Discussion of information system design proposes the artifact as theory perspective and suggests that information system design is best tackled by user-centered theories and methods. Topics include the software development process, human-computer interaction, and implications for information science. (LRW)

Describes a study that examined three major international library science journals to investigate the nature and trends of library and information science research in Africa from 1990 through 1992. Highlights include status of authors, gender, affiliation, country, types of research, types of cited documents, subjects covered, and most cited…

Examines the application of the Fishbein and Ajzen model of attitude-behavior consistency to research in library and information science (LIS). The components of the model are explained, two examples of LIS research are presented, and there is a brief review of areas in LIS that could benefit from attitude-behavior consistency research. (Contains…

Discusses the importance of historical studies for librarians and how knowledge of the past contributes to the research base. Social science and historical perspectives on library research are considered; and hypothesis testing, the study of causality, and the history of information practices are examined. (Contains eight references.) (LRW)

Describes plans to combine the University of Papua New Guinea's library and information studies with journalism and communication studies within a new South Pacific Centre for Communication and Information in Development. Issues covered include the planning process, the center's goals, and suggested programs of study. A sidebar presents abstracts…

Presents a system-theoretic view of the relationship between the disciplines of communication and information/library studies. Terms most frequently appearing in article titles in five journals for each field are listed in rank order, and six propositions extending systems theory to communication and information are offered. (92 references) (LRW)

Describes the use of loglinear statistical models in the field of informetrics, especially for the analysis of information systems. A detailed example is given of developing a model based on loglinear analysis to determine book acquisition patterns in libraries, including mathematical considerations and algorithms. (19 references) (LRW)

Description of how an abstract element of information provision--information service and product design--was made concrete to a class of undergraduate students highlights barriers to their understanding and shows how a tutorial activity helped them to overcome some of these and gave their tutors a greater appreciation of the students' strengths…

Compares traditional and nontraditional curricula in the area of organization of information and proposes a new model for organization of information in which information is redefined and cataloging is perceived as a mode of organizational behavior. Some implications of this model on the core curriculum for organization of information are…

Describes the evolution of computerized information storage and retrieval from its mid-nineteenth century beginnings in theoretical works on logic by George Boole, to the applications of Boole's logic to switching circuits by Claude Shannon in the 1930s, to the development of coordinate indexing by Mortimer Taube in the 1940s and 1950s. (Contains…

A study surveying researchers about the attributes, function, and form of research study problem statements shows disagreement regarding purpose, content, and form. It is suggested that problem statements are essential for well-focused, manageable studies and must present a study's significance and contribution to knowledge. (21 references) (EA)

Presents results of a survey of library and information studies (LIS) departments in the United Kingdom that investigated computer methods currently in use in the teaching of LIS courses. Highlights include the Computers in Teaching Initiative (CTI), where LIS departments fit within academic institutions, and the software used. (16 references)…

Illustrates how a qualitative approach was used to study the complex and poorly defined concept of information resources management. Explains the general approach to data collection, its advantages and limitations, and the process used to analyze the data. Presents results, along with lessons learned through using method. (Author/AEF)

Analyzes the theoretical and the epistemological assumptions of information science. Topics include users and cognition; subject analysis; methods of classification; composition, semantics, and retrieval; the meaning of information; the typology of documents; information selection and research evaluation; and information specialists and…

Discusses the American Society for Information Science (ASIS), founded in 1937 as the American Document Institute. Examines two traditions in information science--a document tradition concerned with signifying objects and their use, and a computational tradition of applying algorithmic, logical, mathematical, and mechanical techniques to…