The value of libraries and information services lies in their contribution to customer information needs. As non‐profit organisations, their benefit is seen less as profit than as benefit or utility to the communities they serve. They follow service goals and resource management goals, and a...

The concept of performance is pluralistic and demonstrates the ability to migrate from one linguistic and semantic register to another, e.g. from profit to non‐profit contexts. Usage changes denotational and connotational aspects of the concept as people, lay and information professionals, use...

Comparisons are often drawn between the way we think and how computers work. The information‐processing model of cognition, and developments in artificial intelligence encourage such comparisons. Resistance to this view emphasises the unique flexibility of the human mind and suggests that...

Knowledge of conversation theory and speech acts assists us to understand how people search for information. Dialogue embodies meanings and intentionalities, and represents epistemic inquiry. There are implications for the information‐processing model of cognitive psychology. Question...

Resources are provided for teachers in various ways and forms, from funding and support resulting from national and regional policy to specific components in an educational system like books and microcomputers. Underlying such a transactional process are models of communication and assumptions...

The censorship of moral, literary and artistic materials is an important aspect of information control. Systematic study involves the researcher in analysis of specific cases and situations, an exploration of relationships between law and literature, and an understanding of gender roles, the...

There is an increasing emphasis on research in library and information studies. This has led to a proliferation of courses on research methods. For people starting research, as well as for teachers organising such courses, the experience has been exciting and complex. Not only has it involved...

Knowledge, as represented in the history of ideas and in studies of knowledge paradigms and bibliographical structures, appears coherent and rationalistic. By examining the work of the French historian and philosopher Michel Foucault, this view is discussed. Special attention is given, in any...

Lyotard's work on postmodern knowledge has been influential on our thinking of paradigms, meta‐narratives, legitimation, and contemporary trends in the information economy. These issues are discussed, criticisms of his work examined, and implications for information professionals explored.

Knowledge is critical for organisational effectiveness and competitive advantage. Knowing that you know, knowing what you know, and knowing that you do not know, are critical aspects of knowledge management. Increasing emphasis is placed on the need to identify and use tacit knowledge, as well...