What is the field of Information?

1
What is the field of Information?

• A discipline that investigates the properties and
  behavior of information, the forces governing the
  flow of information, and the means of processing
  information for optimum accessibility and
  usability.
• It is concerned with that body of knowledge
  relating to the origination, collection,
  organization, storage, retrieval, interpretation,
  transmission, transformation, and utilization of
  information.
• It is an interdisciplinary science derived from
  and related to such fields as mathematics,
  linguistics, psychology, computer science, the
  graphic arts, communications, library science,
  management, and other similar fields.
• It has both a pure science component (theories
  and data on information properties and
  behaviors), and an applied science component,
  which develops services and products.
• After H.Borko (1968)

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What our graduates do

• Librarians
• Public, academic, special
• Information architects
• Usability and user experience analysts
• Archivists
• School media specialists
• Preservation managers,
• Conservators
• Information officers, managers

3
Commonalities

• Focus on the user
• Without the human element, information is a
  meaningless concept
• user and social advocacy
• User-centered design
• Information as a common need
• Part of the information lifecycle
• From creation, through use to preservation

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Distinctions?

• Emphasis on one or more stages of the lifecycle
• E.g. archives or school media
• Interest in technology
• E.g. media design or conservation
• Area of application
• Business, academia, public sector

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Major issues in information

• Designing for usability and utility
• Preservation in a digital age
• Overcoming a digital divide
• Improving accessibility
• Education and role of information professionals
• Information policy, literacy and privacy