Synopses & Reviews
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.
Synopsis
Buckland offers an examination of information systems that is comparative rather than narrowly technical in approach. Using explicitly defined terms, he interprets the nature of retrieval-based information systems such as archives, libraries, databases, and museums, and their relationships to their social context. Since the primary focus of the work is on unusual examples of information systems, the discussion yields interesting and thoughtful conclusions on the nature of information systems in general and constructive consideration of existing problems in this rapidly expanding field.
Synopsis
"It is always a pleasure to read something by Michael Buckland. There is no individual in our profession who writes with both greater force and greater elegance, but for all his ideas he manages to convey them in words that are direct and straightforward. . . . Buckland has done all of us an immense service." Herbert S. White Indiana University
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. [207]-218) and index.
About the Author
MICHAEL BUCKLAND is Professor, School of Library and Information Science, University of California, Berkeley.
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction
Information
Concepts
Theory
Systems
Knowledge and Information
Information-as-Thing
Information in Information Systems
Information Technology
Access to Information
Processes
Inquiries
Perceiving, Receiving, and Retrieving
Becoming Informed: Information-as-Process
Information Processing and Representation
Demand
Providing Information
Relationships
Connections and Coherence
Expertise and Artificial Intelligence
Social Context
Conclusion
Summary and Retrospect
References
Index