So. . . . .this blog is about the dissemination of information, hence the name, Info-nation. We are a nation of information highways, a vast network of communication channels and portals that make information available to mass audiences or to more select groups of individuals. On this blog we will discuss issues and processes surrounding this information dissemination, and hopefully come to a better understanding of this important topical subject.
Perhaps first, we should define "information". Information can be defined as "organized data", according to Harland Cleveland (1985), as mentioned in the textbook by Greer, Grover, and Fowler (2007). In this definition, data is raw fact, divorced from context and meaning. When data is organized into meaningful information, then people can understand it and gain benefit from it.The dissemination of this information is its distribution - the methods, channels, or procedures that make information available to people. This would include places like libraries, and formats like CD-rom. Even people themselves can be a channel for dissemination. On this blog we will discuss the various channels or methods, the role of technology in dissemination, the effect of new methods on the veracity and integrity of information, current issues in information science vis-a-vis dissemination, and pros and cons of the various formats.
References:
Cleveland, H. (1985). The knowledge executive:
leadership in an information society.
New York:Truman Talley Books/E.P. Dutton.
Greer, R.C., Grover, R.J., and Fowler, S.G. (2007).
Introduction to the library and information professions.
Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.
Monday, April 14, 2008
One Last Thought
For the sake of completeness, I feel like I should say a word about another aspect of the information transfer cycle, called diffusion. Dissemination doesn't involve learning or understanding on the part of the recipient. It is simply the distribution of information, making it available. Although this dissemination has grown considerably due to computer technology, and recipients gather information without help in multiple locations through PCs, PDAs, lap-tops, cell-phones, etc., the library still remains an important location for disseminating information. As a corollary, the advances in technology haven't reduced the need for librarians to help patrons and end-users understand and access information.
The process of learning and understanding information is called diffusion. It becomes personal knowledge and you make it your "own" during this process. Librarians, now more than ever, have to play the role of educator and technology advocate as part of this diffusion process. Many library patrons need help in using the computers that all libraries now have available, and most public libraries have various free classes on using computers and databases. There are many variations on this theme, particular to each type of library and patron demographics, and it is beyond the scope of this blog to address this more specifically here.
An introductory class on the Internet is perhaps the most common "diffusion" activity for public librarians. I taught one of these classes in a public library once, and it was gratifying to be able to reach out and help people who didn't know where to start. Just making the computers available isn't always enough. I would like to mention here that I used an excellent book by William Hollands as a guide (Hollands, 1999). He provides a framework for teaching Internet workshops in libraries. Even though it might sound old, being published in 1999, it is still one of the best books of its type available, and I recommend it to any librarian looking for guidance in teaching Internet workshops.
The degree to which librarians are involved in diffusion varies, depending on the type of library. School librarians, or media specialists, and academic librarians, play more of an educator role than public librarians. However, to whatever degree involved, librarians and information specialists play a crucial role not only in disseminating information, but in making sure the information is absorbed and learned in a diffusion process.
References:
Hollands, W.D. (1999). Teaching the Internet to library
staff and users: 10 ready-to-go workshops that work.
New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc.
The process of learning and understanding information is called diffusion. It becomes personal knowledge and you make it your "own" during this process. Librarians, now more than ever, have to play the role of educator and technology advocate as part of this diffusion process. Many library patrons need help in using the computers that all libraries now have available, and most public libraries have various free classes on using computers and databases. There are many variations on this theme, particular to each type of library and patron demographics, and it is beyond the scope of this blog to address this more specifically here.
An introductory class on the Internet is perhaps the most common "diffusion" activity for public librarians. I taught one of these classes in a public library once, and it was gratifying to be able to reach out and help people who didn't know where to start. Just making the computers available isn't always enough. I would like to mention here that I used an excellent book by William Hollands as a guide (Hollands, 1999). He provides a framework for teaching Internet workshops in libraries. Even though it might sound old, being published in 1999, it is still one of the best books of its type available, and I recommend it to any librarian looking for guidance in teaching Internet workshops.
The degree to which librarians are involved in diffusion varies, depending on the type of library. School librarians, or media specialists, and academic librarians, play more of an educator role than public librarians. However, to whatever degree involved, librarians and information specialists play a crucial role not only in disseminating information, but in making sure the information is absorbed and learned in a diffusion process.
References:
Hollands, W.D. (1999). Teaching the Internet to library
staff and users: 10 ready-to-go workshops that work.
New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Technology rules!
I finally have my information dissemination model posted, imperfect and rudimentary though it may be. You can find it at the bottom of the page. Don't forget to scroll all the way down, as there are 3 drawings. Links to my classmate's blogs can also be found at the bottom of the page.
e-publishing
Well......it has been an interesting and challenging week as a library science student, as I have attempted to publish a drawn model of dissemination here on my blog without much success. Maybe you can't teach an old dog new tricks. However, I do have another important topic to discuss here: e-publishing.
Publication of research, and fiction or non-fiction books, is another aspect of dissemination. It is the mass distribution of ideas without diffusion, as our textbook states it (Greer, Grover, and Fowler, 2007). Traditionally this has been done through the print medium, but advancing information technologies are changing that. E-publishing is the process where "manuscripts are submitted in electronic form and edited, printed and distributed to readers via computer networks" (Mohd and Premlet, 2004). Scholarly e-journals and e-books are the two main forms of e-publishing.
The American Chemical Society was the first professional body to publish their journals in electronic form, in 1983. Since then, the e-journal has really taken off, and is available from many different sources. The publication process for scholarly journals in print form is time-consuming. The manuscript is sent to the editor, then to referees for criticism, then perhaps rewritten and resubmitted, then formatted and sent to the printer. This process is shortened considerably when done electronically, and the quick turn-around time is one of the best features of e-publishing. This time-saving feature could be important to researchers. Another benefit is the ability to do keyword searches of the material (Mohd and Premlet, 2004).
One of the major downsides to e-journals though, is the difficulty in accessing them through directories and catalogs. One study found that dead links or non-working URLs are a big problem in online directories and catalogs. Catalogs fared better than directories in this regard (Ford and Harter, 1998). In an Internet environment, URLs and content may change rapidly, and this makes it difficult to maintain these access guides. In another study, problems with e-journals in general were found, such as "multiple modes of access and data formats, numerous difficulties in connecting to e-journals, incomplete archives, inaccessible articles, and inaccurate printed e-journal directories" (Harter and Kim, 1996).
Clearly, technology has been a boon to information dissemination, but it is still evolving. We need to improve usability, access, and the accuracy of directories and catalogs for e-journals.
The other part of e-publishing is e-books, which so far hasn't been a great success in terms of popularity or demand. Most people don't want to do pleasure reading from a computer screen, or print out an entire novel for themselves. E-book readers like Amazon's Kindle are now available, but I don't see that as much better than reading from your PC. It is portable, but it's still like a computer screen. I don't see the library becoming "paperless" antime soon. As a society, we will always want and need printed material. Younger and future generations may feel differently than I do about information technology, which brings me back to my original thought in this blog entry. I grew up learning to type on an electric typewriter, which I used for many years. Computers are a relatively new tool for me. As a library professional, I will need to have some familiarity with computer and word-processing programs, so I welcomed the challenge of posting a drawing on a blog. I hope the older generations embrace information technology, because it really is changing our world. We are becoming an Info-Nation.
References:
Ford, C.E., & Harter, S.P. (1998). The downside of scholarly
electronic publishing: Problems in accessing electronic
journals through online directories and catalogs.
College & Research Libraries, 59(4), 335-46.
Retrieved from WilsonWeb database.
Greer, R.C., Grover, R.J., & Fowler, S.G. (2007).
Introduction to the library and information professions.
Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.
Harter, S.P., & Kim, H.J. (1996).
Accessing electronic journals and other e-publications:
An empirical study.
College & Research Libraries, 57, 447-49.
Retrieved from WilsonWeb database.
Mohd, A.A., & Premlet, B. (2004).
E-publishing: Need of the hour.
DESIDOC Bulletin of Information Technology, 24(2), 3-7.
Retrieved from WilsonWeb database.
Publication of research, and fiction or non-fiction books, is another aspect of dissemination. It is the mass distribution of ideas without diffusion, as our textbook states it (Greer, Grover, and Fowler, 2007). Traditionally this has been done through the print medium, but advancing information technologies are changing that. E-publishing is the process where "manuscripts are submitted in electronic form and edited, printed and distributed to readers via computer networks" (Mohd and Premlet, 2004). Scholarly e-journals and e-books are the two main forms of e-publishing.
The American Chemical Society was the first professional body to publish their journals in electronic form, in 1983. Since then, the e-journal has really taken off, and is available from many different sources. The publication process for scholarly journals in print form is time-consuming. The manuscript is sent to the editor, then to referees for criticism, then perhaps rewritten and resubmitted, then formatted and sent to the printer. This process is shortened considerably when done electronically, and the quick turn-around time is one of the best features of e-publishing. This time-saving feature could be important to researchers. Another benefit is the ability to do keyword searches of the material (Mohd and Premlet, 2004).
One of the major downsides to e-journals though, is the difficulty in accessing them through directories and catalogs. One study found that dead links or non-working URLs are a big problem in online directories and catalogs. Catalogs fared better than directories in this regard (Ford and Harter, 1998). In an Internet environment, URLs and content may change rapidly, and this makes it difficult to maintain these access guides. In another study, problems with e-journals in general were found, such as "multiple modes of access and data formats, numerous difficulties in connecting to e-journals, incomplete archives, inaccessible articles, and inaccurate printed e-journal directories" (Harter and Kim, 1996).
Clearly, technology has been a boon to information dissemination, but it is still evolving. We need to improve usability, access, and the accuracy of directories and catalogs for e-journals.
The other part of e-publishing is e-books, which so far hasn't been a great success in terms of popularity or demand. Most people don't want to do pleasure reading from a computer screen, or print out an entire novel for themselves. E-book readers like Amazon's Kindle are now available, but I don't see that as much better than reading from your PC. It is portable, but it's still like a computer screen. I don't see the library becoming "paperless" antime soon. As a society, we will always want and need printed material. Younger and future generations may feel differently than I do about information technology, which brings me back to my original thought in this blog entry. I grew up learning to type on an electric typewriter, which I used for many years. Computers are a relatively new tool for me. As a library professional, I will need to have some familiarity with computer and word-processing programs, so I welcomed the challenge of posting a drawing on a blog. I hope the older generations embrace information technology, because it really is changing our world. We are becoming an Info-Nation.
References:
Ford, C.E., & Harter, S.P. (1998). The downside of scholarly
electronic publishing: Problems in accessing electronic
journals through online directories and catalogs.
College & Research Libraries, 59(4), 335-46.
Retrieved from WilsonWeb database.
Greer, R.C., Grover, R.J., & Fowler, S.G. (2007).
Introduction to the library and information professions.
Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.
Harter, S.P., & Kim, H.J. (1996).
Accessing electronic journals and other e-publications:
An empirical study.
College & Research Libraries, 57, 447-49.
Retrieved from WilsonWeb database.
Mohd, A.A., & Premlet, B. (2004).
E-publishing: Need of the hour.
DESIDOC Bulletin of Information Technology, 24(2), 3-7.
Retrieved from WilsonWeb database.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
