This two-part article outlines the provisions and limitations of the positivist and phenomenologist views of information science and describes the United Kingdom (UK) Education Management Information Exchange (EMIE), a 4-year experimental project aimed at developing and testing a range of information services for education officers and advisors in local authority education departments. The first part of the article examines the consequences of positivist information science including the distortion of such concepts as the "information user,""user education," and "information need." The limitations of the phenomenological approach to information service design are also explored and a new approach to information research and development is described which is based on greater understanding of information users. In the second part, three phases of the EMIE project are outlined: an exploratory phase which included observation of education officers at work; a 6-month trial period in which services were tested; and the current operational phase during which services are being offered to all LEAs (Local Education Authorities) in England and Wales. The role of an EMIE-style service in relation to decision-making is discussed and the case is advanced for closer involvement of users in information service design and provision. A 53-item bibliography is provided. (Author/ESR)