bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The field of information policy: 2. Redefining the boundaries and methodologies
Authors: Browne Mairéad
Published: December 2004

The paper continues an analysis of the field of information policy as a field of scholarship. The first part of the analysis was reported in an earlier paper and was linked to the call of Ian Rowlands for ‘value-critical and paradigm-critical’ approaches in information policy. The paper begins by comparing research in information policy with the output of the field of policy studies. It concludes that there are substantial gaps in the range of information policy research relative to the scope of policy studies. The gaps are located in areas where value-and paradigm-critical approaches could have most impact in taking the field of information policy to intellectual maturity. The implications of adopting value-and paradigm-critical approaches to scholarship are explored within the context of the new interpretative social sciences which are dominating much of contemporary scholarship. Some approaches and frameworks from the new methodologies which are seen as particularly relevant to information policy are described. A case is made for extending the range of research paradigms employed in information policy research in the interests of strengthening its currently inadequate intellectual foundations.
Understanding interaction between office-based professionals for the development of advanced communication and information technologies
Authors: Jones S. R. , Thomas P. J.
Published: December 2004

This paper describes a multi-method exploratory study conducted with the aim of developing a greater understanding of how individuals working in an office environment communicate and manage information. The study is directed towards informing the design of ‘personal information management appliances’ - advanced information and communication products which support the management of electronic communication and information. The study has focused on the relationship between managers and their personal assistants as an instance of collaborating office-based professionals, identifying and categorising the range of tasks which are performed during office-based interaction. It describes the frequency and duration of a common set of tasks, indicating variations in performance of those tasks by managers and assistants, and proposes the implications which this may have on the design of enabling technologies to support such collaborative office-based activities.
A genetic algorithm approach for verification of the syllable-based text compression technique
Authors: Üçoluk Göktürk , Toroslu I. Hakki
Published: December 2004

Provided that an easy mechanism exists for it, it is possible to decompose a text into strings that have lengths greater than one and occur frequently. Having in one hand the set of such frequently occurring strings and in the other the set of letters and symbols, it is possible to compress the text using Huffman coding over an alphabet which is a subset of the union of these two sets. Observations reveal that, in most cases, the maximal inclusion of the strings leads to an optimal length of compressed text. However, the verification of this prediction requires the consideration of all subsets in order to find the one that leads to the best compression. A genetic algorithm is devised and used for this search process. In Turkish texts, because of the agglutinative nature of the language, a highly regular syllable formation provides a useful testbed.
The future of employment in the information society: a comparative, longitudinal and multi-level study
Authors: van den Besselaar Peter
Published: December 2004

The rise of the information society has been accompanied by an enduring and high level of unemployment. This paper aims to analyse the relationship between information technology and employment as a ‘systemic property’ of societies, in terms of ‘ per capita labour demand’. Combining studies at various levels of aggregation, the paper concludes that, in the long run, technological development results in declining levels of employment. In a next step, differences in the employment structures of various developed countries are analysed. This produces an idea of the different possible futures of work in the information society.
Some proposals regarding copyright clearance and digitisation in higher education
Authors: Bide Mark , Oppenheim Charles , Ramsden Anne
Published: December 2004

Reports the results of a study undertaken to consider the issues relating to the clearance of rights by British higher education institutions for the digitisation of materials published in print. Current licensing models frequently involve prices which librarians find daunting and have no mechanism for recovering from users. There is also considerable variation in pricing of materials. The authors believe that a ‘one-stop shop’ for the clearance of digitisation rights would be a highly desirable development. However, negotiability of rates may be made impossible by the introduction of ‘one-stop shopping’ through a centralised agency. Electronic copyright management system (ECMS) technology for solving the many problems of managing licences for digitised content is not yet proven. Not having ECMS, a strong ‘compliance culture’ will be essential.

Users and rights owners want straightforward, simple and, above all, brief contracts for licensing. There is therefore a need for a shared, unambiguous licence vocabulary. The paper suggests a set of definitions of uses and user types. Using these definitions, a matrix of use and users is proposed to show types of activities for which a library may seek to license materials from a publisher and for which a publisher may grant a licence. Many of the problems could be resolved if the suggested ‘one-stop shop’ central agency acted on behalf of publishers in granting digital rights (or acting as a clearing house for requests).
Information behaviour in nursing specialities: a case study of midwifery
Authors: Bawden David , Robinson Kay
Published: December 2004

A study of the information needs and information-seeking behaviour within nursing specialities, primarily midwifery with a smaller-scale study of psychiatric nursing for comparison, is presented.

The study, mainly conducted by semi-structured interviews with practitioners and providers, shows midwives to be a particularly information-conscious set of practitioners, needing a wide variety of information, and having both general and specialised resources available; psychiatric nurses appear to be much less information-conscious, and less well served in information terms. Particular issues which emerge include: promotion of specialist services, gatekeeper roles; library services, especially for continuing education and for interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary needs; need for integrated and convenient services; information networking and nursing informatics, and terminology development.
The use of genetic programming to build Boolean queries for text retrieval through relevance feedback
Authors: Smith Martin P. , Smith Martin
Published: December 2004

We report here on preliminary work on the use of evolutionary computing techniques which aims to improve Boolean information retrieval system performance through relevance feedback. There are many evolutionary techniques in computing, such as neural networks and genetic algorithms. One specific form of genetic algorithm technique has been used in our study: that of genetic programming. Terms from relevant documents are used to randomly create Boolean queries. Boolean queries are thought of as genetic programming organisms and, as such, are used for breeding to produce new organisms. Organisms which perform well, in terms of how good they are at retrieval, are given a better chance of being selected for breeding, with the result being that the overall fitness of the organisms improve to some extent. The aim is to develop the best Boolean query for an information need, given a small corpus of test documents, and then to use that query on the full collection to retrieve yet more relevant documents.
Direct and indirect literature overlap measures for information pools of research teams
Authors: Vinkler P.
Published: December 2004

Taking into account identity and relations of information carriers (journals) in different information pools, direct and indirect literature overlap measures have been suggested. Characteristics of overlapping information pools of research teams (papers published and referenced by the team, papers citing papers of the team and cited papers of the team) are studied. The indirect overlap measures were found to be higher than the direct ones at both subfield and journal hierarchical level.
The future of the quality assurance system: its impact on the social and professional recognition of scientists in the era of electronic publishing
Authors: van Raan A. F.J.
Published: December 2004

Scientific communication is the basis of the open exchange of knowledge worldwide. The system of scientific communication is also closely related to the reward system of scientists; more specifically, to the process of social and professional recognition. A fundamental element in these intertwined worlds of communication and reward is the publication of research results. In particular, the scientific journal here plays a central role. It embodies the main functions of scientific communication, with quality control as a major element.

In this presentation, we discuss how electronic publishing developments and new information technology in general will affect these main functions of scientific communication, the differences one may expect between scientific fields and the consequences for the accessibility of new knowledge.

We conclude that most changes primarily will be technological, but not conceptual. Publication via journals or journal-like media of high reputation is, in most fields of science, crucial to receive the most visible professional recognition. That will remain so in the ‘electronic era’.
Semantic indexing and searching using a Hopfield net
Authors: Chen Hsinchun , Zhang Yin , Houston Andrea L.
Published: December 2004

This paper presents a neural network approach to document semantic indexing. A Hopfield net algorithm was used to simulate human associative memory for concept exploration in the domain of computer science and engineering. INSPEC, a collection of more than 320,000 document abstracts from leading journals, was used as the document testbed. Benchmark tests confirmed that three parameters (maximum number of activated nodes, ∊ - maximum allowable error, and maximum number of iterations) were useful in positively influencing network convergence behavior without negatively impacting central processing unit performance. Another series of benchmark tests was performed to determine the effectiveness of various filtering techniques in reducing the negative impact of noisy input terms. Preliminary user tests confirmed our expectation that the Hopfield net algorithm is potentially useful as an associative memory technique to improve document recall and precision by solving discrepancies between indexer vocabularies and end-user vocabularies.
Polish Sociology Citation Index as an example of usage of national citation indexes in scientometric analysis of social sciences
Authors: Webster Berenika M.
Published: December 2004

This paper describes results of a comparative analysis between Social Sciences Citation Index ( SCCI) and a locally created Polish Sociology Citation Index. It concludes that, while SSCI is a valuable tool in assessing the presence and impact of Polish sociology in an international context, a deeper view of the discipline and its development may be obtained through the analysis of a locally oriented index.
Use of communication technologies in South Korean universities
Authors: Oh Kyung-Mook , Meadows Jack
Published: December 2004

South Korean universities are currently at various stages of advancement in their use of electronic communication. Networking provision for universities is expected to improve considerably over the next few years. There is therefore a need to examine their present usage of communication technologies, how this depends on the level of facilities available and what the implications are for their future development. The study described here investigates usage at a stratified sample of South Korean universities via a questionnaire survey. It also examines the factors affecting use via a series of interviews. The results suggest that, though infrastructural limitations are important, optimal deployment of communication technologies will require organisational changes within the university system.
The Information Age - for better or for worse
Authors: Cawkell Tony
Published: December 2004

The ‘information-poor’ are doubtless with us already, but the arrival of a much greater gap between the informationpoor and information-rich is forecast in a recently published book, Sovereign Individual. If the events fore-cast in this book come about, we will not live within an information society but within an unacceptable society.
Information consultancy and brokerage in Botswana
Authors: Ocholla Dennis N.
Published: December 2004

Limited empirical research on information consultancy and brokerage is documented and almost nothing originates from authors in the developing countries despite the upsurge of reasons for involvement in the services provided in the region. However, in considering investment in consultancy and brokerage services in a unique and unknown consumer environment such as Africa, it would be fool-hardy to ignore the complexities posed by the coexistence of an information-conscious population on the one hand and a semi-literate population on the other. This study investigates the need for information consultancy and brokerage services in Botswana for the advice, creation and development of information consultancy and brokerage services in the country. The study was conducted in Botswana and data was collected in Gaborone, which has 34.3% of the urban population, including 10% of the national population, and is also the capital city and seat for government and private agencies in the country. Data was collected by means of questionnaires and interviews with the public and private sectors as well as information consultants and brokers. The analysis of data and the subsequent results revealed that, while Botswana has information consultants and brokers, there is a need for their services in management mainly but also in information technology, information systems and informal training. Unexplored and less-exploited markets exist in both the private and public sector. So far, access to information used by clients is mainly through private contacts (70.6%), office files (69.6%), mass media (60.3%) and information consultancy and brokerage (34%). The study recommends that coordination, marketing, promotion and publicity of information consultancy and brokerage activities are essential. The areas identified for consultancy services need to be developed and exploited, clients’ awareness of the usefulness of information management be created and the consultants and brokers be readily available when needed. The study provides a basis for market analysis that can benefit training institutions in librarianship and information management in capacity building.
Usenet newsgroups’ profile analysis, utilising standard and non-standard statistical methods
Authors: Sallis P. J. , Kassabova D. A.
Published: December 2004

The paper explores building profiles of newsgroups from a corpus of Usenet e-mail messages, employing some standard statistical techniques as well as fuzzy clustering methods. A large set of data from a number of newsgroups has been analysed to elicit some text attributes, such as number of words, length of sentences and other stylistic characteristics. Readability scores have also been obtained by using recognised assessment methods. These text attributes were used for building newsgroups’ profiles. Three newsgroups, each with a similar number of messages, were selected from the processed sample for the analysis of two types of one-dimensional profiles: one by length of texts and the second by readability scores. Those profiles are compared with corresponding profiles of the whole sample and also with those of a group of frequent participants in the newsgroups. Fuzzy clustering is used for creating two-dimensional profiles of the same groups. An attempt is made to identify the newsgroups by defining centres of data clusters.

It is contended that this approach to newsgroups’ pro-file analysis could facilitate a better understanding of computer-mediated communication on the Usenet, which is a growing medium of informal business and personal correspondence.
The dissemination of information by local authorities on the World Wide Web
Authors: Gill Harjinder S. , Yates-Mercer Penelope
Published: December 2004

Local authorities (LAs) exist to provide a variety of services to their citizens, and they have a responsibility to communicate information, in increasing quantities, to the people within their locality. This communication has traditionally been paper-based, but information technology may offer some advantages. The aims of this study were to survey the use of the World Wide Web by LAs, to identify the reasons for its adoption, the benefits and disadvantages, and the types of information being disseminated by this means. The survey was conducted by questionnaire, sent to 161 LAs, mainly by electronic mail. All the Web sites were observed and assessed for relevance and quality, and four LAs were used as case studies. Adoption of the Web by LAs increased sharply during 1996, as it was perceived as a medium for improving communications and disseminating information. Some LAs have discovered the value of the medium for promoting their area to a wider, national and international audience, especially for tourism and economic development.
A comparative study of citations from papers by Korean scientists and their journal attributes
Authors: Kim Mee-Jean
Published: December 2004

The purposes of this paper are to investigate the citations from papers by Korean scientists for several fields in the sciences, to compare the citation patterns of articles taken from Korean sources versus non-Korean sources, and to identify the relationship between the citations made by Korean scientists and eight variables (subscription costs, publisher type, country of publication, frequency of publication, journal’s age, peer review, inclusion in Science Citation Index, in-library use and local availability) for journals in those fields. The comparison between four disciplines (biology, chemistry, physics and computer science) with regard to citations and journal attributes indicated there was a significant difference between the four disciplines. The analysis of variance indicated a significant difference between journal citations in Korean sources and publisher type in the chemistry field. For both the Korean sources and non-Korean sources, the t-test showed a significant difference between local availability and journal citations. For the non-Korean sources, a correlation between several journal attributes (e.g. publication frequency and journal price) and citations in the physics and computer science fields was indicated by the study.
Intranets for the lazy
Authors: McMurdo George
Published: December 2004

The current focus of attention on the Internet has diversified to also address the notion of the ‘intranet’, as an information resource within an organisation, and by the logic of etymology ‘extranets’ are also being talked about. The primary beneficiaries of the intranet concept (and probably also its prime promoters) are computing hardware salespersons, who can now market their existing local area networking technologies under an exciting new name. It has been suggested that information professionals may have a significant role to play in designing such systems within organisations, drawing on experience of information audits and user studies. The main technical components of an intranet used by the staff and students of the Department of Communication and Information Studies, at Queen Margaret College, is described, noting instances where there is differentiation between internal and external users.
Identifying systematic reviews in MEDLINE: developing an objective approach to search strategy design
Authors: Boynton Janette , Glanville Julie , McDaid David , Lefebvre Carol
Published: December 2004

Background: systematic reviews are of increasing importance to health care professionals seeking to provide evidence-based health care, because they provide systematically prepared summaries of the current state of research knowledge on the effectiveness of health care interventions. To be able to make use of them, both researchers preparing systematic reviews and health care professionals need to be able to identify systematic reviews easily. In the past, systematic reviews have been difficult to identify easily among the mass of literature labelled ‘reviews’. Search strategies have been published which were intended to provide easier access to systematic reviews and meta-analyses. These strategies, mostly devised for the MEDLINE database, have been constructed using the authors’ knowledge of the subject area, the databases and past experience.

Objective: the objective of this study was to design search strategies based on a more objective approach to strategy construction.

Methods: word frequencies from the titles, abstracts and subject keywords of a collection of systematic reviews of the effective health care interventions were analysed to derive a highly sensitive search strategy.

Results: the proposed strategy offers 98% sensitivity in retrieving systematic reviews, while retaining a low but acceptable level of precision (20%). Other strategies with other levels of sensitivity and precision are also presented.

Discussion: this study shows that a frequency analysis approach can be used to generate highly sensitive strategies which retain adequate levels of precision when retrieving systematic reviews.
Towards a methodology for the design of multimedia public access interfaces
Authors: Rowley Jennifer
Published: December 2004

Interface design is particularly important in public access systems, since the quality of the interface will influence the effectiveness with which the public can gather information and conduct transactions. It is also particularly challenging. This paper examines some of the information systems methodologies that have a contribution to make in the design of interfaces for public access systems. On the basis of this examination, some of the features of methodologies that can support the design of public access systems are identified. After an initial exploration of the systems life-cycle, which identifies the key stages in any methodology, the paper proceeds to examine the nature and role of information systems methodologies. A variety of user-centred methodologies are described, including soft systems methodologies, cooperative and participative methodologies, and task-oriented approaches to design. An object-oriented methodology is introduced as a preliminary to the consideration of methodologies for multimedia graphical user interfaces. Comparisons between the stages in some of these methodologies yield an identification of key features for methodologies in the development of public access systems. Such methodologies must accommodate: (i) the creation and structuring of conceptual content and (ii) the interface with the marketplace, in addition to the technical and behavioural considerations that feature in the more established user-centred methodologies.
Patient information leaflets: producing understandable PILs
Authors: Newton Lynn , Newton Douglas , Clark Jill , Kenny Tim , Moseley David , Purves Ian , Wilson Rob
Published: December 2004

The concept of the informed health-care ‘consumer’ rests on the availability of comprehensible information. While various bodies have made information available, its quality is mixed. Information is sometimes untrustworthy, incomprehensible, or simply forgotten by patients. An understandable record of advice is more likely to bring about compliance with treatment and lessen the need to revisit the surgery. This is a report of the revision of health-care information leaflets and their testing on 59 volunteers (61-81 years old). Presentation, reading ease and understanding were considered. The goal of making health-care information comprehensible was achieved. Guidelines for revising such material are described and illustrated. The informed consumer goal may be achievable if writers of health-care information attend to communication as much as to the adequacy of their medical advice.
Providing comprehensive information and searches with limited resources
Authors: Cumming Lorna , Conway Lynn
Published: December 2004

Sharing information and databases with medical/health organisations has resulted in one small information unit being able to provide a more comprehensive service than would otherwise have been possible. The Qualitative Service in Aberdeen, part of the Information Services Team at Grampian Health Board, performs literature searches using a wide range of databases, thus responding to the increasing demand on the information profession, brought about by the evolution of evidence-based medicine. This paper is intended to show how this service has attempted to meet the demand for more information while working with limited resources. It also reiterates the benefits of using the less well-known sources, in addition to those already established as the key sources, such as Medline and Embase.
Evaluating Web information and design
Authors: McMurdo George
Published: December 2004

The growth of use of the Internet, and particularly the World Wide Web, has made electronic libraries a reality of sorts, and put publishing electronically within the grasp of anyone with a computer and a method of Internet connection. This has re-emphasised the importance of methods for critically evaluating the quality of published information. Some of the criteria used to evaluate Internet information sources are no different from those used by librarians and information professionals to evaluate conventional publications. Some consensus is also emerging about good practice in the design of Web pages, to do with aspects such as writing style, navigation, graphics, etc. It follows that methods for critically evaluating the content and design of existing Internet document can also usefully inform the production of new documents. The present paper aims to identify and provide a digest of ‘good practices’ from some such sources.
Publishers’ views of electronic short-loan collections and copyright clearance issues
Authors: Muir Adrienne
Published: December 2004

Reports the findings of research carried out by Project ACORN (Access to COurse Readings Across Networks), an eLib-funded experimental electronic short-loan service project, based at Loughborough University. Project ACORN staff conducted a postal survey of the 84 publishers approached for permission to digitise articles for the first phase of the service. The purpose of the survey was to elicit the views of publishers on various issues associated with electronic short-loan collections and the policies and procedures followed by publishers for granting electronic copyright clearance. The survey was followed up by four in-depth interviews with individual publishers. The findings show that there is little consensus in the policies and views of publishers, especially with regard to procedures followed by them for granting electronic copyright clearance or methods of charging. This makes seeking copyright permission time-consuming and complex for higher education libraries. However, most publishers look more favourably on requests from educational institutions. Publishers are wary of the electronic environment and there is some degree of conflict between publishers and libraries that wish to use new technology to deliver services. There has recently been some cooperation between publishers and the higher education community in working towards solutions, and publishers have shown a degree of enthusiasm for an intermediary working on behalf of libraries in electronic copyright clearance.
Duplicate detection and record consolidation in large bibliographic databases: the COPAC database experience
Authors: Cousins Shirley Anne
Published: December 2004

COPAC is a union catalogue giving access to the online catalogue records of some of the largest academic research libraries in the UK and Ireland. Like all union catalogues, COPAC is supplied with multiple copies of records representing the same document in the contributing library catalogues. To reduce the level of duplication visible to the COPAC user, it has been necessary to develop duplicate detection and record consolidation procedures. These result in the production of a single record for each document, representing the holdings of several libraries. This paper discusses the ways in which both the duplicate detection and record consolidation procedures are carried out, along with the problem areas encountered. The general structure of these procedures is also described, providing a model of the duplicate record handling mechanisms used in COPAC.
The impact of Internet-based electronic resources on formal scholarly communication in the area of library and information science: a citation analysis
Authors: Zhang Yin
Published: December 2004

The Internet-based electronic resources (e-sources) are growing dramatically; however, there have not been empirical studies evaluating the impact of e-sources, as a whole, on formal scholarly communication. This study tries to investigate how much e-sources have been used in formal scholarly communication, using a case study in the area of library and information science (LIS) during the period 1994 to 1996. Four citation-based indicators are proposed and used in this study for the impact measurement.

Compared with the impact of print sources, the impact of e-sources on formal scholarly communication in LIS is small, as measured by e-sources cited, and does not increase significantly by year even though there is observable growth of the impact across the years. It is found that journal format is related to the rate of citing e-sources, i.e. electronic journal (e-journal) articles are more likely to cite e-sources than are print journal (p-journal) articles. However, once authors cite e-sources, there is no significant difference in the number of e-references per article by journal format or by year. This finding suggests that, at this stage, citing e-sources may depend on authors rather than the journal format in which the authors choose to publish.
The year 2000 problem and its implications for the information profession
Authors: Faulkner Anne
Published: December 2004

The technological revolution has had a great impact upon information professionals, and information technology (IT) has become an important part of their working lives. The year 2000 problem will affect every organisation, regardless of whether or not they themselves use IT. This paper discusses what the year 2000 problem is, when and where it occurs, its scale and its solutions. Awareness, attitudes and responses towards the year 2000 problem in general and (more specifically) among information professionals are examined.
Towards the schism: information officers at the Royal Society Scientific Information Conference, 1948
Authors: East Harry
Published: December 2004

At the Royal Society Scientific Information Conference, in 1948, representatives of a growing body of scientific information officers sought to stake a claim to a new kind of professionalism. The paper examines the nature of the Conference discussion which presaged the formation of the Institute of Information Scientists in the United Kingdom. Current moves to foster a reconciliation between librarians and information scientists are possibly long overdue, but, as Cicero wrote, ‘to know nothing of what happened before you were born is to remain ever a child’.
Health professionals’ attitudes towards evidence-based medicine and the role of the information professional in exploitation of the research evidence
Authors: Lewis Ruth A. , Urquhart Christine J. , Rolinson Janet
Published: December 2004

The aim of a survey, undertaken at an English National Health Service (NHS) trust hospital in the summer of 1996, was to examine health professionals’ awareness of evidence-based medicine (EBM), their attitudes towards problems in implementing EBM locally and their views of the role of the library in supporting EBM. A postal questionnaire (response rate 40%: 182/475) provided baseline information for planning. More doctors than nurses or PAMs (professionals allied to medicine) had heard of the term EBM, but most of the health professionals were in agreement with the principles of EBM despite not understanding the term fully. Most of the health professionals wanted access to resources at the workplace, and doctors in particular preferred to do their own searching. Many health professionals doubted whether a librarian could find the relevant research articles, suggesting the need for better promotion of library services in support of EBM, emphasising value-added services.
Information for visitors to cultural attractions
Authors: Booth Ben
Published: December 2004

This paper examines the information needs of visitors to the Science Museum in London. It is based on a case study at the Museum, but draws conclusions which can be more generally applied to museums, galleries, stately homes and similar attractions. It defines the types of information which various classes of visitors require, the data resources which are necessary to provide this information, and the technical systems necessary to deliver the information. Several surveys of visitor information requirements are reviewed and are drawn together to develop an overall requirement for visitor information and requirements for remote access to information. A logical structure and technical plan are developed and there is an in-depth cost-benefit analysis.
A model of virtual organisations
Authors: Shao Y. P. , Liao S. Y. , Wang H. Q.
Published: December 2004

A model is presented of a virtual organisation that contains four variables: connectivity, purpose, technology and boundary. Four cases are analysed to illustrate the applicability and usefulness of the model. Based on the model, we make predictions for the stability of virtual organisations and creations of new forms of this organisational type.
Expert systems in library and information services: publication trends, authorship patterns and expressiveness of published titles
Authors: Zainab Awang Ngah , De Silva Sharon Manel
Published: December 2004

CD-ROM databases LISAPlus, ERIC, INSPEC, COMPENDEX, Dissertations and Abstracts Online, Library Literature, and bibliographies appended in review articles were searched on the subject of expert system applications in library and information services. The search retrieved a total of 679 references, comprising 53.3% (362) journal articles, 26.5% (180) conference proceedings, 9.3% (63) book articles, 4.1% (28) dissertations and 6.8% (46) monographs. The growth of literature peaked between 1989 and 1990 and subsequently declined after 1992. More than one-third of the total titles were on intelligent front-ends and interfaces for online search and retrieval systems (287: 42.3%), followed by applications in reference services (113: 16.6%), classification, indexing and abstracting (86: 12.7%) and cataloguing (7: 11.3%). The highest contributing journals comprised six titles, of which Information Processing and Management topped the list. Forty-three authors were found to contribute between five to 35 articles each, hence constituting over onethird (32.19%) of total contributors. Over 57% (382) of the publications were single-authored works, 25% (172) were by two authors, 11% (72) by three authors and 7% (49) were by four or more authors. Only 161 (23.7%) titles were expressive enough to reveal both the name and function of systems being developed.
The British national information strategy
Authors: Moore Nick
Published: December 2004

Many countries have developed frameworks of policies to guide their transition into information societies. The approach is consistent and systematic. In Britain we have not attempted to develop policies in this way. Rather they have emerged as a result of disparate initiatives. The current policies are analysed using a matrix which identifies three levels of policy: industrial, organisation and social; and four cross-cutting themes: information technology, information markets, human resources and legislation and regulation. Together, the various initiatives add up to a national strategy but it is one that lacks coordination and cohesion.
EQUIP: a European survey of quality criteria for the evaluation of databases
Authors: Wilson T. D.
Published: December 2004

This paper is based on research carried out in 1993/94, but never made publicly available at that time, other than as a brief report circulated at the 1994 International Online Meeting in London. However, as the subject is of continuing interest, it was felt desirable to publish the work, since the approach was novel at the time. This paper reports on the two stages of an investigation into the perceived quality of online databases: first, data from 989 questionnaires returned from approximately 600 database users in twelve European countries; secondly, a test of the SERVQUAL methodology for identifying users’ expectations of database services.
Is it appropriate to use structured abstracts in non-medical science journals?
Authors: Hartley James
Published: December 2004

BACKGROUND. Structured abstracts (which use subheadings) have become widespread in medical research journals and are beginning to spread into other fields.

AIM. The aim of this paper is to consider whether or not such structured abstracts can be used effectively in non-medical science journals.

METHOD. This paper first reviews a selection of studies on structured abstracts from the medical and psychological literature. It then presents examples of structured abstracts published in non-medical science journals. Finally, it presents examples of how original abstracts might be written in a structured form for non-medical science journals.

OBSERVATIONS. The results of the literature review suggest that structured abstracts are longer and more informative than are their traditional equivalents, that they are easier to search and to read and that they are generally welcomed by readers and authors. The examples of structured abstracts from non-medical science journals, together with the examples of the rewritten abstracts, allow the readers to judge these characteristics for themselves.

CONCLUSIONS. The author recommends, in the light of the above, that editors of non-medical science journals consider the value of adopting structured abstracts.
Quality dimensions of Internet search engines
Authors: Xie M. , Wang H. , Goh T. N.
Published: December 2004

Searching for information from the Internet today has been made easier by the widely available search engines. They will become more and more important for our daily life as our society enters the information age. However, there are many search engines and their number is increasing. It is of considerable importance for the designer to develop quality search engines and for the users to select the most appropriate ones for their use. In fact, most search engines are developed mainly for better technical performance and there could be a lack of quality attributes from the customers’ perspective. In this paper, we first provide a brief review of the most commonly used search engines, with the focus on the existing comparative studies of the search engines. Then, the quality dimensions of Internet search engines are viewed, based on a SERVQUAL framework, as it is important to look at quality from the customers’ points of view. A list of important quality expectations by customers is identified and grouped into five quality dimensions using the SERVQUAL model. The customer expectations identified in this paper will be of great help not only to the designers for improving the search engines, but also to the users for selecting suitable ones.
Daniel Bell’s theory of the information society
Authors: Duff A. S.
Published: December 2004

Daniel Bell is recognised to be the foremost writer on the information society. The paper expounds his writings in detail, showing their development from the 1960s to the 1990s. It is argued that his position has always contained three distinguishable strands or elements: one relating to the post-industrial information workforce, a second dealing with information flows (particularly scientific knowledge), and a third concerning computers and the information revolution. Bell’s information society thesis is best understood as a synthesis of these elements. His arguments are also evaluated. It is suggested that the information economy element is not satisfactorily supported by the evidence cited and that his emphasis on theoretical knowledge may also be excessive. As regards Bell’s account of information technology, his position shifted from a technocratic preoccupation with mainframes to an uncritical enthusiasm for the micro-computer. In spite of such shortcomings, Bell’s synthetic information society thesis is the strongest available.
Turbulent change: strategy and information flow in UK retail banks
Authors: Broady-Preston Judy , Hayward Tim
Published: December 2004

This paper is based on the results of the initial stage of a British Library Research and Innovation Centre funded project which investigates the role of information in the strategic management process in UK retail banking. The results presented are based on questionnaires and interviews conducted with senior managers responsible for strategic planning in the banks. It was found that information is viewed as a source of competitive advantage in this sector, but that the ‘formalised’ information gathering process was ad hoc. Typical information sources were viewed as of secondary importance, i.e. online databases, journals, CD-ROMs. Managers preferred to commission external information, such as PEST (political, environmental, social and technological) analyses, and to rely upon internally-generated information from colleagues. Performance analysis models, such as the balanced scorecard, helped companies to confront information problems, but blockages in the flow of customer information were acknowledged.
Measuring recall
Authors: Frické Martin
Published: December 2004

Recall, the proportion of the relevant documents that is retrieved, is a key indicator of the performance of an information retrieval system. With large information systems, like the World Wide Web on the Internet, recall is almost impossible to measure or estimate by all standard techniques. A proposal ‘needle hiding’ is made as a technique to estimate recall. It is also shown that ranking by relative recall does not have to be isomorphic to ranking by recall; hence the use of relative recall for comparative evaluation might not be entirely sound.
Electronic journals: a study of usage and attitudes among academics
Authors: Tomney Hilary , Burton Paul F.
Published: December 2004

This study assesses attitudes towards electronic journals and examines the current level of use of these publications by university academics in five faculties. Consideration is given to both users and non-users, examining why they use or do not use this medium. The perceived advantages and disadvantages of electronic publication are also examined.

The results suggest that, although the actual number of academics using electronic journals at present may be low, academics are willing to try this new medium. There are more users among academics in the Science and Engineering faculties than in the Arts or Business, while the results from the Law Department, where some staff are involved in an electronic journal project, indicate how influential the atmosphere within a department can be on the level of usage. The principal limiting factor is that of time to find electronic journals: academics initially simply need time to come to terms with the new technology and to locate electronic resources.
Patterns of self-citation across disciplines (1980-1989)
Authors: Snyder Herbert , Bonzi Susan
Published: December 2004

The paper examines patterns of self-citation in six disciplines distributed equally among the physical and social sciences and the humanities. Sample articles were examined to determine the relative numbers and ages of self-citations and citations to others in the bibliographies and to the exposure given to each type of citation in the text of the articles. Significant differences in the number and age of citations between disciplines were found. Over all, 9% of all citations were self-citations; 15% of physical science citations were self-citations, as opposed to 6% in the social sciences and 3% in the humanities. Within disciplines, there was no significantly different amount of coverage between self-citations and citations to others. Over all, it appears that a lack of substantive differences in self-citation behavior is consistent across disciplines. The number of words devoted to self-citations vary among disciplines, but remain constant within a discipline for both self-citations and citations to others.
Best of Health: evaluation of a high-street consumer health information shop in a rural area
Authors: Barker Anne L. , Polson Robert G.
Published: December 2004

This study examines a consumer health information project, sponsored by the pnnHighland Health zBoard; based in Inverness, it caters for the health information needs of the widely dispersed population of the Scottish Highlands. The study investigates who is using the service and what they use it for, users’ opinions of the service and how they use the information obtained.

Findings indicate that most people use the service to become better informed about a specific personal health problem. A wide range of socio-economic classes uses the facility and usage is spread across the whole Health Board region and beyond. Most users are highly satisfied with the service and the information obtained, but some areas which could be developed have been identified.

Usage of Best of Health mirrors experience found in other studies: more women than men use such services, and higher socio-economic groups make greater use of such facilities than others, such as unemployed or retired people.
A practical typology of adult fiction borrowers based on their reading habits
Authors: Yu Liangzhi , O’Brien Ann
Published: December 2004

This paper applied a typological procedure, developed by Lazarsfeld from the social sciences, to a set of qualitative data on fiction reading habits for the purpose of forming a practical typology of fiction borrowers. The data were collected from a sample of 300 readers in two medium-sized UK public libraries over a two-month period. The procedure, using an inductive research approach, first mapped readers along six dimensions of reading habits which emerged from the data - frequencies of borrowing, the number of authors currently read, the literary/recreational orientation of reading, searching approaches usually applied, sureness (confidence) in book selection - and then proceeded to reduce the number of combinations formed by these dimensions, based on their relationships. A typology of seven types of fiction borrowers was thus devised: readers of particularism, readers of frequent literary pluralism, readers of infrequent literary pluralism, readers of frequent recreational pluralism, readers of infrequent recreational pluralism, readers of frequent universalism and readers of infrequent universalism.