The first phase of a three-phase program, this study determined the functions entailed in information work and identified the number of individuals who exercise these functions in a survey of 1,193 establishments in state and local government, industry, and academia. The survey revealed that there were over 1.64 million information professionals employed in 1980. Out of every 10, 7 were in the industrial sector, with another 2 in state and local governments and the remaining 1 in the federal government or in colleges and universities. The survey showed that not only colleges and universities but also industry and government contributed to the education and training of information workers. There were 1,493 unique occupational titles used for classifying individuals who perform information functions. Six generic groups of information professionals were identified, namely managers of information, information operations coordinators, information systems specialists, information intermediaries, information theorists, and educators of information workers. This final report on the methodology of the study and its findings includes a 163-item bibliography and 79 tables. Appendices comprise a sample questionnaire and cover letter, a description of the Manpower Consortium for the Information Profession (MCIP), and three lists: Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes used in the study, organizations of interest to information workers, and United States and Canadian programs of study in information. (ESR)