LIS  5033:  Information and the Knowledge Society / Fall 2017

Instructor: Dr. Ellen Rubenstein

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Learning Objectives:

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• Describe basic concepts of information and knowledge.

• Discuss the role of information in a variety of environments.

• Discuss a variety of definitions of the terms – “information Society” and “Knowledge Society.”

• Understanding the changing roles and functions of various information institutions such as libraries and cultural heritage institutions such as museums.

• Understand the importance of current information policies and their implications, on local, national, and international levels.

• Identify and assess professional aspects and issues related to the practice of information and knowledge professionals.

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Skill Objectives:

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• The ability to discover and utilize useful information relevant to a variety of topics or issues.

• The discernment to separate significant from insignificant information items.

• The confidence to discuss/defend ideas with peers.

• The ability to critically analyze issues and prepare responses supported by references to relevant professional and scholarly writing and to present the responses n formally documented papers.

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My experience:

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     This class was taken in my first semester and it was a wonderful introduction to the MLIS degree program.  I learned a brief history on information, what information science is, and saw a first look at the concepts and theories that support it.  I was initially overwhelmed and intimidated by my lack of experience in a library setting, and that I had not had much practice in academic writing. My BA was in history and it was a different kind of approach in terms of writing assignments and papers.  I had to acclimate quickly, and I was quite nervous that first semester. 

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     The early days of this class intimidated me, however, as each layer was peeled back and Dr. Rubenstein introduced us to not only the history and the foundations of information definition, she also touched on other areas of information science, i.e. behavior, management and policy, organization, technology, and digital illiteracy to name a few.  The beauty of this class was the unveiling of the big picture, as well as the opportunity to practice academic writing through assignments that also had us exploring what we were learning in class.  One example was the assignment of a search exercise using the Bizzell Library OPAC.  Another assignment taught me through my research about information organization and how there are limits to LOC and Dewey because more subject breakdown needs to occur, and the problems with lack of access to minority or marginalized groups.

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     Perhaps the most difficult and the most important concepts for me to learn and understand were the very ones that I chose to do my final paper on.  The paper was a product of my interest in documents and collections, and domain analysis.  By studying the tool of domain analysis and its approach to information science, along with many other concepts taught in this course, I feel as though I have a better idea of what information science encompasses and as I worked my way through each class, I was able to recall and look back at the introduction of the topics through this very helpful foundational course.