What is "information science"?

French version available in IDRC Digital Library: Qu'entend-on par "science de l'information"

What is the philosophy of information?

Computational and information-theoretic research in philosophy has become increasingly fertile and pervasive, giving rise to a wealth of interesting results. In consequence, a new and vitally important field has emerged, the philosophy of information (PI). This essay is the first attempt to analyse the nature of PI systematically. PI is defined as the philosophical field concerned with the critical investigation of the conceptual nature and basic principles of information, including its dynamics, utilisation, and sciences, and the elaboration and application of information-theoretic and computational methodologies to philosophical problems. I argue that PI is a mature discipline for three reasons: it represents an autonomous field of research; it provides an innovative approach to both traditional and new philosophical topics; and it can stand beside other branches of philosophy, offering a systematic treatment of the conceptual foundations of the world of information and the information society

WHAT IS AN END-USER ? IDENTIFYING MULTIPLE RELATIONSHIPS AMONG INFORMATION SYSTEMS USERS

The relationship of the computer user to the system and to the information gained is a subtle one, and in organizations many different types of relationship are possible. Previous definitions of user\u27 and end-user emphasize direct interactive forms of computer use and do not cover indirect relationships; they also do not take into consideration the reason for the interaction. A new definitional framework is required which encompasses the different modes and purposes of IS users. This paper proposes a two-dimensional typology which employs an association dimension and a purpose dimension in order to identify the nature of the relationships more accurately. The association dimension indicates how close the user is to the information source; the purpose dimension indicates what the user does with the information. The new typology will help to clarify the subtle and changing relationships between computer users, systems and IS support staff

The Competition for Attention and the Evolution of Science

Whenever the amount of information produced exceeds the amount of attention available to consume it, a competition for attention is born. The competition is increasingly fierce in science where the exponential growth of information has forced its producers, consumers and gatekeepers to become increasingly selective in what they attend to and what they ignore. Paradoxically, as the criteria of selection among authors, editors and readers of scientific journal articles co-evolve, they show signs of becoming increasingly unscientific. The present article suggests how the paradox can be addressed with computer simulation, and what its implications for the future of science might be.Attention, Competition, Evolution, Information, Production, Consumption

The Myth of the Well-Known ‘Solution’ of Push-Down Academics

This article is an attempt to examine the myth of push-down academics and to refute it in light of the research. The historical background information on how this myth was born was provided. The questions of what is wrong with this myth, what are its social, legal, and ethical implications were discussed and how could we address the push-down academics myth were addressed

Users' trust in information resources in the Web environment: a status report

This study has three aims; to provide an overview of the ways in which trust is either assessed or asserted in relation to the use and provision of resources in the Web environment for research and learning; to assess what solutions might be worth further investigation and whether establishing ways to assert trust in academic information resources could assist the development of information literacy; to help increase understanding of how perceptions of trust influence the behaviour of information users

The exploration of relationships between information fulfilment and organisational design

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between information fulfilment and organisational design. Design/ Methodology/Approach: This exploration is undertaken in four ways. First, the early part of the paper places information fulfilment within the literature. Second, there is an attempt to further determine the meaning of Information Fulfilment. Third, the factors that impact on Information Fulfilment are identified within the context of organisational design. Fourth, empirical findings are reported in the form of a European project which investigated the “relationship” between organisational design and information fulfilment. Findings: Information fulfilment is shown to be about the process of taking an intuitive “feel” and delineating a number of aspects which are concerned with what might be called emotion. Fulfilment is also connected with organisational roles and wider environmental issues Originality/ Value: The contribution of this paper to the discipline of information management is that information fulfilment is found to exist and to be an important issue influenced by the design of an organisatio