Examines the role of information and theories of "life in the round" through a study of ways in which inmates at a maximum-security prison for women in Neuse City (North Carolina) redefine their social world to survive incarceration. Findings from ethnographic research and interviews with 80 women at the prison revealed that a life in the round…

Alienation theory was applied to a study of information behavior among 51 janitors. Results showed that they lack an informal information network because of their work schedule, and a perception that their neighbors are undesirable associates and no more informed than they are. (34 references) (EAM)

This essay proposes the theory of normative behavior and presents general discussions of two communities-the online world of virtual communities and the world of feminist booksellers associated with the Women in Print Movement-that can be used as test cases for that theory. (Contains 73 references.) (AEF)

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…