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While there is a huge literature devoted to information literacy (IL), much of which is devoted to course or content design and some sort of assessment. What is presented in this paper is the proposition that the design of IL would benefit greatly by the infusion of the development of consciousness and conscious states. The understanding of consciousness and its place in the absorption of information, and ultimately, knowledge growth is presented.

Reviews of information literacy (brief) and consciousness (more extensive) are applied to the proposition that consciousness is an essential element of successful information literacy instruction. The reviews are of a critical nature.

Consciousness and its complexity are explicated to a considerable extent. While there are somewhat varied conceptions of consciousness, a relatively unified definition is suggested. The complexities of consciousness and its development render students more able to explicate the agreements and disagreements in the information landscape. In short, a developed consciousness among students makes for more critical approaches to difficult informational events. Then, the connections between IL and consciousness, which includes the awareness of informational states, conclude the paper.

This paper offers a new mode for an inquiry into the content and structure of information literacy instruction.

The paper adds a heretofore unattended condition for success in information literacy for instructors and students.

The debate over quality versus demand in public libraries has been argued for some time, largely without resolution. In 1981 Nora Rawlinson wrote, “A book of outstanding quality is not worth its price if no one will read it.” The view espoused by Rawlinson and others gives a great deal of attention to best sellers, since it is demand which makes a book a best seller. This is not a new issue; Rawlinson quotes John Cotton Dana, writing nearly a century ago.

The purpose of this paper is to update and review the concept of warrant in Library and Information Science (LIS) and to introduce the concept of epistemic warrant from philosophy. Epistemic warrant can be used to assess the content of a work; and therefore, it can be a complement to existing warrants, such as literary warrant, in the development of controlled vocabularies. In this proposal, the authors aim to activate a theoretical discussion on warrant in order to revise and improve the validity of the concept of warrant from the user and classifier context to the classificationist context.

The authors have conducted an extensive literary review and close reading of the concept of warrant in LIS and knowledge organization in order to detect the different stances and gaps in which the concept of epistemic warrant might apply. The authors adopted an epistemological approach, in the vein of some of the previous commenters on warrant, such as Hope Olson and Birger Hjørland, and built upon the theoretical framework of different authors working with the concept of warrant outside knowledge organization, such as Alvin Plantinga and Alvin Goldman.

There are some authors and critics in the literature that have voiced for a more epistemological approach to warrant (in opposition to a predominantly ontological approach). In this sense, epistemic warrant would be an epistemological warrant and also a step forward toward pragmatism in a prominently empiricist context such as the justification of the inclusion of terms in a controlled vocabulary. Epistemic warrant can be used to complement literary warrant in the development of controlled vocabularies as well as in the classification of works.

This paper presents an exhaustive update and revision of the concept of warrant, analyzing, systematizing, and reviewing the different warrants discussed in the LIS literary warrant in a critical way. The concept of epistemic warrant for categorizational activities is introduced to the LIS field for the first time. This paper, and the proposal of epistemic warrant, has the potential to contribute to the theoretical and practical discussions on the development of controlled vocabularies and assessment of the content of works.

The purpose of the paper is to provide a critical reply to Robert Lingard's close reading of a previously published paper of the present author's, “Meaning, truth, and information.”

The approach adopted in this paper is an examination of Lingard's argument and counter‐points, employing (primarily) logical and rhetorical analysis of his claims.

While some of Lingard's criticisms are legitimate and must be admitted, many have to be subjected to rebuttal on the basis of misreading, logical error, and discursive misapprehension of points made in the original article.

Since the present paper is a reply to another author's work, originality is constrained by the arguments and claims made by that author. That said, additional analysis is added to the matters of meaning, truth, and information in an effort to clarify and expand upon the essence of the original article.

This paper aims to examine the relationships between meaning and truth as they may contribute to a constitutive definition of information. The thesis is primarily that “information” cannot be defined unless within the context of meaning and truth, and that any theory based on, or related to, information is not possible without the foundational definition.

A review of related literatures and an arrangement of frameworks forms the design of this conceptual proposal.

While other definitions of information have been presented, the present one integrates meaning and truth in ways that others do not. The thoroughgoing semantic examination provides a starting‐point for a much deeper analysis of the integral role that language plays in the formation of any theory related to information. Truth tends not to be spoken of a great deal in information science; the definitional positioning of truth adds to a more complete definition and basis for theory.

This paper proposes a new definitional and theoretical construct for information.

This paper aims to demonstrate that fundamental aspects of quantum theory can be applied to work in information studies (IS).

The field of information studies is so broad and extensive that it requires similar breadth of epistemic and methodological features in order to fulfill its inherent promise as a human enterprise. Quantum theory holds promise as a way to shape questions and inquiry in information studies (IS).

The revolutionary elements of quantum theory, such as entanglement, nonlocality, etc. can be applied to information, especially language‐based communication.

Perhaps most especially, the non‐ or extra‐mathematical components of quantum theory offer ontological and epistemic modes of thought which apply to information. Those modes of thought are ripe with conceptual promise for examination of, for example, information as objective entity and as complex material substance. This paper explores some of the potentially promising ways to explore information as a complex phenomenon.

While some work in IS has considered quantum phenomena, there has not been a thorough investigation of the theory's application to inquiry in IS.

“Public librarians are not interested in collection development issues.”

The purpose of this paper is to present ways for managers to attain the phenomenological attitude. Achieving effective communication in organizations like libraries and information agencies is a difficult challenge. The business literature offers some suggestions, but those fall short. Application of phenomenological methods by managers can help meet the challenge and bring people together around the intended messages.

Of utmost importance to effective communication is transcending what can be called the “natural attitude” in favor of the “phenomenological attitude”. This requires recognition by managers of the unique relationship of self and other, plus the realization that action is intentional (meaning that being conscious means being conscious of something). This paper presents ways for managers to attain the phenomenological attitude.

Phenomenological methods of communicating have the potential to engage and involve everyone in the organization by enabling all to comprehend fully the nature of what is communicated and what is to be accomplished.

Phenomenology is seldom applied to organizational communication; this paper demonstrates that it presented the wherewithal to help managers improve the effectiveness of libraries and information agencies.