Read more
Michael Buckland offers an examination of information systems that is comparative rather than narrowly technical in approach. With careful attention to different meanings of information, Buckland examines the nature of retrieval-based information systems such as archives, databases, libraries, and museums, and their relationships to their social context.
The introductory material examines difficulties of definition and terminology in relation to information systems. There is a systematic overview of the concepts and processes involved in the provision and use of information systems. Buckland's attention to unusual examples, to how different aspects interact with each other, and to how information systems are influenced by their contents and their context yields interesting insights and conclusions which force reconsideration of common assumptions in information science. This volume, with its subject index and bibliography, provides for students and professionals a valuable and readable introduction to this rapidly expanding field.
List of contents
Preface
Introduction
Information
ConceptsTheory
Systems
Knowledge and Information
Information-as-Thing
Information in Information Systems
Information Technology
Access to Information
ProcessesInquiries
Perceiving, Receiving, and Retrieving
Becoming Informed: Information-as-Process
Information Processing and Representation
Demand
Providing Information
RelationshipsConnections and Coherence
Expertise and Artificial Intelligence
Social Context
ConclusionSummary and Retrospect
References
Index
About the author
MICHAEL BUCKLAND is Professor, School of Library and Information Science, University of California, Berkeley. He is also author of Library Services in Theory and Context.
Summary
An examination of information and information systems which is comparative rather than technical in approach. Using explicitly defined terms, Buckland interprets the nature of retrieval-based information systems such as museums, archives, libraries and online databases, and their social utility.
