Various Definitions of Information Science – Current views
WEBSITES
Wikipedia ()
Information science (or information studies) is an interdisciplinary field primarily concerned with the analysis, collection, classification, manipulation, storage, retreival, movement, and dissemination of information. (Cite: Stock, W.G., & Stock, M. (2013). Handbook of Information Science. Berlin, Boston, MA: De Gruyter Saur)
ODLIS: Online Dictionary for Library and Information Science by Joan M. Reitz.
The systematic study and analysis of the sources, development, collection, organization, dissemination, evaluation, use, and management of information in all its forms, including the channels (formal and informal) and technology used in its communication.
WiseGEEK
Information science is a term that refers to interdisciplinary research. This science involves the collection, analysis, and categorization of various types of information as well as the storage and retrieval of it. This type of science also involves the dispersing, use, and management of information. Sometimes people think of information science as a computer science category. Information science, however, actually includes some parts of computer science under its umbrella as well as a range of fields that span from archival science and law to library science and mathematics. When a person studies information science, he attempts to gain more knowledge and a better understanding of problems people and companies face in collecting, storing, analyzing, retrieving, and using information. This field of science also involves using technology and developing systems to deal with such problems. For example, an information scientist may design and implement database systems for the collection, storage, and retrieval of information.
Academic Room
(Note: A quick historic overview)
Michael Buckland (2011) wrote an article What Kind of Science Can Information Science Be? from the perspective of Library and information science: "other important fields have also used the name “information science.” One is computer science, concerned with the theory and application of algorithms. Another, concerned with entropy, probability, Shannon-Weaver information theory, physical patterns (in-form-ing), and related topics, is sometimes referred to as the “physics of information.” Also, the word information is, of course, used in information technology (IT, also ICT, for information and communication technologies), but largely restricted in practice to the use of electronics for communication and computation. These other areas are not considered here. Instead, we are concerned with those areas generally understood as being within the scope of library and information science (LIS) and the interests of the American Society for Information Science and Technology."
Business Dictionary
Body of Knowledge that provides theoretical basis for information technology and includes subjects such as computer science, library science, artificial intelligence, mathematics of programming, and theory of problem solving.
An Interview with Bob Boiko
Bob Boiko has been a professor of information science for 10 years. He teaches at University of Washington in Seattle, Washington.
Information science is the study of the web and all other technologies for communicating with people. It is rapidly growing and changing field that shapes the way we communicate to each other across the world.
POWERPOINT PRESENTATIONS OF INTEREST
Indianan University at Bloomington
A link to What is Information Science take you to a ppt presentation to the concepts and practices to Human Computer Interaction
University of Buffalo
What is Information Science is defines through a PPT presentation titled “Information Technology, Informatics, & Information Science.
YOUTUBE
What is Information Science?
This video describes the undergraduate major, information science, at the School of Library and Information Science at the University of South Carolina. It features interviews with the director of the school, Dr. Sam Hastings; faculty members, Dr. Ron Brown, Dr. Paul Solomon, Dr. Elise Lewis, and students, Mandy Hawkins and AustaJoye. Video time: 3:53. These are definitions given by faculty at USC. The number is the brackets identity the place/time in the video:
Ron Brown, Associate Professor [1:10] “Information Science is the study of information in all of its forms and in all of its context. You have social context you have organization context.”
Paul Solomon, Associate Professor [1:20] “The one thing that I think information science attends to in that mix more than anything is trying to fit together the content, the information, and the technology to help people do what they want to do.”
Elise Lewis, Instructor [1:38] “Information Science is a field that deals with information. Whether it’s creation, dissemination, organization, preservation, digitization. Anything that involves information, we touch on in the field of informaton science.”