Documentation has always been crucial in human society. Today almost all communication are being stored digitally. In order to deal systematically and coherently with old and new media in the world today, you have to deal with the physical as well as the social and cultural context. Alongside this, there is now increasing interest in documentation theory and science, and documentation studies has become a distinctly lively field of research as well as a basis for professional practice in libraries, archives and museums. This groundbreaking new book introduces and demonstrates the value and relevance of a new approach to the documentation, communication and information field, complementary to the traditional library, information and archival sciences. It offers an introduction to documentation studies - a new discipline within the overall information studies umbrella - and gives a broad and general theory for documentation. It outlines the historical background and the theoretical foundation for the discipline by giving insight into documentation issues and processes from early modern society to today's digital age: not only in the context of academic study, but also in the practice of documentation, both in everyday life and in professional life. Key topics covered include: Human life in a documentation perspective Documentation in theory Documentation: a conceptual history A complementary theory of documentation A model for documentation analysis Documentation in practice: 6 case studies Documentation in society The science and profession of documentation. This unique text outlines the main scientific purpose and objective of the science of documentation; to study documentation in society. It also describes the main skills for a documentalist in the 21st century; to be able to select, collect and make accessible all documentation of possible interest for the general public as well as research. This book will be pivotal reading for students (advanced undergraduate and graduate), researchers, and faculty in library science, information science, records management, publishing, media studies, cultural studies, archival studies, and information systems. It will also be of interest to thoughtful professionals in libraries, archives, records and media. 010

A comprehensive, yet concise, introduction to the use of documents as tools within social science research.

In Deflating Information, Bernd Frohmann draws on recent work in the social studies of science, finding the most significant material in the coordination of research work, the stabilization of matters of fact, and the manufacture of objectivity.

Class-tested and coherent, this textbook teaches classical and web information retrieval, including web search and the related areas of text classification and text clustering from basic concepts. It gives an up-to-date treatment of all aspects of the design and implementation of systems for gathering, indexing, and searching documents; methods for evaluating systems; and an introduction to the use of machine learning methods on text collections. All the important ideas are explained using examples and figures, making it perfect for introductory courses in information retrieval for advanced undergraduates and graduate students in computer science. Based on feedback from extensive classroom experience, the book has been carefully structured in order to make teaching more natural and effective. Slides and additional exercises (with solutions for lecturers) are also available through the book's supporting website to help course instructors prepare their lectures.

When people are checking in to flights, making reports to their company manager, composing music, delivering papers for exams in schools, or examining patients in hospitals, they all deal with documents and processes of documentation. In earlier times, documentation took place primarily in libraries and archives. While the latter are still important document institutions, documents today play a far more essential role in social life in many different domains and cultures. In this book, which celebrates the ten year anniversary of documentation studies in Tromsø, experts from many different disciplines, professional domains as well as cultures around the world present their way of dealing with documents, demonstrating many potential directions for the emerging broad field of documentation studies.

Artefacts, Archives, and Documentation in the Relational Museum provides the first interdisciplinary study of the digital documentation of artefacts and archives in contemporary museums, while also exploring the implications of polyphonic, relational thinking on collections documentation. Drawing on case studies from Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, the book provides a critical examination of the history of collections management and documentation since the introduction of computers to museums in the 1960s, demonstrating how technology has contributed to the disconnection of distributed collections knowledge. Jones also highlights how separate documentation systems have developed, managed by distinct, increasingly professionalised staff, impacting our ability to understand and use what we find in museums and their ever-expanding online collections. Exploring this legacy allows us to rethink current practice, focusing less on individual objects and more on the rich stories and interconnected resources that lie at the heart of the contemporary, plural, participatory ‘relational museum.’ Artefacts, Archives, and Documentation in the Relational Museum is essential reading for those who wish to better understand the institutional silos found in museums, and the changes required to make museum knowledge more accessible. The book is a particularly important addition to the fields of museum studies, archival science, information management, and the history of cultural heritage technologies.