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As one of the contributors (Beastall) to this issue of VINE admits, the debate about the meaning and the enactment of knowledge management has been going on for some time. When invited to write the overview one of my aims was to avoid adding to this debate, however tempting that might be. The focus will instead be on the ‘working definitions’ as considered by Birks, and to study how different LIS sectors are putting knowledge management, however defined, into practice.

This paper reports findings from the first annual cycle of a three‐year research project on the provision and use of electronic information systems (EIS) within higher education in the UK. The project, JISC User Surveys: Trends in Electronic Information Services (JUSTEIS), was funded by the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) and undertaken at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth (UWA). Students, academics and library staff in 25 universities were surveyed using critical incident and critical success factors methodologies to ascertain the range and nature of EIS use. Provision of these systems by higher education institutions was also investigated via an analysis of their library websites. The findings reported in this paper focus on student use and the purposes for which EIS are employed, and reveal the limited array of EIS used and the ad hoc nature of search strategies adopted across undergraduate and postgraduate bodies within a range of disciplines. There appears to be little or no variation in the pattern of EIS use by the various student groups studied – the effect of the Internet on information seeking by students is hugely significant and the more formal resources, such as JISC‐negotiated resources are little used. There is little evidence of coherent search strategies used by students. Recommendations for both the JISC and higher education are offered.

Examines requirements of information professionals in the health sector, and ways career development can be enhanced. Includes analysis of job descriptions, categorising skills and roles, mapping profiles to other criteria, including health sector, and two statements for standards in higher education. Interviews with nine professionals confirmed findings of the job description analysis. There is a spectrum of skills, with clumps of traditional library skills, information analysis skills and a growing need for specialist skills. The statement provides a good basis for skills required. Providers need to encourage students towards “lifelong learning” to meet changing requirements.

The progress of initiatives concerned with implementing evaluated clinical research (such as evidence based medicine and clinical effectiveness) is dependent on the way individual health professionals actually acquire, use and value clinical knowledge in routine practice. The findings of two research projects, the Value and EVINCE projects, are compared with studies of the consolidation and application of clinical knowledge in clinical decision making. The Value project was concerned with the ways in which information from NHS libraries might be used in present and future clinical decision making. EVINCE was a similar impact study for nursing professionals. Both studies confirmed the importance of personal clinical knowledge. Health information services need to use a variety of strategies and knowledge management skills to ensure that the evaluated research evidence is assimilated and implemented into practice.

This paper aims to report on a project aimed at moving Foster's nonlinear model of information seeking behaviour forwards from an empirically based model focused on one setting and towards one that is robustly transferable and enables testing of the model in other information‐seeking situations.

The method utilised recoding of the original dataset, comparison of code decisions, and testing of the code book on a second dataset.

The results of the coding confirm the structure and interactions in version one of the model. The dynamic and nonlinear nature of information seeking is confirmed, as are the core processes and contextual dimensions of the original model with some extension and refinement of coding.

Changes to the model include new scales of extent and intensity, refinement of code descriptions, and extension of some elements to include multidisciplinary theories. Collectively these changes enable testing of the model in other information situations and opportunities for further research.

The results incorporate a number of enhancements that have been developed since the original Foster model was created; cognitive dimensions relating to personality and learning are enhanced and the codes essential to the revised Foster model are described along with a code book. The paper concludes by highlighting areas for further research.

The purpose of this paper is to critically review methods of impact assessment and economic analyses.

Reviews the literature on impact assessment, and examines some case studies of impact assessment in health libraries. Relates satisfaction and dissatisfaction assessment to impact assessment. Identifies recent impact assessment approaches in public and academic libraries, and explores different uses of terminology for impact and outcome. Reviews literature on economic analysis of value, including cost analyses, cost-effectiveness analysis and return on investment (ROI) studies.

Terms for library assessment (outcome, output, impact, value and benefit) vary among different sectors. Impact evaluation should examine initial assumptions of value carefully, and examine possible gaps in the line of argument linking inputs of library services to presumed impacts (positive and negative). More attention to sampling and response rates is required, to avoid problems such as the “warm glow” effect. Qualitative and quantitative evidence should be carefully integrated to tell the impact story. Economic impact can be estimated, but methodology depends on the service aims and sector.

Demonstrates that some of the requirements for traditional impact assessment also affect economic analyses and ROI studies.