Back to the Future Information Science for the Next Millenium

1
Back to the FutureInformation Science for the
Next Millenium

• Dr. José-Marie Griffiths
• University of Michigan Chief Information Officer
• Executive Director, Information Technology
  Division
• Professor, School of Information

2
(No Transcript)
3
(No Transcript)
4
(No Transcript)
5
(No Transcript)
6
Integration
7
Science the past 50 years

• The number of scientists has grown seven-fold
• Nearly 90 of scientists who have ever lived are
  alive today

8
Science Today

• Increasing specialization
• Big science is bigger than ever
• Projects are increasingly multi-disciplinary
• Collaboration
• Science education changing

9
The Walls Are Down...

• Past scientific disciplines were isolated from
  each other
• Today the walls between scientific disciplines
  have fallen down...

10
Information SCIENCE

• Not one science but multiple disciplines of
  information Machlup and Mansfield

• Artificial intelligence research
• Bibliometrics
• Communication sciences
• Communicative theory
• Computer science
• Control theory
• Cryptography
• Cybermetrics
• Documentation
• Lexicology
• Library science
• Linguistics

• Living systems research
• Pattern-recognition research
• Phonetics
• Pscyholinguistics
• Robotics
• Scientometrics
• Semantics
• Semiotics
• Speech science
• Systemics
• Telecommunications research

11
Information Islands
12
A Model of Information Science
People
Recorded Knowledge
13
People
Society
Community
Group
Individual

• Examples of Disciplines studying the People
  dimension
• Cognitive psychology
• Neuropsychology
• Pscyhobiology
• Living systems
• Sociology
• Anthropology
• ethics

14
Recorded Knowledge
Granularity
Topic
Intent

• Examples of Disciplines studying the Recorded
  Knowledge Dimension
• Literatures of various cultures
• History of information theory
• Informetrics
• Bibliometrics
• Scientometrics
• Library science
• Documentation

15
Tools
Technologies
Classifications
Lanugage
Coding

• Examples of Disciplines studying the Tools
  dimension

• Cybernetics
• Linguistics
• Phonetics
• Robotics
• Semantics

• Semiotics
• Systemics
• Lexicology
• Computer sciences
• Cryptography

16
Information Professionals

• NSF study early 1980s, 2 million information
  professionals
• Preparing, analyzing, searching data and
  information
• Designing and/or managing information systems
• Research and development
• Education and training

17
Goals of Higher Education

• To create knowledge
• To transmit new knowledge
• To apply the knowledge
• To preserve knowledge

18
The New Explorers

• The population we serve information producers
  and seekers has expanded exponentially

19
The New Explorers

• An expanded base of practice requires an expanded
  base of theory
• Need to move out of the stacks and into the jungle

20
New Roles Guidebook Publisher

• From classifiers, catalogers, indexers
• to metadata developers and
• guidebook publishers

21
New Roles Knowledge Prospector

• From collection builder to knowledge prospector,
  find those nuggets which contribute to
  particular knowledge domains, especially new
  multi-disciplinary domains

22
New Roles Expedition Guide

• From information retrieval specialists
• to knowledge navigators and
• expedition guides

23
New Roles Knowledge Interpreter

• From reference librarian to information analysts/
  knowledge interpreters

24
University of Michigan
Knowledge worker guidebook publisher
Knowledge worker knowledge prospector, collabora
tor
Knowledge worker guidebook publisher
Knowledge worker expedition guide
Knowledge worker knowledge interpreter




25
SAME SLIDE STILL UP
26
The future...

• We can only pay our debt to the past by putting
  the future in debt to ourselves.
• John Buchan