The Role of the Information Intermediary in the Diffusion of Aerospace Knowledge

With its contribution to trade, its coupling with national security, and its symbolism, of U.S. technological strength, the U.S. aerospace industry holds a unique a position in the nation's industrial structure. However, the U.S. aerospace industry is experiencing profound changes created by a combination of domestic actions and circumstances such as airline deregulation. Other changes result from external trends such as emerging foreign competition. These circumstances intensify the need to understand the production, tranfer, and utilization of knowledge as a precursor to the rapid diffusion of technology. This article presents a conceptual framework for understanding the diffusion of aerospace knowledge. The framework focuses on the information channels and members of the social system associated with the aerospace knowledge diffusion process, placing particular emphasis on aerospace librarians as information intermediaries.