Discusses the nature of information measuring its distance from the perfect theory or from the right answer to the information seeking question that led to it. The measures here are provided by the Tichy-Hilpinen-Oddie-Niiniluoto-likeness measures introduced in the context of the philosophical problem of verisimilitude. (JAK)

Considers the need for specialization in library and information science education as opposed to a more generalized entry degree, and presents two case studies to further discuss the issue, one in archival science and one in information systems and technology. Convergence and divergence is also discussed. (LRW)

Discusses barriers to the implementation of quality management in the library and information science sector in Europe. Topics include Total Quality Management and other business experiences, an information quality infrastructure, supplier/customer relations, customer satisfaction, and a European Quality Model. (LRW)

Describes plans for a technical session that included presentations of six winning papers on practical collaborative applications of digital library or information science technology in advancing communications in developing countries. Papers were all written by citizens of a developing country and were selected from an international competition.…

Examines the structure of medical informatics and the relationship between biomedicine and information science and information technology. Uses co-occurrence analysis of subject headings assigned to items indexed for MEDLINE as well as multidimensional scaling to show seven to eight broad multidisciplinary subject clusters. (Contains 28…

Examines reasons that prompted the current shift from information to knowledge processing, encompassing both social contextualization and the recent technological advance. Discusses knowledge production, viewed as a five-step process. The highly interdisciplinary perspective and the primacy of the user are distinguished as necessary prerequisites…

For over seven decades, library history in Russia has been considered a Soviet branch of science known as the "history of librarianship" and it has been isolated from the world science community. This article examines the degree to which Russian library historians have been isolated from this community and their initial results in…

Describes the merging field of informetrics in a historical perspective as a generalization of bibliometrics, combining advanced information retrieval theories and methodologies with the quantitative study of information flow. Explains programs at the Center for Information Studies at the Royal School of Library and Information Science in…

Discusses the development of descriptive standards in the international archival community, then focuses on the "International Standards for Archival Description (General)" ("ISAD(G)") and its second edition. Discusses principles of archival description, the International Council on Archives, and the main characteristics of…

An analysis of publication types and the use of citations in studies of library and information science (LIS) program quality suggests that publication types should be differentiated, that book publication is important, and that the role of humanities-oriented faculty may be lost without attention to book production. Presents a formula for LIS…

In an age of specialists, Robert Saxon Taylor has been one of the great generalists in the theory and practice of information transfer and use. This sidebar discusses his seminal scholarly contributions, influence on students and senior colleagues alike, memberships and chairmanships, tenure as dean (1972-1981) and professor at what became the…

A new approach to information science, activity theory emphasizes the centrality of practice as doing and activity and foregrounds setting and context as essential orienting concepts. It can provide information science with a rich, unifying, and heuristically valuable vocabulary and conceptual framework that will facilitate the continual…

It is widely predicted that the application of high-throughput technologies to the quantification and identification of biological molecules will cause a paradigm shift in the life sciences. However, if the biosciences are to evolve from a predominantly descriptive discipline to an information science, practitioners will require enhanced skills in…

John Swales's 1986 article "Citation analysis and discourse analysis" was written by a discourse analyst to introduce citation research from other fields, mainly sociology of science, to his own discipline. Here, I introduce applied linguists and discourse analysts to citation studies from information science, a complementary tradition not…

Competitive Intelligence (CI) has become an attractive concept for Library and Information Science professionals, as information and research functions have become commoditized by end users, and financial, competitive, and performance pressures increase the need to demonstrate value. In the current competitive and cost-cutting environment,…