Handbook on Information Sciences

The Handbook on Information Sciences provides a comprehensive overview of the core themes within the discipline, including the organisation of information and how to manage data, and outlines avenues for future research. Discussions on the methodological evolution of the field are enriched by an in-depth evaluation of the use of experimental methods in information sciences. This Handbook outlines the history of the information sciences and explores fundamental concepts such as materialist and semantic varieties of information, classification theory and document theory. Models of general information behaviour and specific information-seeking behaviour are analysed, as well as research methods and techniques for information retrieval. Expert contributors further examine public libraries as social institutions, information literacy, information sciences in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and the relationship between information sciences and sustainability. Presenting theoretical foundations as well as practical advice, this Handbook is a vital resource for students and academics of computer science, economics, information sciences, knowledge management, sociology, and technology and ICT. Practitioners interested in information sciences and research methods will also find this book beneficial.