More on Robert Taylor

From the Pioneers of Information Science in North America project:

Robert Saxton Taylor's page:

Dates: 1918 -

Worked at: Lehigh University and Syracuse University

Other Info: Worked at Lehigh University as Librarian (1956-1967); Professor and Director of Information Science; Director of Library Science and Professor of Language and Communication at Hampshire College (1967-1972); worked at Professor (1972- ?) and Dean (1972-1981) of the School of Information Science at Syracuse University.

Published articles in user studies - used the value-added approach to information sciences. In 1963 wrote about the impact of behavioral sciences on information science.

Awards: 1972 Best Information Science Book - ASIS; 1956 Fulbright Lecturer.

Offices: ASIS Executive Officer (1959-1961); President (1968).

From Pioneers of Information Science of North America Scrapbook:

Significant moment of career in 1953 sitting at reference desk in Lehigh University Library. He started asking questions that would form the basis of his work over the next several decades. He had been educated as an historian - and worked as a newspaper reporter, sports editor, intelligence agent, free lance writer and a librarian.

Profession and Education:

• Directed Center for the Information Sciences at Lehigh (1962-1967)
• With the program in Language and Communication at Hampshire College (1967-1972)
• School of Information Studies at Syracuse University as Dean and Professor (1972-1983)
• 1986 published work on value-added processes (NSF supported)
• 1968 published work on question negotiation and information seeking in libraries
• 1990 pubished work on information use environments (IUEs).

quote from page "It is people, both as individuals and as members of organizations for whom we design systems. This is a user-driven approach. Technology, important and overwhelming as it is at this moment, is but a means of gathering, storing, manipulating, and moving information to people who can make use of it. Our professional responsibility is to understand the technologies and to use them effectively to help people in whatever setting. Without people at the center we become but another technology-driving vocation."