It is argued that human memory is adaptively designed and that much can be learned by understanding its adaptiveness. The information-retrieval problem is framed, and optimal memory behavior is derived. Applying this framework to the classic free-recall paradigm is discussed. (SLD)

Defines environmental scanning as the acquisition and use of information about an organization's external environment to assist managers in planning. Highlights include a historical review; organizational theories; information needs and uses; managers as information users; and a review of research on environmental scanning. (Contains 124…

Examines the relationship between identity style and the need for cognition, openness to experience, and introspection. Results indicated that self-reported use of a cogitative information-oriented style was related to two factors: information-seeking variables, and self-reflective tendencies. Norm-oriented individuals tend to protect themselves…

Conditions that can enhance college teachers' acceptance and productive use of feedback about instruction are outlined, including understanding of the purposes of evaluation, who provides the feedback, the message itself (form, timing, sources, and subsequent messages), characteristics of the recipient, immediate environment, and consequences…

Analyzes developments in the study of user needs to determine areas of consensus in the field, particularly areas of greatest value to practicing librarians. Topics discussed include the user; conceptual frameworks for information and knowledge; information seeking; the use of information and knowledge; system design; and future research needs.…

Discusses technological developments in information distribution and management in relation to concepts of ownership. A historical overview of the concept of copyright is presented; licensing elements for databases are examined; and implications for gateway systems are explored, including ownership, identification of users, and allowable uses of…

Discusses "Use of Information," the fourth stage in the Big Six Skills information problem-solving process. The focus is on the first component of this stage, i.e., to engage (read, hear, view) information in a source. Suggests strategies for helping student learn effective use of information skills and addresses recognizing relevance.…

Reports on a study of a small group of girls in Australia that investigated how older adolescents cognitively utilize information on heroin. The study sought to establish the perceived effects of exposures to information and to establish how the perceived effects are associated with changes to the girls' knowledge structures. (Author/LRW)

Presents three group activities for elementary school students to help them identify and practice the skill of paraphrasing information to produce their own original reports. Explains recipes for reporting, extracting important words to write their own sentences, and drawing upon one's memory. (LRW)

Access to information is inadequate without attention to learning processes and the use of information in the production of knowledge. The ability to sift sources, discriminate, and think is far more important than the ability to find vast quantities of information. (SK)

Describes the cognitive processes used by well-educated, motivated adults as they make critical judgments about information under naturalistic and conducive conditions. Discusses theories about the nature of evaluation from critical thinking literature and from cognitive psychology; the role of evaluation among other cognitive processes; and the…

Examines the use of Internet-based electronic resources by library and information science scholars, focusing particularly on how scholars use, cite, and evaluate electronic resources during the research process. Discusses results of longitudinal analyses and surveys that address problems and concerns of scholars. A copy of the survey…

Investigates how intranets are being used based on a survey of corporations and international organizations. Discusses good management practices for the development of intranets which stimulate knowledge sharing and the role they could play in facilitating knowledge management initiatives, and considers the role of libraries and information…

Describes the architecture of an anthropocentric Biomedical Information Management System prototype that is based on a network of computational components, or agents, that expert biomedical users can define, use, and refine to serve their own communication and documentation habits and needs. The innovation of the proposal, the Participatory Design…

Describes several types of user devices (computers, laptops, personal digital assistants, telephones), explaining that they serve as a translator between technology's internal representation of information and what can be perceived, processed, and used by humans. Also addresses the use of information technology devices by people with disabilities…