History in the iSchools

Abstract

Although scholars have continually thought to focus on what information may be, questions about how and why information comes to us have been neglected and remain poorly understood. Our session seeks to address this lacuna by exploring historical conceptions of information and by developing the idea of "systems of information provision." The conversation will engage in such questions as: What is to be gained by considering history in explorations of big data, data analytics, and informational systems? On the other hand, what hazards lie in a study of information that does not account for the forces of history? How does the current "data-driven" moment shed light on the past? How might iSchools enrich their programs by offering historical perspectives on the study of data, documents, information, libraries, archives, networks, and technologies? And are there dangers in information histories taking an instrumental cue from present-day information requirements and issues?