Diffusion of Information and Knowledge: How Information Becomes Meaningful - Evolving Global Information Infrastructure and Information Transfer - page 94

needs assessment. Information psychology provides the knowledge of how indi-
viduals use information. Sociology of information provides insight from the per-
spective of an individual's membership in a group.
The information organization management and information engineering fields
relate to the information processes—what information professionals do with in-
formation. These two areas of applied theory are unique to the practice of library
and information professionals.

Role of the Professional

A professional possesses a particular knowledge that enables that individual
to apply that professional knowledge with a service as the product. The role of
any professional (e.g., physician, attorney, librarian, teacher, architect, or financial
planner) is that of diagnosing needs, prescribing a service that meets those needs,
implementing that service, and evaluating the outcome of this interaction. In most
professions, this process is accomplished at two levels: with individuals and with
groups, as indicated in Table 6.1 below.

Table 6.1 The Diagnostic Process

For Individuals For Groups

Diagnosis Analysis

Prescription Recommendation

Treatment Implementation

Evaluation Evaluation

This process, which we call “the service cycle,” is described below as it applies
to an information professional and is based on the medical model for diagnosis.
The reader is urged not to dwell on the different terms used to distinguish the dia-
gnostic processes for individuals and groups. The different terminology is used
merely to emphasize the distinction between individual and group services.

Diagnosis/Analysis

The professional must be able to assess the information needs of clientele at
two levels: (1) analyzing the characteristics of the community served, and (2) ana-
lyzing the needs of specific individuals at the point when and where they seek in-
formation from the library or information center. The purpose of the first level of
analysis (i.e., community analysis) is to provide the professional, as manager, with
specific data about the community and its residents. Knowledge acquired through