Information science
S McKemmish
8 points * 4 hours per week * First semester * Clayton * Prerequisites: LAR2003
This subject provides an introduction to the interdisciplinary perspectives, theoretical understandings and knowledge base necessary to practise in the information management profession. It draws on the principles of information science to study information from its generation to its exploitation. It explores interdisciplinary perspectives on the properties, behaviour and management of information as data, document and record. It provides students with an opportunity to explore the nature of human communication and the characteristics of a document or record as captured communication, as well as stored information. It considers the pluralistic uses of information in the context of social and business activity. It also brings a recordkeeping dimension to information management, widening the traditional focus on the information transfer model to consider process models for capturing complete, accurate, reliable and useable records of social and business activity as evidence of that activity. Specific topics covered include: the ways in which the principles of data management, document management and records management apply to managing stored information of business activity; the concept of recorded information as an allocative and authoritative social and corporate resource; the principles of information science and, in particular, models relating to information transfer, flow and use; classification, indexing and appraisal/disposal theory; models of human communication; communication in a corporate environment.
Assessment
Examination (2 hours): 50% * Assignment work: 50%
Recommended texts
Acland G I (ed.) Electronic recordkeeping, issues and perspectives Australian Society of Archivists, 1994
McKemmish S and Upward F (eds) Archival documents: Providing accountability through recordkeeping Ancora, 1993
Vickery B and Vickery A Information science in theory and practice Butterworths, 1987