Describing evaluation in three tiers (the events or objects that are the subject of evaluation, the reports and other documents about that subject, and the analysis of those documents), this report focuses on the third tier, meta-evaluation. The crux of evaluation is the concept of value, having five major forms of value claims: the intrinsic…

It doesn't matter much whether a planning trend produces a large or small volume of literature; what matters is the probable half-life of the trend, that is, how long the ideas will last. To the planner, the longer the half-life of the trend, the more significant is the trend. (Author/WM)

An informal survey of microfiche users was conducted by correspondence, resulting in over 300 letters. Industrial libraries led all others in their acceptance of fiche, with a ratio of 2:1 in favor. Half of the individual users despised fiche; 25% liked it with some reservations and 25% were strongly in favor. Half of those who liked fiche had…

A great deal of knowledge acquired through scientific research does not get through to the people who are in a position to use them. When it does, it is often tardy. In the past, the consequences of this have been sometimes scandalous, sometimes tragic. Science grows at a prodigious rate, and the situation today is dismal, the outlook for tomorrow…

This paper explores the role of professional learning communities in facilitating effective use of data by school administrators and teachers. The paper draws on three related research studies conducted in the Milwaukee Public Schools, Wisconsin. Grounded in systemic reform theory, the studies had a common goal to build the capacity of school…

A large-scale selective dissemination of information (SDI) system which is in operation at the Agricultural Research Service is described. The unique characteristic of this system is that the users develop and modify their own profiles. The implications of this user-dependent approach for information system planners are discussed. (2 references)…

A methodology developed for the investigation of the use and usefulness of science news magazines is described. Detailed findings on various aspects of the use of Chemical and Engineering News'' by members of the Chemical Society (London) and the Royal Institute of Chemistry are presented. (12 references) (SJ)

A new form of document coupling, co-citation, is defined as the frequency with which two documents are cited together. Clusters of co-cited papers provide a new way to study the specialty structure of science. They may provide a new approach to indexing and to the creation of SDI profiles. (12 references) (Author/SJ)

Abstracts of a document have been generally considered a valuable aid to the reader in quickly determining the relevance of a document. A test of this hypothesis in three military laboratories was not supported. (71 references) (Author/SJ)

Describes how to choose a consultant and what to expect of him, as well as consultee responsibility. (GB)

The impact of the specialist researcher on archives has removed them from the category of repositories for the records of a corporate body and transformed them into dynamic information centers. It is in the wide dissemination of vast historical information that the future of archives lies. (Author/SJ)

Among the data described are infrared indexes, mass spectral data, chromatographic data, X-ray emmission data, odor and taste threshold data, and thermodynamics data. This paper provides the chemical documentarian a complete reference source to a wide variety of analytical data. (Author/NH)

In the explorations of the scientific aspects of the information problem, information scientists must not forget the human equation which is the most important one of all. (Author/MF)

Impediments to Russian transfer of information include lack of invisible colleges; absence of preprints; difficult telephone communication; delays in the procurement of foreign literature; failure of Soviet libraries to mechanize library processes; and the absence of narrowly specialized information centers intensively exploiting computers for…