Discussion of sampling methods used in information science research focuses on Fussler's method for sampling catalog cards and on sampling by length. Highlights include simple random sampling, sampling with probability equal to size without replacement, sampling with replacement, and examples of estimating the number of books on shelves in certain…

Discusses the patterns of growth of literature concerning online public access catalogs (OPACs) in the field of library and information science for the years 1970-85. The least squares method and the May procedure, which were used in the study, are explained, and application of the logistic model is described. (16 references) (LRW)

Discussion of cognitive psychology focuses on two types of cognitive tools--power tools and assimilatory tools--which are geared to information acquisition. The distinction between accommodation and assimilation is explained, implications for the design of intelligent computer-assisted instruction (ICAI) are suggested, and the question of learner…

Provides an overview of six articles that address relationships between electronic imaging technology and information science. Articles discuss the areas of technology; applications in the fields of visual arts, medicine, and textile history; conceptual foundations; and future visions, including work in virtual reality and cyberspace. (LRW)

Compares the qualitative method of grounded theory (GT) with Ranganathan's construction of faceted classifications (FC) in library and information science. Both struggle with a core problem--the representation of vernacular words and processes, empirically discovered, which will, although ethnographically faithful, be powerful beyond the single…

This literature review, covering materials between 1996 and 1998, focuses on the development and application of metadata standards used by the library and information science communities to describe, retrieve, and manage information in the digital environment. Discusses MARC as metadata; SGML-based metadata; and the Dublin Core element set.…

Describes a study that analyzed 14 electronic lists or newsgroups in library and information science to find out which topics of discussion are dominant and which functions are performed by the messages posted. It also introduced students to this type of professional communication and to content analysis as a research method. Contains 51…

Describes a webometric analysis of linkages to library and information science (LIS) department Web sites in United Kingdom universities. Concludes that situation data are not well suited to evaluation of LIS departments and that departments can boost Web site visibility by hosting a wide range of materials. (Author/LRW)

Discussion of information and information retrieval focuses on the connection between a calculus defined on channels and information retrieval, and proposes a model of an information retrieval system based on this calculus. Topics include conditionality, situation theory, the flow of information, channel theory, and four principles for an…

Doctoral candidates, selected from those competing for the ISI (Institute for Scientific Information) and UMI (University Microfilms International) doctoral awards, were invited to informally discuss their current research and future research plans with established researchers in information science. (Author/LRW)

Reviews the history of "Information Science Abstracts" (ISA)--the oldest abstracting and indexing publication covering the field of information science-as well as the history of attempts to define "information science." Derives a new working definition of the term for ISA and a subject mapping of the field from both this review…

Reports on findings regarding authors' use of theory in 1,160 articles that appeared in six information science (IS) journals from 1993-1998. Findings indicate that theory was discussed in 34.1% of the articles. The majority of these theories were from the social sciences (45.4%), followed by IS (29.9%), the sciences (19.3%), and humanities…

Information retrieval (IR) is driven by a process that decides whether a document is about a query. The purpose of this article is to consider "aboutness" from a fundamental, neutral perspective, to shed light on the nature of aboutness by formalizing properties describing it, and to define a set of reasonable properties of aboutness,…

Discusses the problems, methods, and domains that help define social informatics and considers how it relates to information science. Topics include the relationship between uses of information and communication technologies (ICT) and organizational effects; the role of the social context; methodological pluralism; and trends in social informatics…

Traditional themes of information science must be expanded to accommodate systematic understandings of ways to design effective documentary systems and anticipate their social consequences. The field of social informatics offers important concepts, theories, and methods that give this kind of inquiry a sound scientific basis. Social informatics…