Explains a variety of models involving information use and includes key resources for each one. Highlights include a study of information skills; the REACTS model; the Big Six for information problem-solving; portfolio of information skills; pathways to knowledge; and characteristics of information literacy. (LRW)

Discusses copyright issues pertaining to information use on the Internet. Topics include digital copyright interpretations; court rulings on copyright infringement; copyright advice from the Copyright Clearance Center; rights management models; technology as a solution; and developing corporate copyright policies. (LRW)

Discusses information failures as precursors to, as opposed to outcomes of, disasters. Relates research in disasters and accidents, information use environments and information behaviors, and culture (i.e. information, safety, and organizational cultures) to highlight linkages and implications for research and practice. Illustrates connections…

This observational study investigates the methods people use in their workplace to organize Web information for re-use. Topics include bookmarking; emailing URLs; printing Web pages; differences according to workplace role and their relationship to the information; and a functional analysis to help explain differences. (Author/LRW)

Presents a response to "The Ecology of School Psychology: Examining and Changing Our Paradigm for the 21st Century" (this issue). The author agrees with Sheridan and Gutkin's analysis, but wishes to push further the premise that new information is the key to a vibrant school psychology that consumers find helpful. (GCP)

The effectiveness of information technology in promoting the learning organization in the public sector was examined using responses of 314 police officers. Three factors that threatened the capability of information technology to support knowledge workers in learning organizations were found: asymmetrical decision parameters, ill-structured…

Presents a formal method for making important one-shot decisions based on an elimination process which uses sequentially acquired information and is based on a conditional belief structure. The routine updating of the structure as information accumulates is based on Dempster's rule of combination. (15 references) (EAM)

Analysis of consumer decision making following deregulation of the telephone industry (based on a sample of 500 Pennsylvania residents) shows that independent decision making and tendency to use information and influence others are highly interrelated. Four types of consumers were identified: influential, active, dependent, and nondecision makers.…

The process of adult transformation should be the focus of environmental adult educators. Examination of the life histories of adults reveals what, where, and how they learn about the environment, what they do with this information, and how this learning contributes to adult transformation. (SK)

Describes an International Development Research Centre project that tested suitable approaches for assessing the benefits derived from information activities in developing countries. Reviews many research questions related to concepts of information and development, impact of information, and the methodological and practical constraints in its…

A sample of 51 undergraduates rated 51 occupations; half selected the 12 most positive and half the 12 most negative. Ratings made after they read positive or negative depictions of the occupations indicated that expectations about occupations significantly influenced responses to occupational information, supporting the disconfirmation…

Reviews the sense-making theory of Brenda Dervin, which is based on constructivist theories of information seeking and information use. Topics discussed include epistemic interests of the theory; sense-making theory in the social science context; and practical interests of the theory, including interviewing techniques used in the…

Examines the expectations and reality of optical disk market forecasts published between 1980 and 1990. A historical survey and review of these studies is presented, with general forecasts of all optical disk types included. It is concluded that unrealistic predictions may have contributed to a sluggish market for optical disks. (70 notes)…

Evaluators vary in their propensity to make direct valuative judgments of program worth. The decision to include recommendations with a report or provide merely descriptive evaluation depends on individuals' perspectives concerning the nature of reality, truth and values, human agency, and informational utility. (SLD)

In two studies, physicians who viewed pharmaceutical ads enhanced with a Clinical Challenge (CC) (problem, solution, prescribing information) had greater knowledge gains than those viewing ads alone. Doctors needed no coaching on how to learn from CCs; increased knowledge was limited to information highlighted in them. (SK)