Ordered sets (OS) of documents are encountered more and more in information distribution systems, such as information retrieval systems. Classical similarity measures for ordinary sets of documents need to be extended to these ordered sets. This is done in this article using fuzzy set techniques. The practical usability of the OS-measures is…

Considers the logico-analytic philosophy of library and information science (LIS); discusses Jurgen Habermas' theory of communicative action; examines how LIS, particularly research into librarian-patron interaction and information system design, favors an empiricist view of language and thus may be limiting its effectiveness; and suggests the…

Makes the case that the effectiveness of the use of information systems (IS) in an organization depends on an evolving understanding of the nature of IS value and that the speed of this organization is, in large part, a function of organizational and IS leadership. Analyzes the role of leadership and its relationship to the concept of absorptive…

Describes two database systems in a law enforcement agency: one is a legacy, text-based system with cumbersome navigation; the newer system is a graphical user interface with simplified navigation. Discusses results of two user studies that showed personnel preferred the older more familiar system and considers implications for system design and…

Examines early and current approaches to automatic thesaurus construction and describes an approach to automatic generation of global thesauri based on the term discrimination value model and on an appropriate clustering algorithm. Preliminary results of implementation of the method are reported. (46 references) (Author/MES)

Presents two partitioning methods for signature files and a method of fast weight computation to implement a document ranking strategy. Storage requirements, number of disk accesses, and processing time for these methods are compared with two other access methods. Merits of the partitioning methods are summarized. (20 references) (MES)

Discusses the historical foundations of memory and knowledge systems in sixteenth-century Europe and offers insights into the current situation and where our knowledge systems are bound. The development of hypersystems and a new approach to research librarianship are considered. (13 references) (MES)

Describes the CHILDES/BIB electronic bibliographic database, its contents, and its relationship to the CHILDES database. CHILDES is a depository of child language corpora and is the publisher of CHAT (a transcription manual) and CLAN (an electronic package for child language research). (GLR)

Describes a LAN (local area network)-based automation project which has neared completion of the first phase of implementation at the Health Sciences Library of Allegheny General Hospital (Pittsburgh, PA). Changes in the library and its objectives with increased technological experience are examined. Diagrams of the current LAN configuration and…

Describes a computer-based knowledge system that assists faculty and administrators in defining, documenting, and evaluating faculty productivity. Suggests that these systems may be valuable in improving faculty productivity documentation, evaluating productivity more objectively, and linking institutional policy to teaching, research, and service…

Senior-level business education students (n=230) were tested on their knowledge of basic information systems (IS) concepts. Results indicated that students were able to answer approximately 60% correctly. A significant correlation existed between major area of study and the number of IS courses and total test scores. (JOW)

Helping students learn to make ethically defensible decisions is an important topic for business education teachers. One starting point is the ethical issues surrounding computer hardware/software and information systems, a component of most business courses. (SK)

Describes ways that components of Information Engineering (IE) methodology can be used by training system developers to extend Instructional Systems Development (ISD) methodology. Aspects of IE that are useful in ISD are described, including requirements determination, group facilitation, integrated automated tool support, and prototyping.…

Discusses infoethics, i.e., the ethics of information systems that address the use of information in relation to human values. Topics addressed include models of moral agency; librarians and information professionals as moral agents; the professional ethical self; levels of ethical orientation in the workplace; and ethical selves in the global…

Considers the problem of bibliometric prediction and the applicability of Lotka's law regarding the number of papers written by each author. Results of a study of 899 Management Information Systems (MIS) research articles published in 10 journals between 1975 and 1987 are described. (24 references) (LRW)