Information and Information Systems

(Paperback)

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Michael Buckland offers an examination of information and information systems which is comparative rather than technical in approach. Using explicitly defined terms, Buckland interprets the nature of retrieval-based information systems such as museums, archives, libraries, and online databases, and their relative social utility. Introductory material which stresses the importance of precise terminology when discussing information and its use is followed by an overview of the concepts and processes at work in modern information services. Buckland's subsequent focus on unusual examples of information systems and their relative social contexts yields interesting conclusions on the nature of information systems in general and constructive consideration of existing problems. Concluding with a bibliography and general subject index, this volume can provide students and professionals with a valuable introduction to this rapidly expanding field.

Reviews

"In this wonderfully readable book, Michael Buckland draws from the reader an understanding of information and information systems by providing an historical perspective, presenting a concise and useful overview of a large literature, including his own lucid thinking, and challenging the reader with questions. . . . Buckland interweaves his solid knowledge of history, information science and systems with the threads of philosophy, the social context, and practical examples into a complex fabric that depicts the information field very skillfully. . . . I look forward to reading it again and again and to using it in my classes."-Toni Carbo Bearman Dean and Professor School of Library and Information Science University of Pittsburgh
"It is always a pleasure to read something by Michael Buckland. There is no individual in our profession who writes with both greater force and greater elegance, but for all his ideas he manages to convey them in words that are direct and straightforward. In devoting his considerable talents to this much needed introduction to information and information systems in writing free of needless technical jargon, Buckland has done all of us an immense service."- Herbert S. White Distinguished Professor School of Library and Information Science Indiana University, Bloomington
,"" . . In Information and Information Systems Michael Buckland provides the first straightforward text that deals with defining the terms, the systems, and some of the fundamental issues in an intelligent, comprehensive, non-technical manner. Make no mistake, this is not light reading. This is not yet another attempt to explain computers, technology, networks, or the other manifestations of information and information systems. It is a substantial and substantive attempt to discuss, in an organized fashion, the concepts of information, the processes involved in the creation and dissemination of information, and a variety of the relationships, including the social context, in which information and information systems are used. . . . Reading this text--and it should serve a valuable library school text--requires care and attention. It marks a significant step forward in assisting us to place the fundamental product with which we deal into a broader philosophical context.""-Wilson Library Journal
. . . represents a significant leap forward in the effort to describe information systems of all sorts in common terms.-LRTS
." . . In Information and Information Systems Michael Buckland provides the first straightforward text that deals with defining the terms, the systems, and some of the fundamental issues in an intelligent, comprehensive, non-technical manner. Make no mistake, this is not light reading. This is not yet another attempt to explain computers, technology, networks, or the other manifestations of information and information systems. It is a substantial and substantive attempt to discuss, in an organized fashion, the concepts of information, the processes involved in the creation and dissemination of information, and a variety of the relationships, including the social context, in which information and information systems are used. . . . Reading this text--and it should serve a valuable library school text--requires care and attention. It marks a significant step forward in assisting us to place the fundamental product with which we deal into a broader philosophical context."-Wilson Library Journal
." . . represents a significant leap forward in the effort to describe information systems of all sorts in common terms."-LRTS
."" . . In Information and Information Systems Michael Buckland provides the first straightforward text that deals with defining the terms, the systems, and some of the fundamental issues in an intelligent, comprehensive, non-technical manner. Make no mistake, this is not light reading. This is not yet another attempt to explain computers, technology, networks, or the other manifestations of information and information systems. It is a substantial and substantive attempt to discuss, in an organized fashion, the concepts of information, the processes involved in the creation and dissemination of information, and a variety of the relationships, including the social context, in which information and information systems are used. . . . Reading this text--and it should serve a valuable library school text--requires care and attention. It marks a significant step forward in assisting us to place the fundamental product with which we deal into a broader philosophical context.""-Wilson Library Journal

Author Bio

MICHAEL BUCKLAND is Professor, School of Library and Information Science, University of California, Berkeley. He is also author of Library Services in Theory and Context.