Volume 53, Issue 3

Smoking is a major contributor to morbidity and mortality today, and a focus of attention by primary care practitioners and public health. Few studies take into account the role of community-based information transactions, nor have they examined the information needs of quitting smokers beyond generic patient education pamphlets. A pilot study examines the function and value of information communicated in an online forum dedicated to smoking cessation. Firstly, a Web-based survey was sent to fourteen forum participants known by the author. Twenty questions about medications, decision support sources, the evaluation of those sources, and basic demographic information were asked and the resulting responses were analyzed. Secondly, 371 selected posts from the Web forum were collected to better understand the importance and frequency of specific types of cessation-related information. Several models are discussed in a preliminary attempt to characterize the forum's community-based information behaviors. Survey respondents view the existence of online community-based information resources (in the persons of their community peers) as a major factor in their cessation efforts. Although no attempt was made to generalize findings beyond this initial pilot, gaps were tentatively identified between the support provided by more traditional healthcare practitioners and the information needs experienced by this population. In their provision of a milieu for the exchange of information, online fora may enable support at a depth and quantity unavailable through more immediate channels. Further studies are needed to develop a better understanding of information-related behaviors of this large population.

In most discussions of the digital divide, the emphasis is on assisting developing nations by facilitating the flow of information resources from the developed countries to the developing – a North-South flow. The South-North flow of information receives less attention. A number of moral questions arise from the current state of South-North information flow, six forms of which are analysed in this paper with particular reference to Africa. The discussion is approached from an ethical perspective based on a specific moral framework based on three moral claims: (1) there exist universal information-related human rights – the right of freedom of access to information, the right of freedom of expression, and the right of individuals and groups to control the information they have generated; (2) the notion of a common good, predicated on a moral community which shares certain values, imposes an obligation to share information; and (3) justice is the main normative tool that can be used to regulate the flow of information.

Information provision appears to play a significant role in development projects in rural communities, despite the fact that it is not the sole concern of development agencies. Investigation of a successful training programme on maize production proved that integrating knowledge of the target group's information behaviour and their use of communication mechanisms into development strategies can help to effectively cross the boundaries between the modern information resource system and that of the indigenous knowledge system. It is argued that field workers operative at the interface between the developed world and the target groups in rural communities are ideally suited to the direct provision of information in a situation-specific context. However, field workers should be made aware of the value of information, as well as of the information behaviour of rural people used to handling information within an oral culture. The Merger Model depicts the way in which information from both the modern information resource system and the indigenous knowledge system can be harnessed for the transfer of information through development projects.

The dream of free and easy scientific and scholarly publishing on the Internet antedates the introduction of the World Wide Web. The last ten years have seen that dream dampened but not extinguished by the growth of the online for-profit journal, but multiple voices continue to speak for new models less tied to high prices and restricted access. This paper reviews the main models now in play, to identify their characteristic features, their strengths and their weaknesses. It reviews the criteria that will determine success and failure and concludes that management of costs and assurance of academic quality are the two critical factors. As a result of these factors, an altered, high-quality system of scholarly communications does not show promise of being truly inexpensive.

The purpose of the study was to examine Internet use, trends by academics and librarians at the Universities of Zimbabwe and Zululand, with specific reference to the use of resources for research and teaching. A survey by means of a questionnaire was conducted among the study population at the two institutions. Preliminary results indicate high computer and Internet skills among librarians from both institutions. The results also indicate that e-mail and the Web were used most for work and personal use, while telnet, other library OPACs and electronic journals were used most for work purposes. The study also highlighted rather similar problems facing the two institutions in terms of Internet accessibility. Access was a major concern, due to inadequate provision of computers and the existing connection to the Internet. Inadequate training in the use of Internet resources and lack of awareness among academics and other potential users were also highlighted. Despite these problems, the study revealed that there is a great potential for Internet use and appreciation among academic librarians and users in the two institutions. This paper reports on findings received from librarians; a report on both librarians and academics will appear in a future publication.

This paper reflects on issues raised by the development of an information literacy module for first-year undergraduate students at the University of North London. Information literacy is defined as an essential attribute of the independent learner, consisting of ICT skills as well as more complex information handling competences. The discussion focuses on how the module aims to develop generic, transferable IL skills and to foster a transition to a more independent learning mode. The module is customised to address the needs of a variety of disciplines through the implementation of a ‘plug-and-play’ structure and a range of delivery strategies to support students with diverse IL skills at the point of entry.

Literacy is a cultural common denominator. Not just our ability to read but how we read, what we read, and our reactions to our readings can affect our actions and determine our paths. The term “literacy” may indicate merely a set of skills, yet it implies something more complex. The methods and motives of literacy – what we choose to read, if we choose to read, and how we interpret what we read – are as much a part of literacy as the ability to decode. Literacy is a practice, an act that refers both to the applications of skills as well as the conditions under which these skills are applied. It is within this practice of literacy that we may find a variety of options for experience, each with its own culturally determined value. By examining how literacy is taught and how meaning-making and practice are modeled and encouraged, we may recognize a relationship between literacy and culture, between interpretation and experience. This analysis will lead us toward a theory of informed criticism, where popular texts and cultural knowledge are considered to be as valuable as a canonical education. As we examine literacy, a new question arises: will literacy liberate or control us?

Library crime in academic libraries is a global problem. Security of library books has been the subject of much investigation. However, the situation is not getting better. This study examines whether there are significant differences in the utilisation of library books after the introduction of a closed-access policy in Hezekiah Oluwasanmi Library and whether the users are satisfied or not with the policy. Questionnaires were administered to a random sample of 1100 students. Results show that maximum use was made of the library. Students were satisfied with the implementation of the closed-stack policy. There is no significant difference between the science and non-science students in preferring closed-access. Recommendations pertinent to a smooth implementation are suggested.