The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to information science:
Information science – interdisciplinary field primarily concerned with the analysis, collection, classification, manipulation, storage, retrieval and dissemination of information. Practitioners within the field study the application and usage of knowledge in organizations, along with the interaction between people, organizations and any existing information systems, with the aim of creating, replacing, improving or understanding information systems.
Information science can be described as all of the following:
An academic discipline –
A branch of science –
An applied science –
Information technology
Informatics
Classification
Bibliometrics
Preservation
Cultural studies
Categorization
Data modeling
Memory
Computer storage
Intellectual property
Intellectual freedom
Privacy
Censorship
As an interdisciplinary field, information science draws upon and incorporates concepts and methodologies from:
Archival science
Cognitive science
Commerce
Communications
Computer science
Law
Library science
Museology
Management
Mathematics
Philosophy
Public policy
Social sciences
History of information science
Documentation science – predecessor of information science.
Fathers of information science
Paul Otlet
Henri La Fontaine
Information history
International Federation for Information and Documentation
History of information representation and retrieval
Has undergone four phases of development- Increased Demand (1940s–early 1950s) (Information explosion)
- Rapid Growth (1950s–1980s) (the emergence of computers and systems such as Dialog (online database))
- Demystification Phase (1980s–1990s) (systems developed for end-user searching)
- The Networked Era (1990s–Present) (search enginees such as AltaVista and Google)
Archival research – facts or factual evidences from a variety of records are compiled.
Computational complexity and structure – algorithmic and graphic methods are used to explore the complexity of information systems, retrieval and storage.
Content analysis – studies how people communicate by analyzing the contents of books and mass media as well as the messages people talk or write about.
Case study – specific set of circumstances or a group (the 'case') is analyzed according to a specific goal of study. Generally, case studies are used to characterize a trend or development; they have weak generalizability.
Discourse analysis – analyzing written, oral, and sign language use
Historical method – involves a continuous and systematic search for the information and knowledge about past events related to the life of a person, a group, society, or the world.
Interviews – researchers obtain data by interviewing people. If the interview is non-structured, the researcher leaves it to the interviewee (also referred to as the respondent or the informant) to guide the conversation.
Life history – study of the personal life of a person. Through a series of interviews, the researcher can probe into the decisive moments in their life or the various influences on their life.
Longitudinal study – extensive examination of a specific group over a long period of time.
Observation – using data from the senses, one records information about a social phenomenon or behavior. Qualitative research relies heavily on observation, although it is in a highly disciplined form.
Participant observation – involves researchers going into the field (usually a community), living with the people for some time, and participating in their activities in order to know and feel their culture.
Academic publishing (including peer review and open access)
Bibliometrics
Data modeling
Document management and Document Engineering
Groupware
Human-computer interaction (HCI)
Information access
Information architecture
Information ethics
Information literacy
Information management
Information retrieval (IR)
Information seeking
Information seeking behavior
Browsing
Information society
Information systems
Intellectual property (IP)
Knowledge engineering
Knowledge management
Knowledge transfer
Knowledge organization
Memory institutions
Ontology
Personal information management (PIM)
Philosophy of information
Scholarly communication
Scientific communication
Science and technology studies
Semantic Web
Usability engineering
Human factors
User-centered design
Design philosophy
There are many fields which claim to be "sciences" or "disciplines" which are difficult to distinguish from each other and from information science. Some of them are:
Archival science
Communication studies
Computer science
Documentation science
Informatics
Information management
Information systems research
Information literacy
Informing science
Internet studies
Knowledge management
Library science
Media studies
Records management
Scientometrics
American Society for Information Science and Technology
Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP)
Society of Information Technology Management (SOCITM), related group based in the UK
National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS)
Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)
Information school
List of Information Schools
Claude E. Shannon Award
IEEE Reynold B. Johnson Information Storage Systems Award
IEEE Richard W. Hamming Medal
J.W. Graham Medal
O'Moore Medal
Tim Berners-Lee
John Shaw Billings
George Boole
Suzanne Briet
Michael Buckland
Vannevar Bush
Melville Dewey
Luciano Floridi
Henri La Fontaine
Eugene Garfield
Frederick Kilgour
Frederick Wilfrid Lancaster
Gottfried Leibniz
Alexander Ivanovich Mikhailov
S. R. Ranganathan
Seymour Lubetzky
Wilhelm Ostwald
Paul Otlet
Gerald Salton
Jesse Shera
Warren Weaver
