INFORMATON SCIENCE:DEFINITION, OBJECTIVES, SCOPE

HARSHA E.C.CALICUT UNIVERSITY

INTRODUCTIONThe word information comes from the Latin word Informare meaning to inform.

Information Science is an interdisciplinary field primarily concerned with the analysis, collection, storage, retrieval and dissemination of information. Information Science is Science , which deals with the different aspects of information from the generation of information to the utilization.

Information science is often considered as a branch of computer science. However it is actually a broad interdisciplinary field, incorporating not only aspects of computer science, But often diverse fields such as archival science, commerce, communication, law, library science, management, mathematics, philosophy, social science.

Information science should not be confused with information theory and library science. Information theory is the study of a particular mathematical concept of information.

Generation, Storage, Dissemination of information with the application of technology

In nutshell , Information science is the study about Information itself , as Economics is the study about economic system, Library science is the study about library and techniques . Hence information science discuss on information and how it used by people with the help of new technology especially by computer.

In 1960’s Information science was concerned primarily with applying the new computer technology to the processing and managing of documents.

DEFINITION

An early definition of information science going back to 1968, the year when American society for Information science and Technology is

“Information science is that discipline that investigate the properties and behavior of information , the forces governing the flow of information , and the means of processing information for optimum accessibility and usability

Information science is the study of the nature, collection and management of information and of it’s uses especially involving computer storage and retrievals , transformation and utilization of information .

There is no necessity to confuse with Library and information science and Information science. Library and information science utilized information science in order to enrich or widen the Library science. So Library science merge with Information science and became Library and information science ( Adopt new technologies and evolve new techniques to satisfy users)

The Department of Information science at otago focuses

“The concept became particularly predominant since the end of world war second with the wide spread use of computer network.”

In United state, they considered Information science as the extension of Documentation service( Study of

recording and retrieval of information)

Documentation service gradually developed into the broader field of Information science.

Paul Outlet, Henri La Fontaine regarded as the pioneers of Information science .

HOW INFORMATION SCIENCE DISTINGUISH

Concept Library science

Documentation

Information science

Unit Library Documentation

Information

Medium Book Document Database

User Reader User Recipient

Staff Librarian Documentalist

Information officer

techniques

Manual Manual or Mechanized

Mechanized

OBJECTIVES Library without walls

Creation of knowledge

It should provide the major role of information service

Specify the component of Information system and indicate their relationship

What Information service are to be provided and how

To provide same data to different individual

To provide same data at different times to same individual

Differences of response of the same individual to the same data presented in varying forms

SCOPEGeneration of data and Information

Word processing, record, spelling checking software

Recording, Storage of data or information

Magnetic medium, video cassette, electronic filing, database

Organization , Retrieval of data

Database Management System(DBMS)Information retrieval system, hardware solution

Communication and dissemination of information

Electronic mail, computer conference

Before the strengthening of information , Science, generation of Information was through writing and communication was person to person communication, post, telephone etc:

INFORMATION SCIENCE library and information

science Communication and media Computer science Management Sociology Psychology Information science is the intersection

of several disciplines and is truly interdisciplinary

CONCLUSIONInformation science has relevant importance ,

because information plays a vital role in just about everything we do in modern society . So people with information science skills are in high demand and there are many career opportunities infields such as business, education, health, mass media

There are many definition to Information science, but it is amorphous in nature . It is a mix of library science, statistics, Research methods and psychology. So we can reach in conclusion that, it is highly interdisciplinary in nature and there are several disciplines which make inputs to the discipline and it is amorphous and not sharply delineated

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