Elaborating on the complex nature of literacy from a social, epistemological, psychological, and pedagogical perspective, this book describes the group of people called the "scribal society." The book notes that scribes were (and still are) not simply people who can decode and encode written language, or "text"--scribes must…

This paper considers discourse models of knowledge and use and social problem solving that revive the tradition of dialectical reasoning (the broader term) or rhetoric, i.e., the art of using language, in speaking or writing, to convince others that something is true, right, or better. Discourse models of knowledge use allow taking the…

This document describes the agricultural knowledge system (AKS) in Israel, emphasizing the unique features of each of the main subsystems--knowledge policymaking, knowledge generation and knowledge transformation, knowledge exchange and transmission, and knowledge utilization. The following conclusions were reached: (1) in addition to the classic…

The conceptual implications of various alternatives to the classic model of rational decisionmaking are explored, in order to note the radically different roles that information plays in different kinds of organizational settings. Examples are drawn from cases illustrating the different uses of information, showing some of the important costs and…

The use of evaluation findings for program improvement and decision making was explored with the philosophy that different levels of information use occur--from altering perceptions of a program, to influencing major decisions about it. The strategy of deliberately involving potential information users such as clients, sponsors, and other…

Information needs and research systems of scientists in various disciplines. (LS)

Programs at the University of Miami are used to illustrate what needs to be done in order to assure that the admissions function is working well enough to meet both the fiscal and qualitative levels desired in order to achieve one's institutional goals. (Author/KE)

One special problem facing bargainers in conflict situations involves the amount of information it is advisable to have about the opponent's reward structure. This paper presented a simple model designed to solve that problem. (Author/RK)

A National Academy of Sciences study for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will provide insights into the acquisition and utilization of scientific and technical information for making environmental regulatory decisions. The output of EPA's decision-making process will be analyzed through a series of case studies. (BT)

Forms filed annually by private foundations with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), namely the Return of Private Foundation Exempt from Income Tax, 990-PF, and the Annual Report of Private Foundation, 990-AR, contain valuable information which may reveal the scope and purpose of a foundation's past grants. This is the only reliable way to…

Prior to the enactment of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), little of the data collected by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was made public or could be obtained from the agency. Although the FDA files are now open, information is considered exempt from public disclosure when it involves regulatory procedures, program guidelines, work…

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) was amended in 1974 in order to restrict government control and to facilitate the public's access to information. However, part of the FOIA bans federal officials from disclosing "trade secrets" and commercial or financial information obtained in confidential circumstances. This exemption has…

Unlike other economic goods whose worth can be determined through market research, the market place for information denies the creator of that information the preferences of consumers. Copyright may be considered partial compensation. Copyright, however, is not an aspect of information per se, but rather a result of the way the information is…