing, automatic indexing, image indexing, classification, users' models of database searching, online public access catalogs, education for information professions, information services,…

The Fourth International Research Forum in Information Science (IRFIS 4) focused on two themes: user-oriented research in information science and experimental and practical investigations of the mediation and use of information. An opening speech by Bjorn Tell reviewed information research policy in the United States, France, England, Japan, the…