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Encyclopedia Britannica

Information science

discipline that deals with the processes of storing and transferring information. It attempts to bring together concepts and methods from various disciplines such as library science, computer science and engineering, linguistics, psychology, and other technologies in order to develop techniques and devices to aid in the handling—that is, in the collection, organization, storage, retrieval, interpretation, and use—of information.

The transfer of information through time requires the existence of some storage medium, which is designated a document—hence the term documentation. Historically, “documentation” emerged as a distinct discipline in the early 20th century, paralleling the rise of empirical research, which was to provide its main source of subjects. The discipline grew in response to the growth of the periodical and the journal as the prevalent media for scientific reports. Whereas books required control through cataloging and classification, periodicals required indexes and abstracts that would bring together for the researcher primary information originally published in divergent sources.

The roots of the discipline of information science lay in three post-World War II developments: the Shannon-Weaver information theory model, Norbert Wiener's conception of the science of cybernetics, and rapid advances in the design and production of electronic computers. These innovations pointed to a new field of study in which many disciplines could be merged under the unifying idea of “information.” After the Georgia Institute of Technology established the first formal information science program in 1963, the discipline quickly developed at a number of other universities either as an independent field of study or as a specialty within such departments as library science, computer science, or engineering.

In its early stages during the 1960s, information science was primarily concerned with applying the then-new computer technology to the processing and managing of documents. Modeling studies were undertaken of the effectiveness of information storage and retrieval; modes of human-machine interaction; the effect of form on the content and comprehension of information; the processes of information generation, transmission, and transformation; and the establishment of general principles that explain and predict information phenomena.

The applied computer technologies—and more recently, the theoretical areas of study—of information science have since permeated many other disciplines and have even been appropriated by new fields, each preferring a more descriptive designation of its subject domain. The institutionalization of information science as a discrete discipline thus has not occurred, and the number of its scientist-practitioners is low. Computer science and engineering tend to absorb the theory- and technology-oriented subjects of the field, and management science tends to absorb the information systems subjects. Hundreds of professional associations do exist that are concerned with information-related disciplines, providing a forum where people can exchange ideas about information processing.

Library science

library science Britannica Concise Print Article :: Email Article :: Cite Article

the principles and practices of library operation and administration, and their study. Libraries have existed since ancient times, but only in the second half of the 19th century did library science emerge as a separate field of study. With the knowledge explosion in the 20th century, it was gradually subsumed under the more general field of information science (q.v.).

By the second half of the 19th century, Western countries had experienced such a proliferation of books of all sorts that the nature of the librarian's work was radically altered; being well-read was no longer a sufficient characteristic for the post. The librarian needed some means of easy and rapid identification as well as strong organizational and administrative skills, and the necessity for specialized training soon became clear. One of the earliest pioneers in library training in the United States was Melvil Dewey (q.v.), who established the first training program for librarians in 1887. These training programs in the United States evolved into graduate programs in library education accredited by the American Library Association (ALA; founded 1876).

In the 20th century, advances in the means of collecting, organizing, and retrieving information changed the focus of libraries, enabling a great variety of institutions and organizations, as well as individuals, to conduct their own searches for information without the involvement of a library or library staff. As a result, universities began to offer combined graduate programs in library science and information science. These programs usually provide a master's degree and may provide more advanced degrees, including doctorates. Particulars of admission and course requirements vary from school to school. In the United States and Canada, the appropriateness of graduate programs in library and information science in preparing students to become professional librarians is still ensured by accreditation by the ALA. Increasingly, however, graduates of these programs are finding themselves qualified for a variety of professional positions in other parts of the information industry.

In many countries the furtherance of librarianship and library systems is promoted by national and regional library associations. The Chicago-based ALA, for example, in addition to its promotion of library service and librarianship, has an extensive publishing program and holds annual national conferences. Professional associations of a similar nature exist throughout the world.

Encarta

Information Science Article View On the File menu, click Print to print the information. Information Science I. Introduction

Information Science, interdisciplinary academic field that deals with the generation, collection, organization, storage, retrieval, and dissemination of recorded knowledge. People sometimes mistakenly use information science as a synonym for library science. Although it is related to library science, information science is a separate discipline. II. Library Science and Information Science

Library science, more accurately labeled librarianship, is a professional area of study designed to prepare individuals for careers as librarians. Librarians are primarily concerned with such tasks as evaluating, processing, storing, and retrieving information. Librarians also help library patrons use collections, software, and online public access catalogs (OPACs). Most graduate school programs in library science incorporate the study of information science in the curriculum. See also Library.

Information science combines elements of librarianship with ideas and technologies from many other fields, including social sciences, computer science, mathematics, electrical engineering, linguistics, management, neuroscience, and information systems theory. Within the field of information science, information may be defined as the knowledge contained in the human brain and in all electronic and written records. Information science is the scientific study of that information: how it is created, transmitted, encoded, transformed, retrieved, measured, used, and valued.

Information scientists analyze the many and various phenomena that affect any aspect of information. They are interested in studying such questions as the following: What is the effect of information on individuals and groups when it is presented in various formats? How do publication dates, frequency of citation, productivity and prominence of authors affect the relevance of literature on a given subject? (This field of study is known as bibliometrics.) How do humans and computers interact? What is the reliability of retrieving information from online databases and the Internet?

For the information scientist, therefore, the library is only one of several sites for information storage and usage. Information scientists may study information stored in archives, switching centers (systems that establish connections between electronic communications, such as e-mail), or institutions such as schools and businesses. Information scientists work in such places as medical centers, computing companies, university and corporate research institutes, and indexing companies. They are concerned with a wide range of activities, from creation of computer file structures to experimental tests of interactive communication between computers and humans. III. Education in Information Science

Educational programs in information science typically include the study of such academic fields as computer science, electrical engineering, linguistics, and mathematics. Most academic programs in information science are at the graduate level of higher education. A master's degree in information science requires training in such fields as mathematics and information theory combined with practical skills in areas such as management and computer programming. Doctoral studies in information science include interdisciplinary work in the psychology of human information processing and decision-making, and in theories of knowledge organization and information processing. Academic programs in information science also require a firm grounding in the liberal arts and in the social sciences or life sciences. IV. History

The roots of information science are the field of documentation that emerged when digital computers were developed during the 1940s and early 1950s. During World War II (1939-1945) scientists involved in the war effort urgently required increased precision and thoroughness in their bibliographic searches of scientific journals. They developed more efficient searching methods by changing traditional kinds of classification, such as the Dewey Decimal Classification system, into information systems that could take advantage of the speed and accuracy of computers. In the 1940s and 1950s scientists introduced automated searching of files, advanced indexing techniques, and a standardized vocabulary for conducting searches. They later developed automated abstracts (summaries) of documents to further simplify access to research findings.

In the 1960s members of the scientific, legal, and business communities made extensive use of new, highly efficient computerized information systems. For example, lawyers transferred massive collections of their printed documents to computer databases so they could conduct searches quickly and accurately by computer. By 1980 nearly all professional and academic fields were relying on computerized information systems to perform a wide variety of tasks. As a result, information science had become a thoroughly interdisciplinary field, used in such diverse areas as computer science, linguistics, and sociology. V. Artificial Intelligence

Since the 1980s artificial intelligence (AI) has been the primary focus of research activity for information scientists. Artificial intelligence refers to a machine's capacity to mimic human thought and behavior. Using findings of information science research, scientists have created machines with AI that can understand spoken language and can make logical decisions. These machines can perform such diverse functions as playing chess, devising investment strategies, or helping physicians diagnose disease. In the 1990s information scientists developed an AI computer program that allows nonexperts to use their own natural language to retrieve information from databases that use more complicated programming languages. This allowed more people to find information—such as business data or medical records—that previously only a few computer experts could retrieve. VI. Challenges of the Future

Information scientists are working on better ways to manage massive databases containing not only text, but also numerical data; sound; and fixed, moving, and three-dimensional images. A major challenge for information scientists is to determine the extent to which information access systems can be made easy for nonspecialists to understand and use. Information scientists are also working to further their understanding of human thought processes. Contributed By: Richard S. Halsey, M.Mus., S.M.L.S., Ph.D. Dean Emeritus, School of Information Science and Policy, State University of New York at Albany. "Information Science," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2006 http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2006 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved. © 1993-2006 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Dictionaries

Encarta

Information science

in·for·ma·tion sci·ence

noun Definition:

study of data organization: the study of the collection, categorization, and distribution of data, particularly computer data

Informatics

in·for·mat·ics

noun Definition:

U.K. information science Same as information science ( takes a singular verb )

[Mid-20th century. < information, after Russian informatika]

Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary

Information science

information science (also informatics /{I}nf{shwa}mt{I}ks; NAmE {I}nf{shwa}r/) noun [U] (computing) the study of processes for storing and obtaining information

Informatics

informatics /{I}nf{shwa}mt{I}ks; NAmE {I}nf{shwa}r/ noun [U] = information science

-ics

-ics suffix (in nouns) the science, art or activity of: physics dramatics athletics

Merriam-Webster

Information science

information science One entry found for information science. Main Entry: information science Function: noun

the collection, classification, storage, retrieval, and dissemination of recorded knowledge treated both as a pure and as an applied science

Informatics

informatics One entry found for informatics. Main Entry: in·for·mat·ics Pronunciation: "in-f&r-'ma-tiks Function: noun plural but singular in construction Etymology: International Scientific Vocabulary information + -ics chiefly British : INFORMATION SCIENCE

-ics

Main Entry: -ics Function: noun plural suffix but singular or plural in construction Etymology: 1-ic + 2-s; translation of Greek -ika, from neuter plural of -ikos -ic 1 : study : knowledge : skill : practice <linguistics> <electroMain Entry: -ics Function: noun plural suffix but singular or plural in construction Etymology: 1-ic + 2-s; translation of Greek -ika, from neuter plural of -ikos -ic 1 : study : knowledge : skill : practice <linguistics> <electronics> 2 : characteristic actions or activities <acrobatics> 3 : characteristic qualities, operations, or phenomena <mechanics>nics> 2 : characteristic actions or activities <acrobatics> 3 : characteristic qualities, operations, or phenomena <mechanics>

American Herritage Dictionary

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

Information science

information science

NOUN: The science that is concerned with the gathering, manipulation, classification, storage, and retrieval of recorded knowledge.

Informatics

informatics

SYLLABICATION: in·for·mat·ics PRONUNCIATION: nfr-mtks NOUN: Chiefly British (used with a sing. verb) Information science. ETYMOLOGY: informat(ion) + –ics.

-ics

–ics

SUFFIX: 1. Science, art, study, or knowledge of, or skill in: photonics. 2. Actions, activities, or practices of: athletics. 3. Qualities or operations of: mechanics. ETYMOLOGY: –ic + –s1 (translation of Greek -ika, from neuter pl. of -ikos, adj. suff).

User:Ruud Koot/Informati

Encxyclopedias

Encyclopedia Britannica

Information science

Library science

Encarta

Dictionaries

Encarta

Information science

Informatics

Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary

Information science

Informatics

-ics

Merriam-Webster

Information science

Informatics

-ics

American Herritage Dictionary

Information science

Informatics

-ics

.ac.uk / informatics

.ac.uk / information science

.nl / informatics

.nl / information science

.edu / informatics

.edu / information science

.ac.za

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