Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to introduce the special issue on research carried out at the Department of Information and Communications at Manchester Metropolitan University. Design/methodology/approach – The paper reflects on two factors: the context of the Department within the...

Purpose – This paper seeks to make a contribution to understanding of knowledge sharing in the public sector, with specific reference to a context in which multi‐agency working is important, and the information being shared is personal case information. Design/methodology/approach – A...

Purpose – The paper aims to report on a research project that explores the extent and scope of scientific publishing, communication, and collaboration amongst Libyan scientists. Design/methodology/approach – The paper commences with a literature review on scientific communication and...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the social adoption of the mobile phone by Irish teenagers in city, town and rural settings. It aims to investigate two key areas that have influenced the teenagers' social adoption of the mobile phone: first, the influence of locational and...

Purpose – Telecommunications comprises a vital component of information infrastructures and services, with a historically strong public interest dimension. For the best part of 30 years, the telecommunications sector in Europe has been the subject of a radical reorganisation in structural and...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report on the web_access project, funded through the EC Lifelong Learning Programme. The paper aims to provide a context for the proposed study programme and describe current work in the development of the curriculum and content....

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the usability of the user interface to an online catalogue and to explore how user assessment of both system usability and functionality can provide recommendations for the improved design. Design/methodology/approach – Drawing on...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate how UK academic libraries choose metasearch systems; the choice processes they use; the main influences on their choices; and whether these choice processes could be made easier. Design/methodology/approach – The project used a mixture of...

An examination of the work of Consumer Advice Centres and of the information sources and support activities that public libraries can offer. CAC's have dealt with pre‐shopping advice, education on consumers' rights and complaints about goods and services, advising the client and often...

This article has examined the changing role of MKIS. The types of questions to which MKIS need to respond have been identified, and the range of types of MKIS systems are introduced. It is proposed that the marketing mix is extended to include 5 ‘P’s, the conventional four: product, price,...