Information Science

Introduction to Library & Information Studies

LIS-505February 22, 2010

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Objectives

To define information science

To explore the relationship between information science and librarianship

To review the arguments for and against information science as a discipline or profession

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Information Science: Problems in Definition A matter of meaning – What is “information”? An ambiguous term

Buckland (1991): information as process - act of informing;

communication of something information as knowledge - the “something”

which has been communicated information as thing - object such as data or

documents

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Buckland (1991): Information-as-Thing – Representation

Information systems (e.g. IR and ‘expert’) can only deal with information directly as information-as-thing (i.e. physical representations of knowledge)

Representations of knowledge and of events are information-as-thing

Concept of evidence — passive — humans do things with it or to it (e.g. interpret it, describe it, etc.)

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Representations: Buckland (1991)

“If an object is not representative of something, then it is not clear how far it can signify anything, i.e., be informative” (p.355).

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I.S. Representations: Characteristics(Buckland, 1991)

Somewhat incomplete—something of original is lost.

Made for convenience (e.g. easier to store, search, understand)

Shift from event or object to text; text to text; object and texts to data

Additional details may be added to the representation to inform or misinform

Process of representation can continue indefinitely

Usually briefer or smaller than whatever is being represented.

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And what do we mean by “science”?

At pure science level purpose is to find out truth(s) of the matter studied.

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Information Science: Bates (1999)

Information science studies the world of recorded information produced by human agency (‘fourth universe’).

How humans produce, seek, retrieve and use this universe = intellectual domain of information science.

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The Content of Form: Bates (1999)

Applied IS focuses on form, organization and structure of information not with content.

IS is a meta-discipline; Information is the “red thread” that runs through it.

“The average person, whether Ph.D. scholar or high school graduate, never notices the structure that organizes their information, because they are so caught up in absorbing and relating to the content” (p. 1045).

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The Content of Form: Bates (1999)

“…at first it feels alien to think about a resource in terms of the features that matter to the organization and retrieval of it, rather than in terms of mastering its content” (p. 1046).

Underlines need for information expertise not subject expertise.

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Characteristics of Information Science: Bates (1999)

Interdisciplinary.

Closely linked to IT.

Possessing a social and human dimension.

Service and empowerment-oriented value system.

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Information Science: Griffiths (2000)

“Information science focuses on the relationship between people and recorded knowledge and uses a variety of tools to help understand and improve the relationship.” (p. 25)

People. By developing deeper understandings of people’s preferences and practices, helps in the design and delivery of improved processes and services for production, dissemination, receipt and use of recorded information.

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Information Science: Griffiths (2000)

Recorded Knowledge. Better understanding of the structure of knowledge, format and medium used to communicate information content helps in the process of organization, dissemination and communication.

Tools. Research into tools design, development and evaluation can improve relationship between people and recorded knowledge in its creation, capture, storage, preservation, identification, dissemination and use.

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IS: Field of practice and scientific inquiry

Study of information to generate theoretical models (More on this next week!)

Development and implementation of models to enable the design of better information systems

Profession of providing an information service(Saracevic)

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Do definitions matter?

“Debates over the ‘proper’ definitions of information science, as of any field, are fruitless, and in expectations naïve. Information Science, as a science and as a profession, is defined by the problems it has addressed and the methods it has used for their solutions over time”

(Saracevic, 1999 p. 1051).

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Information Science : A More Recent Definition

The systematic study and analysis of the sources, development, collections, organization, dissemination, evaluation, use, and management of information in all its forms, including the channels (formal and informal) and technology used in its communication.

Reitz, Joan. (2004). Dictionary for Library and Information Science. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited. p. 358.

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The 3 Big IS Questions

What are the features and laws of the recorded information universe?

How do people seek and use information?

How can access to recorded information be made most rapid and effective?

(Bates)

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Information Science: Content

Information use and users Information organization Information systems

Human-computer interaction (HCI) Information retrieval (IR) Evaluation

Information services Information dissemination Bibliometrics

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Information Science: Content Saracevic: Two clusters of study in Information

Science (as shown by a bibliometric analysis, 1998)

One cluster: Information analysis This includes: Content analysis of texts,

communication, information uses, information behavior

Second cluster: Retrieval This includes: User studies of IT, library

systems, OPACS, IR theory, retrieval algorithms, HCI

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Information Science: Supporters of I.S. distinct from Library Science

IS cannot be equated with documentation, information retrieval, librarianship or with anything else. Information science is not souped up IR or librarianship any more than physics is supercharged engineering. (Rees & Saracevic)

Librarianship and documentation are applied aspects of information science; techniques and procedures used by librarians and documentalists are, or should be, based upon the theoretical findings of information science. (Borko).

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Information Science: Opponents

It is quite evident that information science is rooted in attempts to extend the boundaries of library technology and give it revived respectability by endowing it with a unique name (Shera).

Efforts to tease apart the disciplinary domains of library science and information science have been unsuccessful; they have arisen more from discontent with the status quo than from adequate cognitive claims, usually by non-librarians discontented with librarianship (Schrader).

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Information Science: Compromisers Library and information

science represent “a disciplinary continuum…with no easily identifiable boundary separating them, though the difference between the extreme ends of the continuum are clear and even dramatic”

(Rayward)

Librarianship and practical information science both have in common an information perspective, even though they have very different histories

(Bates)

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What’s in a Name?

Names of Programs Names of Departments Names of Journals Names of Associations

Convergence or Divergence?

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New names for old ideas?

Information studies Information systems Information management Knowledge management

The debate continues……………….

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15 MINUTES

Knowledge ManagementIntroduction to Library &

Information StudiesLIS-505

Adapted from a presentation by Dr. K. Dalkir, School of Information Studies

McGill University, Montreal, Quebec

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General Introduction to KM KM is a relatively new discipline that has emerged

from business practitioners to form a new discipline of study

KM is extremely multidisciplinary in nature

KM is full of people from highly diverse backgrounds

KM is a “work in progress” – it has not yet matured into a well defined profession such as engineering, medicine and law

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A brief history of KM

YEAR ENTITY EVENT

1986 Dr. K Wiig Coined KM concept at UN

1989 Consulting Firms Start internal KM projects

1991 HBR article Nonaka & Takeuchi

1993 Dr. K Wiig First KM book published

1994 KM Network First KM Conference

1997 Consulting Firms First KM services for clients

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Why do we need KM?

It was easy to do in the past - - “coffee cliques”, smoker’s gathering, water coolers….

Traditionally, we have shared knowledge through ‘word of mouth’ (e.g. master to apprentice)

socializing comes ‘naturally’ to us, there are fewer opportunities in today’s much larger, much more global companies

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KM

Today’s Working Environment

More &Faster

More Connected

PCPC

PC

Internet

More Global

Multi-cultural

Multi-lingual

Multi-site

MoreMobile

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Increasing Complexity Today’s work environment is more complex due

to an increase in the number of subjective knowledge items we need to attend to everyday

Filtering over 200 emails, faxes, voicemail messages on a daily basis – how to prioritize?

Having to “think on our feet” as expected response time has greatly decreased as well

KM is a response to the challenge of trying to manage this complexity amidst information overload

A “science of complexity”

Thanks to Felicity Tayler for the figure

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What is KM? A definition:

Knowledge management (KM): The systematic capture, organization,

leveraging and dissemination of an organization’s knowledge (tacit and explicit) to improve the efficiency and adaptivity of teams and to promote innovation

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More definitions…• KM is the systematic, explicit and deliberate building,

renewal and application of knowledge to maximize an enterprise’s knowledge-related effectiveness and returns from knowledge assets (K. Wiig)

• KM is the process of capturing a company’s collective expertise wherever it resides: in databases, on paper, in people’s heads – and distributing it to wherever it can help produce the biggest payoff. (Hibbard)

• KM is getting the right knowledge to the right people at the right time so they can make the best decision (Petrash)

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Even more KM Definitions… It is the attempt to recognize what is essentially a human

asset buried in the minds of individuals, and leverage it into an organizational asset that can be accessed and used by a broader set of individuals on whose decisions the firm depends (Prusak)

KM applies systematic approaches to find, understand and use knowledge to create value (O’Dell)

KM is the explicit control and management of knowledge within an organization aimed at achieving the company’s objectives (van der Spek)

KM is the formalization of and access to experience, knowledge, and expertise that create new capabilities, enable superior performance, encourage innovation and enhance customer value (Beckman)

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KM addresses two different forms of knowledge:

Tacit Knowledge

Explicit Knowledge

80-85% 15-20%active

files

passive

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Tacit Knowledge Difficult to articulate – to put into words, text,

drawings

“We have a habit of writing articles published in scientific journals to make the work as finished as possible, to cover up all the tracks, to not worry about the blind alleys or how you had the wrong idea at first, and so on. So there isn’t any place to publish, in a dignified manner, what you actually did in order to do the work.” (Richard Feynman)

“We know more than we can tell” (Michael Polanyi)

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The Nonaka-Takeuchi Model of Knowledge

Management

“In an economy where the only certainty is uncertainty, the one sure source of lasting competitive advantage is knowledge.”

I. Nonaka

The authors studied successful Japanese companies to understand how they achieved creativity and innovation

Metaphors, slogans, symbols and serendipity

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KM occurs at 3 levels:

Individual Group/team

“community of practice” Organization

LIS-505February 21, 2009

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Four Knowledge Transformations

Tacit

Explicit

Tacit Explicit

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Knowledge sharing

Tacit

Explicit

Tacit Explicit

SocialisationSocialisationBrainstorming

Team workMentorship

Combination:Combination:OrganisationClassification

ExternalisationExternalisationCapture

Make tangible

InternalisationInternalisation:Comprehension

Learning

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The KM Cycle

Tacit

Explicit

Tacit Explicit

Create and Share

Capture and Codify

Classify and Organize

Acquire and Apply

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KM has already gone through 3 generations:

1st Generation: “if we only knew what we know” IT

2nd Generation: “if we only knew who knows about….” PEOPLE

3rd Generation: “if we could only organize our knowledge….” CONTENT

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Knowledge Management•Lots of content – archiving•Documents - warehousing•Search engines needed•$$$ needed•Frustrating to find anything

Intellectual Capital Management•Minimum content – only that of value•People’s real thinking - stories•Sharing and reuse of best practices•Actionable knowledge & know-how•Less $$$ needed

ICM vs Knowledge Management*

*1st and 2nd generation KM

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Intellectual Capital Management

MANAGE CONTENT

MANAGE CONNECTIONS

MANAGE TALENT

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KM Link to Information Professionals

Knowledge Organization Traditionally, Library and Information Science has focused

on the organization of explicit knowledge Books, documents

This scope needs to be enlarged to include tacit knowledge – all intellectual assets at 3 levels:

Individual Group (“community of practice”) Organization (corporate/organizational memory)

Analogy: statisticians and data mining …………librarians and knowledge management