Donald T. Hawkins

PDFH | Information science and the industry associated with it have changed so radically in recent years that they hear little resemblance to their appearance even a few short years ago. The changes are dramatic, striking, and simply amazing. And not only do the changes continue unabated, but the rare of change, has increased so much in recent years that it is a gargantuan task to keep abreast of the changes and their effects. One excellent way to track the changes that have occurred in a field is to consult its abstracting and indexing (A&I) publications. Such publications not only record the history of a discipline by collecting and indexing its literature but (assuming they are of high quality and have a knowledgeable editorial staff, can serve as "watchdogs" of changes.
This article presents a brief historical review of one of the major A&I publications in information science—Information Science Ahslracls (ISA)—and then in more depth, it was published online, reviews much of the past work that sought to define "information science." From this review, a new working definition of "information science" and a subject mapping of the field have been derived. The definition and map are suitable tools that can be used to guide the selection of material for inclusion In ISA. Finally, some of the distinctions between information science and its most closely related discipline, librarianship.. are discussed. The ultimate goal of this research was to develop a new subject classification for ISA; however. before one can classify the subjects making up a discipline, one must first develop the foundational definitions. I first became involved with ISA in 1996 as Sr. Technical Editor and was astonished to learn that a working definition of information science had never been developed for this major A&I publication. This article rectifies that deficiency. It reviews the various definitions of information science that have been promulgated over the years and derives a definition consistent with the present environment that will guide the coverage of ISA. The recent history of ISA may not be well known to JASIS readers, so it is briefly recounted here |

Contents
1. Introduction pg. 1
2. History of ISA pg. 1
3. What is Information Science? pg. 2
-- Table 1: Conceptual framework of Information science (according to lo Klempner. 1969)
-- Fig. 2. Postings with both "librar>'" and "information science" in ISPs Ittle (TI) and corporate source (CS) fields.
4. Information Science Map pg. 7
-- Literature Review
-- ***** Table 2. Librarianship vs. Information Science *****
-- FIG. 3. Information Science Map
-- Map Derivation
5. Conclusion pg. 9
6. Acknowledgments pg. 9
7. References pg. 9

SA - https://www.librarything.com/work/13996188/edit/254691083 | https://www.librarything.com/work/31585755/book/256874616 | https://www.librarything.com/work/98552/book/261462414 | https://www.librarything.com/work/31937414/book/261045602 | https://www.librarything.com/work/1928774/book/261318437 |
RT - Discipline
BT - Abstracting
NT - Information Science
UF - This article presents a brief historical review of one of
the major A&I publications in information science—Information
Science Ahslracls (ISA)—and then in more depth it
reviews much of the past work sought to define "information
science."
SN - This is a journal article that defines the difference between a librarian and an information science professional. (This entry does not reference a hierarchical list)… (meer)

Personal Archiving edited by Don Hawkins is a very good introductory compilation of essays on the state of the art for personal digital archiving. Don gathered an impressive crew of contributors. He begins with a foreword from Brewster Kahle of the Internet Archive and tops it off with a compelling look at the future of the field by Clifford Lynch of the Coalition of Networked Information. The authors are experts who come from a variety of fields (most from library, archives, academics, and computer science).

Throughout the work the authors emphasize the value of digitizing and preserving our archives, the need to make effective decisions on what to keep and work with and what to let go, and the need to work through complications. Digital archives make possible sharing and copying so there is no “last copy” to be lost. At the same time, digital copies themselves must be refreshed because of the impermanence of the digital media.

The products discussed and reviewed are best considered as prototypes and models for the way to approach problems, as the individual products may be short-lived, but there will be something else doing that same function in the future. An example pointed to by one of the earlier reviewers is 1000memories being absorbed into Ancestry.com This is the very problem with long-term data storage alluded to by Brewster Kahle in the foreword.

With my current interest in genealogy and preserving family records and working with others who are newer to technology, I found Danielle Conklin’s chapter on “Personal Archiving for Individuals and Families” useful. She shares issues faced by four individuals tackling their own archiving projects. She makes the case of the need for digital archiving, considerations in tackling a project, and the challenges individuals face. The human challenges are real.

Clifford Lynch raises intriguing issues to contemplate in his look at the future of personal digital archiving looking at such areas as the breadth of potential personal digital records of the future, digital estate planning , and further when the private becomes public and the relationship of personal archiving to the collective cultural record.

I highly recommend this volume.… (meer)

I love my on-line life, but have often worried that our digital traces don't have the permanence of old fashioned letters and documents. I have many friends who are librarians, archivists and genealogists who I plan to direct towards this book. This is a useful text, not just for a professional archivist, but business people and individuals who want tighter control and preservation of their digital record. I foresee that this is a volume that will likely need a revised edition every few years to stay on top of our constantly changing digital world.… (meer)