A review is presented of the relation between information and entropy, focusing on two main issues: the similarity of the formal definitions of physical entropy, according to statistical mechanics, and of information, according to information theory; and the possible subjectivity of entropy considered as missing information. The paper updates the…[Read more]

Assignment for the Information Retrieval (INM305) module, completed as part of the Information Science MSc at City, University of London. This report investigates pre-release rumours of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles, and evaluates bag of words and Boolean searches when using online and web search engines.

A random sample of UK veterinary practitioners was surveyed to identify key issues in veterinary information use (IU) and information seeking behaviour (ISB) and the corresponding implications for the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Wellcome Library (RCVSWL). Interviews were also conducted with a small cross-section of the sample population…[Read more]

Introduced in parliament in November 2015, the Draft Investigatory Powers Bill was the most recent version of legislation written to provide a statutory basis for a range of powers providing police and security services with various means of capturing or intercepting electronic communications. Previous efforts at legislating for these powers…[Read more]

This opinion piece considers the relative importance of individual and social factors in determining information behaviour. It concludes that individual factors are more central and fundamental, though they may certainly be qualified by social and cultural factors, and though there are good reasons for studying and analyzing information behaviour…[Read more]

The purpose of the paper is to examine the nature of chemical concepts, and the ways in which they are applied in chemoinformatics systems. An account of concepts in philosophy and in the information sciences leads to an analysis of chemical concepts, and their representation. The way in which concepts are applied in systems for information…[Read more]

The concept of ‘information’ in five different realms – technological, physical, biological, social and philosophical – is briefly examined. The ‘gaps’ between these conceptions are discussed, and unifying frameworks of diverse nature, including those of Shannon/Wiener, Landauer, Stonier, Bates and Floridi, are examined. The value of att…[Read more]

The complexities of the many concepts and models around information literacy are considered, and some personal views given as to how they may best be clarified, both theoretically and practically. A slightly adapted idea of the concept of information fluency can serve as a main general purpose for the promotion of information literacy, expressed…[Read more]

It is suggested that, in addition to data, information and knowledge, the information sciences should focus on understanding, understood as a higher-order knowledge, with coherent and explanatory potential. The limited ways in which understanding has been addressed in the design of information systems, in studies of information behaviour, in…[Read more]

Text of 15-minutes talk given at the CILIP Local Studies Group Conference 2018: Oral history and sound heritage. It briefly presents my Library Science master’s dissertation, ‘”The public libraries of London” collection: oral history in the digital age’, which can also be found in CORE.

This blog post gives an updated and modified text of a keynote address given at the Fifteenth International ISKO Conference, Porto, 9th July 2018.

DocPerform is a multi- and interdisciplinary research project based at City, University of London. Led by members of the Department of Library & Information Science, it comprises scholars and practitioners from the fields of performing arts and library & information science. The project concerns conceptual, methodological and technological…[Read more]

Photography students and the specific information resources they use represent a relatively unexplored area in the Library and Information Science literature. The intention of this study is to explore the relevance of the physical photobook and digital resources to this specific audience. A mixed method, pragmatic approach was deemed the most…[Read more]

From 1852 the Hôtel Drouot was the space where the French auctioneers (Commissaires-Priseurs) – who held a stately sanctioned monopoly – organized their auctions. By processing data from the art auction catalogue repertory by Frits Lugt and the extended version Art Sales Catalogues Online, it is possible to map the networks of art marketing at…[Read more]

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MSc in Library Science, City, University of London, September 2017.

This piece of research presents the process and outcomes of building ‘The Public Libraries of London’ collection of interviews with current and former staff members of a few public libraries of…[Read more]

The process of managing information in architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) design projects remained relatively unchanged between publication of works of Bavarian theorist Albrecht Dürer and French mathematician Gaspard Monge in the 1500s and 1700s respectively, and the widespread adoption of computer aided design (CAD) in the early…[Read more]

Profiling the Samuel Becket collection at the University of Reading

The purpose of this study is to explore whether the current UK legislation on orphan works, in the form of an EU exception and an orphan works license scheme, is effective in enabling the mass digitization of orphan works by cultural heritage organisations. The research covers the barriers faced by cultural heritage organisations wishing to…[Read more]

The purpose of the study was to capture a brief snapshot of current academic librarian engagement with Open Access in UK higher education institutions. The study utilised a mixed method approach. An online questionnaire was used to capture quantitative data, and email interviews were used to collect qualitative data. A volunteer sample of 83…[Read more]

Encounters with the Russian Avant Garde