Abstract
To understand the definition of information I look first at the definition of a related term—knowledge, which is that which is known. Recorded knowledge is knowledge that has been recorded in some tangible way. It is a common misperception that what we do in the information field is provide information. Rather, what we do is attempt to comprehend potential human information requirements, and then subsequently collect artifacts from which the correct informational instructions can be extracted, synthesized, and communicated. We provide context, and we filter it through our own expertise. Information is knowledge perceived. In colloquial usage the term “information” is used to refer to documents themselves, or even to simple data. It is crucial to comprehend the fact that information is a dynamic process, which is a crucial aspect of human existence. Finally, information can be culturally cloaked in the subjective experiences of those who experience its process.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Bates, Marcia J. 2006. Fundamental forms of information. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology 57:1033–1045.
Bawden, David, and Lyn Robinson. 2013. Introduction to information science. Chicago: Neal-Schuman.
Bawden, David, and Lyn Robinson. 2014. Mind the gap: Transitions between concepts of information in varied domains. In Theories of information, communication and knowledge: A multidisciplinary approach. Studies in history and philosophy of science, eds. Fidelia Ibekwe-SanJuan and Thomas M. Dousa., 121–141. 344 vols. Dordrecht: Springer.
Buckland, Michael K. 1988. Library services in theory and context. 2nd ed. Oxford: Pergamon Press.
Capurro, Rafael and Birger Hjørland. 2003. The concept of information. Annual Review of Information Science and Technology 37:343–411.
Cole, Charles. 1994. Operationalizing the notion of information as a subjective construct. Journal of the American Society for Information Science 45:475.
Day, Ronald. 2000. The ‘conduit metaphor’ and the nature and politics of information studies. Journal of the American Society for Information Science 51:805–811.
Fairthorne, R. A. 1961. Towards information retrieval. London: Butterworths.
Floridi, Luciano. 2010. Information: A very short introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Furner, Jonathan. 2014. Information without information studies. In Theories of information, communication and knowledge: A multidisciplinary approach. Studies in history and philosophy of science, eds. Fidelia Ibekwe-SanJuan and Thomas M. Dousa, 143–179. 344 vols. Dordrecht: Springer.
Gleick, James. 2011. The information: A history, a theory, a flood. New York: Pantheon Books.
Hjørland, Birger. 2007. Information—objective or subjective/situational? Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology 58:1448–1456.
Mai, Jens-Erik. 2013. The quality and qualities of information. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology 64:675–688.
Menou, Michel J. 1995. The impact of information—II. concepts of information and its value. Information Processing and Management 31:479–490.
Zins, Chaim. 2007. Conceptual approaches for defining data, information, and knowledge. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology 58:479–493.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Smiraglia, R. (2014). The Nature of Information. In: Cultural Synergy in Information Institutions. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1249-0_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1249-0_2
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-1248-3
Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-1249-0
eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)