Information Science: Its Past, Present and Future (original) (raw)
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The scope of the concept of information and the future of information science
Journal of information and organizational sciences, 2019
The key concept of information science is the concept of information which is tied to a number of complications. The main problem is that there is no definition of this concept. The purpose of this article is an analysis of the concept of information from the position of classical logic. The main method of the article is a conceptual analysis. First, we briefly deal with the overview of the concepts of information, with concepts and their definition as such and with the scope of the concept of information. Then, we provide an analysis of 31 important definitions of the concept of information which were developed within the scope of information science and related fields, and we consider relations between the concept of information and the concepts in other disciplines. Conceptual analysis of the concept of information leads to the conclusion that information is probably a concept that somehow addresses the entire reality, thus that it is a term, which is in the classical logic descr...
Journal of The American Society for Information Science and Technology, 1999
This essay is a personal analysis of information science as a field of scientific inquiry and professional practice that has evolved over the past half-century. Various sec- tions examine the origin of information science in re- spect to the problems of information explosion; the so- cial role of the field; the nature of "information" in infor- mation science; the structure
Reconsidering the history and context of information science
International Journal of Advanced Scientific Research, 2020
This paper initially presents the current context of Information Science, as its nature is perceived by contemporary definitions. These definitions are inextricably linked up the modern Information and Communication Technologies. Nevertheless, this context is historically criticized herein, by presenting examples of the past that demonstrate the evolution of information processing alongside the evolution of contemporary technologies. Consequently, a new context is proposed that includes the diachronic human efforts on processing information for achieving/ensuring communication between them. This new proposed context expands the definition of Information Science, in order to include a related group of Arts and Sciences, making it more of a scientific umbrella term that describes the field of human communication tools, concepts and practices. In this respect, the associated field is termed in plural, namely, Information Sciences.
Toward a New Science of Information
Data Science Journal, 2007
Currently, a Science of Information does not exist. What we have is Information Science that grew out of Library and Documentation Science with the help of Computer Science. The basic understanding of information in Information Science is the Shannon type of "information" at which numerous criticisms have been levelled so far. The task of an as-yet-to-be-developed Science of Information would be to study the feasibility of, and to advance, approaches toward a more general Theory of Information and toward a common concept of information. What scientific requirements need to be met when trying to develop a Science of Information? What are the aims of a Science of Information? What is the scope of a Science of Information? What tools should a Science of Information make use of? The present paper responds to these questions.
The nature of information science: changing models
Information Research an International Electronic Journal, 2010
Introduction; the debatable nature of information science Debates about the nature of information science, the scope of the discipline and its relations to other academic and professional areas are as old as the discipline itself. These are not merely navel-gazing, or arguments about terminology. They relate to the validity and viability of the discipline and have significance for the extent to which its unique contributions are recognised. Information science first became known as a discipline during the 1950s. The first usage of the term in a paper by Farradane (1955:76),
Information Science: the Challenge of a Basic Science
The challenge of going basic is the challenge of meeting, solving, of enduring the many mundane problems engendered by the challenge to one's personal life, professional life, and career caused by deciding to concentrate on the search for a basic science. These challenges are engendered when one turns from the practical and accepted path of improving technology onto the path of searching for a basic science and can form the greatest impediment to achieving this goal. Most of these problems are nonsubstantive scientifically but all are extremely important from a practical standpoint. Due to the collective force of all of these mundane, but very practical, problems, there are several implications about how we fund research, reward workers, and select new candidates for entry into the field. These implications are generally contrary to present practices.
Redefining information science: from “information science” to “knowledge science”
Journal of Documentation, 2006
PurposeThis philosophical essay aims to explore the concept of information science.Design/methodology/approachThe philosophical argumentation is composed of five phases. It is based on clarifying the meanings of its basic concept “data”, “information” and “knowledge”.FindingsThe study suggests that the name of the field “information science” should be changed to “knowledge science”.Originality/valueThe paper offers reflections on the explored phenomena of information science.
tripleC-Cognition, …, 2011
In our times, an increasing number of disciplines are dealing with information in very different ways: from the information society and information technology to communication studies (and related subjects like codes, meaning, knowledge, and intelligence), as well as quantum information, bioinformation, the knowledge economy, network science, computer science and the Internet, to name but a few. At the same time, an increasing number of scientists in the East and the West have been engaged with the foundational problems underlying this development, to such an extent that it seems the time has come to integrate disciplines revolving around information. A new science of information can be envisaged that explores the possibilities of establishing a common ground around the information concept, of constructing a new scientific perspective that connects the different information-related disciplines and provides a new framework for transdisciplinary research.
Conceptions of information science
Journal of the American Society For Information Science and Technology, 2007
The field of information science is constantly changing. Therefore, information scientists are required to regularly review-and if necessary-redefine its fundamental building blocks. This article is one of four articles that documents the results of the Critical Delphi study conducted in 2003-2005. The study, "Knowledge Map of Information Science," was aimed at exploring the foundations of information science. The international panel was composed of 57 leading scholars from 16 countries who represent nearly all the major subfields and important aspects of the field. In this study, the author documents 50 definitions of information science, maps the major theoretical issues relevant to the formulation of a systematic conception, formulates six different conceptions of the field, and discusses their implications. Methodology The scientific methodology used was Critical Delphi. Critical Delphi is a qualitative research methodology aimed