Library science and information science are two closely-related and often intersecting disciplines that deal primarily with the organization and retrieval of information.
Library science is an interdisciplinary social science incorporating the humanities, law and applied science and studying topics related to libraries; the collection, organization and dissemination of information resources; and the political economy of information. Library science has also historically included archival science, although a conceptual distinction between libraries and archives has evolved over time.
Amongst the varied topics of study that fall within library science: how information resources are organized to serve the needs of select user groups; how people interact with classification systems and technology; how information is acquired, evaluated and applied by people in and outside of libraries as well as cross-culturally; how people are trained and educated for careers in libraries; the ethics that guide library service and organization; the legal status of libraries and information resources, and the applied science of computer technology used in documentation and records management. Library science is constantly evolving, incorporating new topics like database management, information architecture and knowledge management.
Information science (also referred to as information studies) is an interdisciplinary science primarily concerned with the collection, classification, manipulation, storage, retrieval and dissemination of information. Information science studies the application and usage of knowledge in organizations, and the interaction between people, organizations and information systems. It is often, though not exclusively, studied as a branch of computer science or informatics and is closely related to the cognitive and social sciences.
The American Society for Information Science and Technology (also referred to as ASIST or ASIS&T) is an organization of information professionals. Established in 1937, the organization sponsors an annual conference and publishes proceedings from this conference under the Annual Review of Information Science and Technology series; provides administration and electronic communications support for interest-based organizational groups referred to as SIGs; provides administration for geographically defined chapter groups; publishes the Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology (also known as JASIST); publishes a society bulletin; provides job availability oriented communications support; and provides organizational support for continuing education programs for information professionals.
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Information can tell us everything. It has all the answers. But they are answers to questions we have not asked, and which doubtless don't even arise. |
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— Jean Baudrillard, unknown |
Thomas Jefferson (
13 April 1743 N.S.–
4 July 1826) was the third
President of the United States (1801–09), the principal author of the
Declaration of Independence (1776), and one of the most influential
Founding Fathers for his promotion of the ideals of
Republicanism in the United States. Major events during his presidency include the
Louisiana Purchase (1803) and the
Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804–1806). After the British burned
Washington, D.C. and the
Library of Congress in August 1814, Jefferson offered his own collection to the nation. In January 1815, Congress accepted his offer, appropriating $23,950 for his 6,487 books, and the foundation was laid for a great national library. Today, the
Library of Congress' website for federal legislative information is named THOMAS, in honor of Jefferson.
