IS10010 Introduction to Information and Social Computing School of Information and Library Studies

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1 IS10010 Introduction to Information and Social Computing School of Information and Library Studies Semester 1, Tuesday, 9 am, Theatre M, Newman Building Thursday, 9 am, Theatre M, Newman Building Dr. Lee Komito lee.komito@ucd.ie Room 109, SILS, Library Infill Building Description: This module provides an introduction to, and foundation for, future study of Information Studies. The concepts data, information, knowledge, and the question, 'what is information studies?' are explored and discussed. The module has four main themes: 1. It presents a general description and overview of information in society; 2. It explores technological change and changes in communication channels in an historical perspective; 3. It describes current approaches to information management; information seeking behaviour, and information policy; and 4. It reviews current means for information delivery and exchange. Examples from contemporary society are used to highlight core themes and areas, such as privacy and social media (Facebook etc), Google generation / digital natives and their information seeking behaviours, and the relationship between print and online media. Learning Outcomes: On completion of this module students should be able to: 1. Trace the historical development of information technologies 2. Review the information devices and sources in daily life. 3. Distinguish between print, electronic and digital information, and the significance of these differences. 4. Appreciate the impact of changes in communication channels. 5. Identify the professional groups and institutions that create, distribute and manage information. 6. Describe the factors that influence information seeking behaviour. 7. Understand the key information policy and ethical issues. 8. Discuss the significance of social media in information and communication practices. 9. Identify key themes and sub-areas that form part of Information Studies. IS of 5

2 Topics: What is information studies? What is information? Biological and cultural significance of information and communication Information transfer, speech Invention of writing and printing Electronic technologies for information and communication: production, dissemination, consumption Information revolution: electronic and digital information Information behaviour and information seeking Information retrieval Information Society: post-industrial society, network society or knowledge society? Publishing and news: print, electronic, digital, web 2.0 Economics of Information Regulatory policy - copyright, data protection, FOI, censorship Information policy - economic development, state services (Ireland, EU). Privacy issues, the surveillance society Information and political change Technology and social constructivism Social media: the communication revolution Information professions READINGS Core Texts: Komito, L The Information Revolution & Ireland: prospects and challenges. Dublin: UCD Press. Lester, J., & Koehler, W. C., Jr Fundamentals of Information Studies (2 ed.). New York: Neal-Schuman. Miller, D Tales from Facebook. Cambridge, UK: Polity. What is Information Studies? Lester & Koehler. Fundamentals of Information Studies. Chapters 1, 2 Meadows, J Fifty years of UK research in Information Science, in Gilchrist (2009) Information Science in Transition. London: Facet Publishing. Saracevic, T (1999) Information Science, Journal of the American Society for Information Science, 50 (12): ( IS of 5

3 What is Information? Buckland, M (1991) Information as thing, Journal of the American Society of Information Science, 42 (5): Komito, Lee (2004) The Information Revolution and Ireland; Prospects and Challenges, Dublin: UCD Press. Chapter 2 Lester & Koehler. Fundamentals of Information Studies. Chapters 1, 2 Madden, A D (2000) A definition of information, Aslib Proceedings, 52 (9) (look up this in the ejournals through the UCD Library website) Meadow, C.T. and Yuan, W. (1997), Measuring the impact of information: defining the concepts, Information Processing and Management, 33 (6): History of Information Technology Briggs, Asa and Peter Burke (2005) A Social History of the Media. Polity Press. Chapters 2, 3 Komito, Lee (2004) The Information Revolution and Ireland; Prospects and Challenges, Dublin: UCD Press. Chapters 2, 3 Lester & Koehler. Fundamentals of Information Studies. Chapter 4 Levinson, Paul The Soft Edge: a natural history and future of the information revolution. New York: Routledge. Chapters 2-6. Organising and Retrieving Information Burke, Mary A. (1999) Organization of multimedia resources. Aldershot: Gower. Lester & Koehler. Fundamentals of Information Studies. Chapter 5 Norton, Melanie J. (2000) Information retrieval, In: Introductory Concepts in Information Science, p Medford, New Jersey. How does Google work? c= IS of 5

4 Information Behaviour Case, D.O. (2002). Looking for information: A survey of research on information seeking, needs, and behavior. Amsterdam: Academic Press. Chatman, E.A. (2000). Framing social life in theory and research. New Review of Information Behaviour Research: Studies of Information Seeking in Context, 1, Fisher, K. E., Erdelez, S., & McKenzie L. (Eds). (2005). Theories of information behavior: A researcher's guide. Medford, NJ: Information Today. Lester & Koehler. Fundamentals of Information Studies. Chapter 3 Marchionini, G. (1995). Information seeking in electronic environments. Cambridge University Press. Pettigrew, K., Fidel, R. & Bruce, H. (2001). Conceptual frameworks in information behaviour. Annual Review of Information Science and Technology, 35, Sonnenwald, D.H. and Wildemuth, B.M., (2001). A research method to investigate information seeking using the concept of information horizons: An example from a study of lower socio-economic student's information seeking behaviour. New Review of Information Behaviour Research 2, pp Wilson, T.D. (2000). Human information behavior. Informing Science, 3(2), Information Society Castells, Manuel (1996) The Rise of the Network Society. Oxford: Blackwell. Challenges. Dublin: UCD Press Chapters 5 Lester & Koehler. Fundamentals of Information Studies. Chapter 8 May, Christopher (2002) The Information Society: A Sceptical View. Cambridge: Polity Press Economics of Information Lester & Koehler. Fundamentals of Information Studies. Chapter 9 Challenges. Dublin: UCD Press Chapter 4 Politics Lester & Koehler. Fundamentals of Information Studies. Chapter 10 Challenges. Dublin: UCD Press Chapter 7 Information Policy Lester & Koehler. Fundamentals of Information Studies. Chapters Challenges. Dublin: UCD Press Chapters 6, 8 IS of 5

5 Technology, culture and society Berger, P. L., & Luckmann, T The social construction of reality: a treatise in the sociology of knowledge. Garden City, New York: Doubleday. Chapter 1 Boyd, Dana and Hargettai, Eszeter (2010) Facebook Privacy Settings: Who Cares? First Monday, 15(8). [Online] Available at: Challenges. Dublin: UCD Press Chapters 9,10 Lyon, David (2001) Surveillance Society. Monitoring Everyday Life. Issues in Society Series. Open University Press. Buckingham. Miller, D Tales from Facebook. Cambridge, UK: Polity. Turkle, Sherry (1996) Identity on Screen: Life in the Age of the Internet, Weidenfield and Nicolson. London. IS of 5

Fundamentals of Information Studies

33302_ch00.i-xxii.pdf WBG Soft Proof 6/7/07 11:22:44 AM Pg i Fundamentals of Information Studies Understanding Information and Its Environment Second Edition JUNE LESTER WALLACE C. KOEHLER, JR. Neal-Schuman