Introduction to Information Science and Technology

Citation

Isfandyari‐Moghaddam, A. (2012), "Introduction to Information Science and Technology", The Electronic Library, Vol. 30 No. 3, pp. 443-444. https://doi.org/10.1108/02640471211241690

This edited book has 14 chapters. Chapter 1 is concerned with the main element of Information Science: information. It deals with important questions like “How much information is there in the world?”, “Where does it come from?”, “How does all that information affect us as individuals?”, and “What can we do to find out what it is worth while providing some level of organization and control?”. Chapter 2 defines basic terms such as information, data, and knowledge, and discusses historically the origin and development of information science. Chapter 3 deals with what causes individuals to look for information; that is, information need(s). Information seeking behaviour, kinds of information needs, models of information seeking, and information and digital literacies are covered.

In association with properly and satisfactorily meeting individuals' information needs, the available information must be represented and organised. These topics of “information representation” and “information organisation” along with their subtopics (e.g. semantics, syntax, machine translation, information analysis, abstracting, indexing, natural language, controlled vocabularies, classification, metadata, information architecture, etc.) are considered in chapters 4 and 5, respectively. Chapters 6 and 7 are about the modern non‐physical locations (i.e. computers, networks, and structured information systems such as databases) where information and information resources are managed from creation to communication and use. Chapter 8 covers some issues concerning the applications of information systems including information retrieval (IR), digital libraries, electronic resources management, and information visualisation.

The evaluation of information systems that can be considered as C of the PDCA model (Plan‐Do‐Check‐Act) developed by W. Edwards Deming forms the topic of chapter 9. Accordingly, methods of evaluation (self‐studies, laboratory studies, field studies, and usability), and human‐computer interaction (HCI) are debated. The importance of information as an asset for all individuals and organisations lies at the heart of chapter 10, and examines information management as the focus of the information science community. Chapter 11 deals with the changes to scholarly publication made by information and communication technologies. It also discusses bibliometrics and webliometrics as two information science studies used to measure and analyse publications. “Information policy” is the title of chapter 12 in which three subjects related to information policy, namely the economics of information, intellectual property, and standardisation and flow of information at individual, governmental, and organisational levels, are reviewed. Taking a professional perspective, chapter 13 focuses on three well‐known memory institutions – libraries, museums, and archives – as the basis of the information(al) professions. In the process some interesting issues such as fundamental values of Information Science and information ethics are discussed. Finally, chapter 14, with a theory‐oriented approach, provides readers with the famous Shannon and Weaver's information theory and some other related theories and discussions affected by the evolutionary nature of Information Science.

Because of the interdisciplinary and dynamic nature of information science it is to be hoped that we will witness similar works dealing with other related topics not covered by the present title. This encyclopedia‐like textbook will benefit students and professors in the fields of information science and library science, librarians, and information professionals. Reading this work will be enjoyable and inspiring!