A study of the information world of custodial workers at a large university in the South revealed: (1) information needs in the areas of health, career opportunities, and interpersonal relationships; (2) little information exchange among workers; and (3) little use of the public library. The interview schedule is appended. (51 references) (MES)

Explains the conceptual framework of gratification theory and describes a study that investigated the information-seeking behaviors of a lower working class population. The usefulness of gratification theory in explaining their information-seeking behavior is discussed, and implications for librarians and other information professionals are…

Proposes a theory of information poverty based on four concepts that serve as the basis for defining an impoverished life-world: risk taking, secrecy, deception, and situational relevance. A conceptual framework that links the world of the information-poor, the outsiders, with a world of insiders, is developed. Contains 64 references. (Author/LRW)

Addresses ways to reexamine the world of information from small world perspectives and suggests implications for public libraries. Highlights include a conceptual scheme to examine small world lives, including social norms, world views, social types, and information behavior; and ethnographic inquiries to illustrate how qualitative methodology can…

This test of theory of opinion leadership in a low-income environment addressed three questions: (1) whether opinion leaders exist, their characteristics, and their role in information dissemination; (2) what the information world of this population is; and (3) whether this population views the library as a source of useful information. (EM)

Fifty women enrolled in an urban Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) program were interviewed about their use of the mass media and the public library for useful information, preferences in the use of mass media, and their attitudes about source credibility. A 23-item interview guide is appended. (25 references) (EJS)

Addresses information-seeking behavior within an information-poor life style; examines knowledge gap theory and the role of interpersonal sources. Concludes that mass media do not respond to the needs of the poor. (AEF)

Reports on a study of the awareness, use, and diffusion of job information in a low-income population as a test of diffusion theory. A review of the literature is included and major models are reexamined with information rather than technology as the innovation. Implications for librarians are discussed. (EM)

Discussion of mass media use by older women focuses on a study of 55 women (average age 82) that examined their perceptions of time, their preferred media, their perceptions of the role of the public library, and actual use of the public library. Implications of the results for information professionals and further research possibilities are also…