As knowledge has become the central economic resource of the post-industrial society, it is essential that government should be the catalyst for discussion and resolution of issues surrounding information technologies. The establishment of an Institute for Information Policy and Research is advocated. (MLW)

This second part of a three-part essay on information science education explores the external educational concerns of academic affiliation, degree level, admissions requirements, jurisdiction and financing. The present state of these topics is discussed and cogent questions are raised for future study. (RAA)

Discusses the process of converting scientific knowledge into productive social forces. Information is presented on system-structured technology, technical processes, labor and plant productivity, and the life cycle of technological systems. (DB)

As many national communities transform their socio-economic environment to that of the information society, an examinination of the new discipline of informatics is outlined. (Author/BB)

The rethinking and remodeling of an established library system in Zagreb, Yugoslavia, to respond to contemporary and future informational needs of an entire culture are described. (Author/BB)

Examines the definitions of information science, the general development of information science education, and its present status in graduate library education in Canada, including specific lists of courses offered and a list of information science topics. (CWM)

Discusses recent European library and information science (LIS) events. Describes the development and use of regional and intra-European Union networks for science. Highlights three European conferences held in 1996: ACM-SIGIR on information retrieval held in Switzerland, Information Seeking in Context (ISIC) held in Finland, and Conceptions of…

Discussion of information as a process focuses on a conceptual exercise for calculating the information content of an information process. Topics include Bertram Brookes' fundamental equation; Claude Shannon's mathematical theory of communication; set of a priori alternatives; knowledge structures; and an example of an archaeologist's information…

This article, second in a series analyzing information policy as a field of scholarship, compares research in information policy with output in policy studies. Concludes that there are gaps in areas where value- and paradigm-critical approaches could have impact. Argues for extending the range of research paradigms to strengthen the intellectual…

Discusses the potential of synchronous communication, in the form of videoconferencing, to support learners in distance education courses. Highlights include examples of videoconferencing in higher education in Northern Ireland; videoconferencing in schools of librarianship in the British Isles; and the potential of videoconferencing in the…

Explains the nature and usefulness of success factor research in general and in relation to the information and library area. Suggest that an understanding of success factors in Information Resource Units (IRUs) can be beneficial to planning and management. Results of a survey of IRU directors in Germany are presented. (Author/LRW)

Discusses the teaching of elements of law within the Library and Information Studies curriculum, using the programs at the University of Brighton as an example. Describes a small-scale pilot research project which sought to characterize senior library and information service managers' views about legal knowledge and expertise. (Author/LRW)

Presents a literature review that covers the following topics related to virtual communities: (1) information and virtual community; (2) virtual communities and communities of practice; (3) virtual communities and virtual arenas, including virtual community networks; and (4) networked virtual communities. (Contains 175 references.) (MES)

Presents a literature review that covers the following topics related to data mining (DM) in health and medical information: the potential of DM in health and medicine; statistical methods; evaluation of methods; DM tools for health and medicine; inductive learning of symbolic rules; application of DM tools in diagnosis and prognosis; and…

In this interview Professor Stuart Sutton discusses proliferation of metadata schemas as an outgrowth of various discourse communities as they find their niche on the semantic Web. Highlights include interoperability; cataloging tools, including GEMCat; and the role of librarians and information science education in the development of Internet…