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 study examined the publishing sources of a sample of 833 documents relevant to library and information science (LSI) that were retrieved across 55 databases. The results confirm the interdisciplinary nature of LSI and demonstrate that relevant articles are often published in journals of other fields. A list of 160 non-LSI journals is…

Analyzes subject trends from 1975-84 in nine influential journals in library and information science. Thirty-two subjects which constitute 89 percent of the subjects published are discussed under five categories according to their distribution characteristics: (1) boom topics; (2) declining topics; (3) roller coaster issues; (4) stable subjects;…

Discusses the isolation of the field of communications from other disciplines and the inattention of communications to the increasing convergence on information and communication in other disciplines. Maps the convergence by surveying the authors commonly cited in the fields of cognitive science, humanities, and semiotics. (MS)

Examines relationships between the disciplines of communication and library and information science as reflected in cross-journal citations from 1977 through 1987 in "Journal Citation Reports" for the "Social Sciences Citation Index." Developing convergence in the areas of telecommunication policy and social research on…

Examines information needs in today's society; reviews major programs of information science education and research in areas including information science, computer science, business, professional education programs, engineering, and communications; and proposes an alternative educational organization that focuses on information systems. (46…

Surveys some of the theoretical positions that underlie various qualitative research methods and discusses the methodological issues raised by those positions for use in library and information science research. Contextualization, understanding, pluralism, and expression are discussed; and qualitative research methods are compared with a…

Exploration of the social function and cognitive significance of acknowledgments in scholarly articles focuses on a study that bibliometrically analyzed all formal acknowledgments in research articles in the "Journal of the American Society for Information Science" from 1970-90. The use of acknowledgments in addition to citations in…

Proposes that information science is a postmodern science, driven by the need to solve problems caused by classical sciences and technologies. Some basic structures of current approaches to information science, the role of knowledge, information as knowledge for action, and the theoretical structures needed to establish the bases of information…

Discusses recent developments at the Queen's University of Belfast where, as a result of institutional and other changes, the former Department of Information Studies has been restructured as part of the School of Finance and Information. The Information Management Division is described, and the need for academic planning is discussed. (three…

Describes the resources available to scholars in the library and information science collections of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of Western Ontario. For each university, the description includes a history of the development of the school of library and information science as well as resources found in special…

Describes a study which was conducted to examine factors that could explain the frequency and the nature of use of documents in citing texts over time. The use of frequently and infrequently cited papers by the authors who cited them is discussed, and the functional classification schemes used are explained. (23 references) (LRW)

Describes results of a citation analysis of 209 articles from the "Journal of the American Society for Information Science" (JASIS) that was conducted to determine the intellectual base and the research front. Topics discussed include citation-based mapping techniques, including bibliographic coupling and cocitation analysis; and…

Presents an overview of the political economy approach to information studies. Political economy is defined, and its use in information research is described. Guidance is then provided for rethinking and renewing the assumptions and issues that the approach raises. Challenges from cultural studies and policy science are also discussed. (MES)

Presents definitions of convolutions, mathematical operations between sequences or between functions, and gives examples of their use in information science. In particular they can be used to explain the decline in the use of older literature (obsolescence) or the influence of publication delays on the aging of scientific literature. (Author/LRW)