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…

Discusses service learning in library and information science (LIS) education. Highlights include advantages of service learning, including increased student learning, extended collaboration, decreased isolation, and community building; examples of service learning projects, including fieldwork; and reflection as a component in fieldwork.…

A traditional librarian argues that there is no "science of information" and that librarianship belongs to the humanities not the sciences. Traces the replacement of librarians with "machine people,""digital theorists," and other "off-the-wall types" from the 1960s to the present. Proposes a course of…

Provides a survey of twelve undergraduate information science programs accredited by the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA). Outlines the programs of study for Bachelor of Applied Science (Information and Library Studies) and Bachelor of Science (Communication and Information Technology) degrees. Includes a state-by-state (and…

Discusses Paul Otlet's idea of an international center for the storage and dissemination of information called "The Mundaneum." Highlights include the influence of positivism, centralism, and monumentalism on Otlet; the ideas of Georges Bataille; international coordination through a worldwide network; and the role of architectural…

Discusses XML, how it has transformed the way information is managed and delivered, and its impact on libraries. Topics include how XML differs from other markup languages; the document object model (DOM); style sheets; practical applications for archival materials, interlibrary loans, digital collections, and MARC data; and future possibilities.…

The term and notion of the "half-life" index-number of literature obsolescence, and their borrowing from nuclear physics and adaptation into the literature of literature obsolescence, have up to now been attributed to the librarian Burton and the physicist Kebler and to their 1960 journal article. This article presents evidence to show it is…

Discusses Web site design and information architecture in light of principles of New Urbanism that are being applied in urban planning situations. Topics include networked electronic environment design; user-centered network design; multidisciplinary approaches; knowledge access and collaboration; and the Global Information Infrastructure…

Describes the development of a manual participative game that was designed to demonstrate the functions of a database. Use of the game in a variety of academic contexts is discussed, including technical college students and degree students; and use of the data with software to create a database is described. (LRW)

Information technology may help physicians to manage information more effectively through more accessible clinical indexes, databases of diagnostic test characteristics, computerized audits of clinical activities, on-line access to medical literature, etc. Medical informatics, a new discipline dedicated to the solution of information problems in…

Describes a study that examined generally accepted ethical norms in library and information science journals regarding practices such as the multiple publication of the same article, plagiarism, and cronyism. The responses of editors to action scenarios focused on ethical behavior are discussed and conclusions are drawn about the ethical…