Information Science, Essay Example

How could information science be defined as a interdisciplinary science that covers several academic disciplines? And which kind of information science would work best for your research? Why?

In his study on information science and its connection with traditional information domains, William Aspray (2011) notes that, “the traditional information domains, which represent the purview of Libraries & the Cultural Record, constitute a coherent but less than comprehensive set of the information domains. Outside these traditional domains stand academic disciplines such as information technology, computer science, computer engineering, operations research, and management information science” (Aspray, 2011,p.230). It is Aspray’s position that through evaluating the historical relevance of other academic disciplines, there are models of scholarship that can also be traced back to the discipline of information science. He makes an indirect connection to the interdisciplinary nature of information science through its inherent connection with other sciences, specifically within the field of academic research, but in professional practice as well. Aspray is not the only scholar who makes this connection. In their study on the interdisciplinary nature of science, specifically in regards to the collaborative information behavior studies across disciplines, authors Porter and Rafols (2009) note that over the past two decades, there have been a wide range of publications that suggest science as whole is becoming distinctly more interdisciplinary. The authors do point out however that his evidence is partial and anecdotal at best and to gain a greater grasp of the collaborative nature of science  and whether or not it’s truly becoming more interdisciplinary in scope, the authors assess literature between 1975 and 2005 across six different research domains. The study utilizes a science mapping visualization method to measure the extent to which different types of research are integrative across respective disciplines of science. The study navigates the relationship of interdisciplinary research to the broad realm of science, by referring to disciplines as Subject Categories (SCs) which function within the Web of Science (WoS).  The authors note that, “the results attest to notable changes in research practices over this 30 year period, namely major increases in number of cited disciplines and references per article (both show about 50% growth), and co-authors per article (about 75% growth). However, the new index of interdisciplinarity only shows a modest increase (mostly around 5% growth)” (Porter and Rafols, 2009, p.719).  The authors utilize science maps which they argue reveal the distribution of citations of articles remains predominantly within neighboring disciplines. Their findings show that while information science definitely becoming more interdisciplinary, it’s only happening through minimal steps where scholars of different disciplines draw solely from neighboring fields. They argue this only suggests a modest increase of the discipline’s use in connection to more distant cognitive fields of study and practice. Despite this limited expansion in the field of information science the science maps implemented in their study provide clear benchmarks for the interdisciplinary reach of information science research in the future, as shown below.

Aspray (2011) further reinforces  the argument of Porter and Rafols (2009) in regards to the interdisciplinary limitations placed on information science, stating that, “The traditional focus also misses a number of real-world information businesses such as computer hardware and software, office equipment, publishing, consulting, and insurance, whose histories also are worthy of examination ”(Aspray, 2011, p.231). The limitations that prevent information science from extending too deeply into any one particular field of study also plays a pivotal role in why the discipline can be broadly applied across a diverse range. Babble (2009) argues that this is especially true in respect to social sciences, which supplements information science in regards to clarifying its application across fields of interest. Babble (2009) notes that,  “Social science, then, can help us know only what is and why. We can use it to determine what ought to be, but only when people agree on the criteria for deciding what outcomes are better than others –an agreement that seldom occurs”(Babbie, 2009, p.7). Informatics, otherwise known as Information Science, Information Technologies and the acquisition, storage, retrieval and exchange of Information itself has become a hot button topic with the popularity of social media and mobile networking in the form of  peer to peer (P2P) data exchanges.

The growing focus on information sciences has also resulted in interdisciplinary research where theories within the field are recognized for their applicability across differing fields of study and practice.  Information science, in essence, can be broadly applied to a wide range of fields as its core elements are rooted in a diverse set of professions from the medical industry to the financial sector, to supplementing societal needs and driving trends. Bruner (1990) connects information science to the discipline of psychology noting that, “scientific psychology, after all, is part of that same cultural process, and its stance toward folk psychology has consequences for the culture in which it exists – a matter to which we shall come presently”(Bruner, 1990, p.15) Likewise, in Borko’s (1968) pivotal work “Information Science: What is it?,” he was one of the first to define the epistemology as interdisciplinary, stating that, “information science is an interdisciplinary science that investigates the properties and behavior of information, the forces that govern the flow and use of information, and the techniques, both manual and mechanical, of processing information for optimal storage, retrieval, and dissemination”(Borko, 1968, p.5). The key finding Borko made in his work was to identify information science as the study of communication as a whole, which makes it applicable to all fields of study where peer review plays a significant role in the cultivation of knowledge. The problem this presents for information science as an interdisciplinary model for interpretation is that at best it’s a superficial tool accounting only for surface factors. This is a position further supported by Buckland (2012), who notes that, “We conclude that if information science is concerned with what people know, then it is a form of cultural engagement, and at most, a science of the artificial” (Buckland, 2012, p.1). This does not take away from the fact that the culmination of information, its exchange, and how communication across differing fields of study functions as a result of this process is an essential aspect of scientific study within all disciplines.

This emphasis on communication and the value of information science in the field of communication, makes the relationship between information science and fields like network management, communication, especially the field of telecommunications, the ideal types of information science to connect to my research on the influence of smart phones. I base this connection on the fact that at their core, the increased popularity, usage, and impact of mobile devices, specifically mobile phones, is fueled by a social necessity for increased mediums of communication. As research in the field has clearly established, the study of information science and communication are intertwined as codependent disciplines. In his text, “The scope and current state of information science,” Ingwersen (1990) identifies the objective of information science as it relates to scientific investigation, to be the duty of “facilitating the effective communication of desired information between human generator and human user” (Ingwersen, 1990, pg.115). In this respect, information science applies to all fields of study, as the nature through which information is acquired and exchanged in certain fields, especially within the field of academia has a significant impact on the validity and acceptability of that information within its intended field and in turn on how that information will be adapted across related fields of study. While the human generator of certain information may function within what is seemingly a vacuum (ie. The field of psychology, sociology, business studies, natural sciences etc…) all of these fields are reliant on communication as a medium for knowledge cultivation. It is Ingwersen’s (1990) belief that emphasis must be placed on the valued of information, specifically whether or not the information is desired that functions as a triggering factor in facilitating communication. He notes that “the emphasis is on the quality of the interaction between generators and users of recorded information” (Ingwersen, 1990, p.115). The author follows up this argument by pointing out that the statement suggests Information Science should study the users’ reasons for seeking information. Ingwersen’s (1990) argues information science, being an interdisciplinary field of study should not be solely applied to IT applications, but at the same time it should not be extended to the entire realm of communication studies. Ingwersen (1990) supports Belkin’s (1976) view that information science as an interdisciplinary science shoudl be readily applied to five areas of study. Of which ingwersen places special imphasis on the final two. These areas of conern entail the correspondence between the information and its generator and the relationship between information and its user. Ingwersen (1990) supports Belkin’s (1976) position because he argues the definition is applies to information science setsup a solid basis for future research, whereby respective disciplines and be evaluated within a vacuum in regards to their relation to information science.

Graduate education positions in nursing industry are require collaborative behavioral theories with a substantial emphasis on information sciences. usually require preparation for a role as full-time faculty. Faculty in entry-level nursing programs are still required to have academic understanding on a graduate level, regardless of the entry level courses they teach  is a standard requirement for the majority of nursing programs and mandated by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, and consistent with senior colleges, universities, and community colleges. Required credentials are also heavily influenced by State Boards of Nursing, individual school standards. Professional companies that play major part in establishing new technological innovations in the nursing industry also indirectly influence the required expertise that nursing instructors are required to attain. There are also faculty positions that require high levels of education, such as Master’s level and Doctoral degrees. This is usually due to the fact that many schools expect their faculty to be able to teach multiple levels and diverse skill sets that may extend far beyond their expertise in a particular field. This is especially true of tenured professors. Tenure is most commonly recognized as a full time job position with a college or university. Credentials required to attain tenure is much more distinct than what might be expected of entry level nurses. Faculty on the tenure track is expected to do scholarship/research, and get doctoral degrees, and to represent the college or university in the form of publications and a reputation for excellent achievements on and off campus.

Bernd Frohman’s (2004) “Documentation Redux: Prolegomenon to (Another) Philosophy of Information” argues that behavior patterns in documentation determine the quality of information, which in turn dictates the level at a document informs its readership. The author organizes these categories of documentary practices into four categories, institutional  sites materiality, documentation’s historical contingency, institutional sites, the social disciplining of documents and the. In The Invisible Substrate of Information Science, Marcia Bates, notes that, applied information science, primarily focuses on form and organization of information, as well as its underlying structure, then content comes second.  Bates further states that, “most people outside our field do not realize that there is a content to the study of form and organization. I believe that this is one of the chief reasons our field is commonly thought to have no “there” there. The average person, whether Ph.D. scholar or high school graduate, never notices the structure that organizes their information, because they are so caught up in absorbing and relating to the content. And, in fairness to them, they are not interested in the structure. We are interested in the structure” (Bates, 1999,p.1045). Bates offer three important questions related to information science and what it should be able to answer: “1) The physical question:  What are the features and laws of the recorded information universe? 2) The social question:  How do people relate to, seek and use information?, and 3) The design question:  How can access to recorded information be made the most rapid and effective?” (Bates, 1999,p.1045). Bates defines information science as the control and management of information. The definition of information science provide by Bates represents the exact position smart phone technology has achieved in society. Information is primarily exchanged through mobile devices on a daily basis, but with innovative social networking applications specifically designed for mobile devices, like Facebook Home, WhazApp, Google Hangout, and an endless array of games and creative applications there is a very thin line between smart phones being a valued resource and them functioning as a social crutch.

The above literature demonstrates why the best discipline for my research as it relates to information science is telecommunications.  This emphasis on communication and the value of information science in the field of communication, makes the relationship between information science and fields like network management, communication, especially the field of telecommunications, the ideal types of information science to connect to my research on the influence of smart phones. I base this connection on the fact that at their core, the increased popularity, usage, and impact of mobile devices, specifically mobile phones, is fueled by a social necessity for increased mediums of communication. As research in the field has clearly established, the study of information science and communication are intertwined as codependent disciplines. The theoretical significance of this study is an attempt to provide an overview of the use of smart phones to share and exchange information with others. This is done through two types of information systems; social networking sites and e-learning systems.  Addressing this topic from an information science disciplinary approach allows for a significantly more introspective analysis. As Bates notes, “the transformation involves even more than a shift in the subject content of one’s actions or thoughts, however. Work in the meta-discipline of information science, both at the practical and theoretical levels, draws upon different cognitive talents than most of the work within conventional subject disciplines” (Bates, 1999, 1043). As through superficially designed smart phone applications students can share and exchange information for academic and research purposes, study methods and lifestyles have been significantly changed by the increased use of smart phones. Hence the importance of the study in the attempt to diagnose the reality of this phenomenon and to identify the factors affecting apps, and the risks resulting from both the individual and community level (Nokia Siemens Networks Smart Labs,2011) This phenomenon has not received adequate attention from the study and research, especially in the Arab countries. The above statement is confirmed by the scarcity of studies and research on this phenomenon.

Another essential reason why telecommunications represents the ideal discipline to assess along side smart phone usage has to do with Marcia Bate’s position on the information science focusing on the content of form. Mobile phone devices, specifically smart phones have revolutionized the social fabric of society by restructuring how people receive their content. The ideal study in this regard must reveal how the discipline of telecommunications has evolved due to this massive restructuring of mobile phone content formatting. For example, the marketing of the iPhone alone ushered in a cult following of consumers who primarily handled all of their daily functions on their smart phone. Likewise, the popularity made way for competitors and developers to build on Apple’s design. An even larger stream of applications followed through collaborative efforts, further fueling the trend. The technologies in the field of communication, exchange of information and share has led many countries to think about how to benefit from these technologies in the scientific purposes in the attainment benefit of society (Sarwar and Soomro, 2013). The ideal study in this field would utilize data collection questionnaires which consists of several themes that reflect the objectives of the study and try to answer its questions. Samples are intentionally chosen from groups of smart phones users as well as workers in many scientific, research institutions, and members economic institutions that relies on the exchange and sharing of information through smart phones, in addition to a sample of university students in levels higher education, master’s and doctoral students and staff members of these universities.