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Purpose — The chapter discusses the challenges of developing a three year bachelor's programme in information management. The argument focuses on creating a programme that (1) facilitates cooperation with the business community, (2) represents a coherent whole that fosters student identity and (3) provides an explanatory framework for information management.

Design/methodology/approach — A model for curriculum development is presented which takes its starting point in the business community's perception of the graduates’ future practice. Interdisciplinary theory, and its continuum of integration from multidisciplinarity to interdisciplinarity to transdisciplinary is applied as the backbone of the programme structure, and its role in creating progression is discussed, together with the importance of problem-oriented work, and the interplay between problem-based and discipline-based elements of the programme. The information management programme distinguishes between ‘information management’ as an umbrella term for the whole programme and ‘information management’ in a more narrow and discipline-specific perspective rooted in information science.

Findings — It is shown how the programme elements (projects, internship, semester themes and courses) are combined so that each single element contributes to gradually build up a holistic view of information processes and practices in organisations. The underlying structure of the programme contributes to a coherent, theoretically based explanatory framework for information management.

Practical implications — The chapter describes benefits and challenges of interdisciplinary curriculum development and may be provide inspiration for curriculum developers.

Originality/value — Interdisciplinary theory may be useful to respond to the challenges of engaging several disciplines in the information management field. It is suggested that multidisciplinarity may be supplemented or replaced by more interdisciplinary approaches in the future.

This study explores, historically, that definition of information management (IM) which centres on the ordering and channelling of non‐publicly available information within organisations. Whereas IM as a discipline is relatively new, as an activity within modern organisations it has a long history. Three types of organisation are highlighted: the business corporation, the library and the state agency (specifically, British military intelligence). Sophisticated information systems in organisations are a core feature of modernity and can be traced back to the revolution in state administration in the nineteenth century and to the emergence of large corporations from about 1880 onwards. At about the same time, libraries too evolved systematic, internal information flows and regimes, often of a standardised nature dictated by library management theorists. Evidence from the government sphere is also presented: considerable space is given in the study to the role played by IM in the early years of MI5, Britain‘s counter‐espionage and counter‐insurgency military intelligence agency. Documents recently released by the Public Record Office, covering the first decade of MI5’s history between 1909 and 1919, point to a growing recognition of the importance of IM. In conclusion, a case will be made for the construction of a new subject field of ‘Information Management History’ which will enrich, particularly through potentially exciting research pathways, not just the established fields of business and administrative history but also the emergent discipline of IM itself.

This paper aims to present the findings from research that sought to evaluate the construction industry's approach to information management at the project level and to review the operation of an information management systems (IMS) on selected projects.

Data from three IMS used on three separate construction projects were extracted over a four‐year period as the life of the construction stage of each project came to an end. Three distinct databases of the IMS were analysed and document statistics were extracted to demonstrate the level of activity within the construction project, and between members of the construction team, using a simple counting technique for each document type.

The paper finds that major construction projects generate, process and store considerable quantities of real‐time information prior to, during, and post on‐site construction. The construction activities are shrouded in information and management of the construction project requires appropriate systems which facilitate bi‐directional data input, information processing, dissemination and functional access. Historically, the onus of storing, disseminating and managing project information has fallen to each of the individual project team members of the many organisations involved within the project. Hardware advances, coupled with improved electronic and paper‐based IMS facilitate synergistic standardised filing and information control, which reduces the reliance on each individual or organisation to undertake the task of storing and controlling information. An IMS also has the capability to engage with performance management and reporting systems which aid not only management of the project, but also management of the organisation.

Case reviews show that in today's complex construction environment the use of an appropriate IMS has the potential to bring about team syntegrity and engender increased collaboration and integration among project members. The findings from completed projects exemplify a number of benefits to be accrued from adoption of an IMS and the resultant change in operating culture. Crucially, however, the pitfalls of such IMS systems are also identified.

The findings provide new knowledge about the management of information from construction projects.

Information resources management (IRM) and information management (IM) are two distinct terms often used interchangeably in the literature as synonyms, but perhaps, they mean different things. It is worthy of investigation to clarify whether these two related terms are in fact synonyms, and if not, what line of demarcation does them apart, discussion of some underpinning common generalities and issues that compass their misconceptions. This is a significant gap in the literature that needs to be bridged to develop a common ground of what differentiates IRM from IM.

It is a general review of the legitimate differences between IRM and IM.

Information resources in the ambit of IRM cannot achieve anything except people do something with it either by examining, categorizing or describing it, but in the end, they understood, rebut, alter or do all sorts of manipulation to the data set or information. Meanwhile, all this interpretation and manipulation constitute the hallmark of IM.

At this point, we need to take note of the fact that IRM is not the same as IM but rather IRM forms part of a holistic framework or components of IM. This is to say that successful IM cannot take place without proper IRM.

There is no universal definition of In3formation Management (IM) despite numerous discussions over the last decade about the meaning, content and use of IM in many disciplines. This is not to say, however, that a concept of IM is not developing. Indeed, three types of definitions (two of which are not dissimilar) have so far emerged from the literature: existential (the origins and elements of IM), operational (management of the information resource for strategic corporate objectives) and hybrid manager (organizational response to developments in information technology). This may cause some confusion about the nature of pure IM, but the key is to realize that its roots and possible development lie in a number of disparate but converging professional fields.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the synergies among reverse logistics supply chain (RLSC), quality management (QM) and information management (IM) concepts to enhance the effectiveness of demolition waste management (DWM) practices.

A systematic literature review was conducted using 70 articles published between the years of 2006 and 2017, which were subjected to descriptive and thematic analysis.

The descriptive analysis established that the RLSC concept was dealt within the majority of the publications (61 per cent), followed by concepts related to quality in RLSC (24 per cent). Only 14 per cent of the articles were based on IM concepts related to RLSC. Quality and information are interrelated in the effective implementation of RLSC. The thematic analysis demonstrated that there is a need for using quality parameters in a regulatory environment in an information-based environment. Based on the findings, future research directions were developed.

The study encourages researchers to identify novel directions by combining these three concepts. The study developed a future research agenda regarding use of building information modelling (BIM) for existing buildings under novel technologies; analysis of secondary market demand and supply; and assessment of cost and safety management with quality in a BIM-enabled environment.

The practical implications include the application of sustainable management principles based on stakeholders and the regulatory environment.

Integration of the three concepts is an emerging area. This integration developed a robust approach to achieve QM in RLSC operations under a sound information flow enabling the optimisation of DWM.

There are similarities between information management (IM) and knowledge management (KM), but the latter is wider in scope and includes (especially) aspects of process and learning which are not major concerns of information management as generally understood. This article presents theoretical considerations on both similarities and differences between IM and KM, and summarises the points made into a conceptual model of basic KM processes. It is emphasised that KM operates in a quite different way from IM and that management must see ‘knowledge’ in a much wider sense than that of document storage and retrieval per se. The point is made that a knowledge management perspective on business processes, training and achievement of business objectives is relevant in a different way from IM which has up till now been used in an information service way to refer to repository‐based systems. This point is illustrated by using total quality management (TQM) as an example. The examination of TQM‐based management tools reveals that the application of these tools is interesting from a KM point of view, having significant consequences especially in terms of knowledge creation, accumulation and sharing.

How to make an effective use of building information modeling (BIM) for information management (IM) is a challenging question in the field of construction project and asset management. Chen et al. (2015) answered this question by developing a conceptual framework of “bridging BIM and building (BBB).” However, the underlying mechanism through which BBB can truly impact IM remains unclear. The purpose of this paper is thus to demystify the mechanism linking BBB and IM.

Drawing upon the IM literature, this paper proposes three IM requirements, namely, requirements on information quantity, quality and accessibility, as the significant mediators between BBB and IM. To verify this proposition, a two-year, participatory case study was conducted based on a real-life construction project in which a BBB system was implemented.

The results of the case study supported the proposition that by enhancing the information quantity, quality and accessibility BBB could favorably contribute to IM in construction.

This paper provides knowledge about system architecture, components and their linkage in an operable BBB system. It also provides empirical experience about BBB implementation.

This study is among the first attempts to streamline the theoretical discourses relating to BBB for IM in a construction context. It contributes to the construction IM by directing attention to key IM requirements and processes rooted in the IM literature.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the key features of information management systems (IMSs) for automation in university libraries. This study also highlights the use of library information management systems in university libraries and the satisfaction of university librarians in using various IMS.

This study is quantitative in nature. A survey research method has been applied to achieve the research objectives. Purposive sampling has been used to select the targeted population which consisted of 157 librarians working in university libraries. Data were collected through a web-based questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistics were applied to analyze the collected data by using SPSS software.

Free and open source software are widely used in university libraries to manage the bibliographic information of library material. KOHA is the most used software for library automation in university libraries of Pakistan. The key features of library information management system (IMS) include reliability and security of the software, user-friendly interface, advance searching options, use of library standards (MARC, Uni MARC, RDA), online upgradation, technical support of developing company, shared cataloging, multilingual features of software, etc (See Figure 4). The study recommends that the above-mentioned features must be considered by university librarians when selecting any software for library automation. Results showed that apart from the use of KOHA software, there are also some other software which are being used for library automation in university libraries of Pakistan. These systems include; Virtua, Library Management System (LMS), and Library Information Management Systems (LIMSs).

This study has practical implications for university librarians in Pakistan as well as in other countries. Librarians can use the results of this study as a blueprint before selecting any information management system to automate the library record.

This study identifies the core features of IMS for automation in libraries. These features have been recommended by informational professionals who have been working in automated libraries and possess adequate professional experience in using library automation software.