Demystifying the complexities of information science.

AuthorKosciejew, Marc

Information science is a complex, scholarly discipline that is influenced by two major themes: constant change and a wide scope. It is in perpetual flux as it responds and adapts to continuously changing contexts, including political, economic, cultural, and social. This constant change is particularly acute as new information communication technologies and the Internet accelerate the creation, management, and use of different kinds and formats of information. It has a wide disciplinary scope because information pervades contemporary life and organization, making information science applicable to all other disciplines, professions, and environments.

These factors can make explaining this professional discipline a daunting challenge. But in Information Services Today: An Introduction, the distinguished information science scholar and leader Sandra Hirsh and her team of diverse contributors meet this challenge with a clear guide to help readers navigate the complexities.

Scope

This introductory textbook presents a panoramic overview of the information professions and then- associated contexts, communities, and collections. It:

* Covers their major characteristics and components

* Addresses their key issues, challenges, and opportunities

* Identifies their current and emerging trends

Indeed, this textbook establishes a strong foundation on which readers can build and expand their knowledge about the current state of the information professions and their environments.

Organization

Information Services Today is coherently organized into seven independent, but complementary, overarching sections, which are further divided into more specific and detailed chapters, which clearly demonstrate the discipline's wide scope. As numbered below, the section:

  1. Explores different kinds of information landscapes and their particular cultural and technological influences

  2. Examines the information professions and their physical, virtual, and hybrid environments

  3. Focuses on information services, such as access services, technical services, and information literacy

  4. Analyzes information users and their particular information needs, including their expectations and how they engage with, learn from, and create information

  5. Discusses the management of information organizations, including their facilities, technologies and infrastructures, human resources, budgets, and resources and collections

  6. Addresses the complex economic, legal, and social issues...

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT