Suggests that information architecture design is primarily an inductive process, partly because it lacks internal theory and partly because it is an activity that supports emergent phenomena (user experiences) from basic design components. Suggests a resemblance to Constructive Induction, a design process that locates the best representational…

Explains distinctions between three meanings of "information"--information-as-process, information-as-knowledge, and information-as-thing--and discusses what things are informative. Types of information are discussed, including data, texts and documents, objects, and events; copies of information and representations are considered; and…

This speculative historiographic essay attempts to fix the present position of library and information science within the context of the probabilistic revolution that has been encompassing all of science. Comprises a guide to statistical research in library and information science, discussing skewed distributions, biostatistics, stochastic models,…

Discusses the basics of descriptive statistics for library and information sciences. Highlights include levels of measurement, including nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio; graphs; measures of central tendency, including mean, median, and mode; and measures of dispersion (spread). (LRW)

This article presents student perceptions about different types of web-based activities used to seek information for French language learning. Group interviews were conducted with 71 students in five Canadian universities to elicit data on their use of the Internet for information-seeking activities. These students use the Web for three main…

The study investigated the importance of two elements in the process of syllabus design (ends / means specifications, program implementation) in the faculty of Islamic and Arabic studies, Nile Valley University, designed in 1995. Results indicate that the ends/means specifications stage is used to present the general aims and the objective of each…

The study investigated networking courses offered in accredited Library and Information Science schools in the United States in 2009. The study analyzed and compared network syllabi according to Course Syllabus Evaluation Rubric to obtain in-depth understanding of basic features and characteristics of networking courses taught. The study embraced…

Providing learners with opportunities to engage in activities similar to those carried out by scientists was addressed in a web-based research simulation in genetics developed for high school biology students. The research simulation enables learners to apply their genetics knowledge while giving them an opportunity to participate in an authentic…

Discusses core competencies in library and information science and in information systems to use as a background for an examination of core competencies in information management. Suggests a set of core competencies and educational outcomes that might be applied to curricula in both developed and developing countries. (Author/LRW)

Discusses a variety of topics and their implications for library and information science professionals and their education. Highlights include the nature of science; contingency theories; the assumptions of sociology; the approach of symbolic interaction; recent scholarship on organizations; and the advantages of qualitative research methods.…

Reviews the historical writings about the development of information science (IS), focusing on the literature between 1989 and 1994. Highlights include a background; intellectual frameworks of IS, relationships of IS with other fields, and research and development in IS; techniques and technology; information-related behavior; application areas;…

Focuses on utilizing organizational theory in understanding the progress of constructing a new departmental identity in a former library and information science school that was merged with an education school. Findings indicate that members of the former library and information science school faced pressure both to become more like education and…

The researcher was fortunate to be a member of an international development programme for library and information science (LIS) in South Africa (DISSAnet), and has benefited from the experience to the extent that research and development in the LIS field is ongoing. In order to promote this kind of initiative and to share the experience with those…

The specialisation Library Science at the Hochschule Darmstadt/University of Applied Science Darmstadt is the newest academic program in Germany for the higher education of librarians. Five current trends in library science in Germany reflect the new "Darmstadt Model": (1) The delimitation of a specific professional field…

Social networking tools have been getting quite a bit of press in libraryland for the past couple of years. It is considered to be one of the key aspects of a library joining what is referred to as the Library 2.0 movement. In this context, social networking is seen as a library service or library outreach mechanism that utilizes popular social…