This landmark textbook takes a whole subject approach to Information Science as a discipline. Introduced by leading international scholars and offering a global perspective on the discipline, this is designed to be the standard text for students worldwide. The authors' expert narrative guides you through each of the essential building blocks of information science offering a concise introduction and expertly chosen further reading and resources. Critical topics covered include: foundations: - concepts, theories and historical perspectives - organising and retrieving information - information behaviour, domain analysis and digital literacies - technologies, digital libraries and information management - information research methods and informetrics - changing contexts: information society, publishing, e-science and digital humanities - the future of the discipline. Readership: Students of information science, information and knowledge management, librarianship, archives and records management worldwide. Students of other information-related disciplines such as museum studies, publishing, and information systems and practitioners in all of these disciplines.

From cell phones to Web portals, advances in information and communications technology have thrust society into an information age that is far-reaching, fast-moving, increasingly complex, and yet essential to modern life. Now, renowned scholar and author David Luenberger has produced Information Science, a text that distills and explains the most important concepts and insights at the core of this ongoing revolution. The book represents the material used in a widely acclaimed course offered at Stanford University. Drawing concepts from each of the constituent subfields that collectively comprise information science, Luenberger builds his book around the five "E's" of information: Entropy, Economics, Encryption, Extraction, and Emission. Each area directly impacts modern information products, services, and technology--everything from word processors to digital cash, database systems to decision making, marketing strategy to spread spectrum communication. To study these principles is to learn how English text, music, and pictures can be compressed, how it is possible to construct a digital signature that cannot simply be copied, how beautiful photographs can be sent from distant planets with a tiny battery, how communication networks expand, and how producers of information products can make a profit under difficult market conditions. The book contains vivid examples, illustrations, exercises, and points of historic interest, all of which bring to life the analytic methods presented: Presents a unified approach to the field of information science Emphasizes basic principles Includes a wide range of examples and applications Helps students develop important new skills Suggests exercises with solutions in an instructor's manual

"This set of books represents a detailed compendium of authoritative, research-based entries that define the contemporary state of knowledge on technology"--Provided by publisher.

Information Science: The Basics provides an accessible introduction to the multifaceted field of Information Science (IS). Inviting readers to explore a modern field of study with deep historical foundations, the book begins by considering the complexities of the term "information" and the information life cycle from classification to preservation. Each chapter examines a different area within IS, surveying its history, technologies, and practices with a critical eye. This interdisciplinary field incorporates a wide range of approaches which it shares with humanities, social science, and technology fields. What makes IS unique is its emphasis on the connections between information, technology, and society. The need to share information more effectively in response to social, environmental, and biomedical challenges has never been so urgent; the volume discusses the risks as well as benefits that come with the emerging technologies that make it possible. The book also explores how IS, with its long-standing commitment to intellectual freedom and digital inclusion, and its keen attention to the protection of privacy, data ethics, and algorithmic transparency, can contribute to the creation of a more open and equitable society. Information Science: The Basics is essential reading for anyone who wishes to know more about information and the impact it has on our world. It will be particularly useful for anyone intending to study IS at the undergraduate level or considering a shift to a career in the information professions.

This book provides a comprehensive, easy-to-understand introductory guide to information, offering students the critical tools they need to shift their positioning from consumers and users to creators and critics. Searching, accessing, and using information are central to most daily lives. Yet, many users are not able to define what information is, identify who controls information, and create information to achieve a common good. In this book, Micky Lee teaches readers to critically interrogate key issues such as the categorization of information and knowledge throughout history, what digital divides are, why information is gender and race biased, how governments and corporations control citizens and consumers, as well as how we can resist unbalanced power relations. Readers will not only be able to relate these issues to "old" technologies, such as writing and printing, but will also be able to examine futurist technologies through the lenses of these enduring issues. A thoughtful and comprehensive overview, this is an ideal book for students and scholars of media studies, information and society, and communication and technology.

Library and information science, or library or information studies, is the combination of information science and library science. Its function is to design and develop knowledge-organization systems. It uses tools of management and information technology to organize, collect, disseminate and preserve information resources. A primary aspect of this domain is the organization of information to serve the specific needs of readers. It is also concerned with the acquisition, evaluation and application of information by users within and outside libraries. Some of the significant areas of study in this discipline are interactive information retrieval, scholarly communication, bibliometrics, digital literacy, etc. This book aims to shed light on some of the unexplored aspects of library and information science. While understanding the long-term perspectives of the topics, it makes an effort in highlighting their impacts as a modern tool for the growth of this field. This textbook is appropriate for those seeking detailed information in this area.