Information as Community Builder

By Ashley Hotham

“Long live ‘chameleon’ words like ‘information,’ ‘knowledge’ and ‘interdisciplinary,’” said Dr. Michael Buckland, who delivered the 26th annual School of Library and Information Science Deans’ and Directors’ Lecture. Rather than become distracted with confusing terminology, he said, “Our goal is to build a better understanding of information systems through a description of their nature.”

This year’s speaker and renowned expert in librarianship, Dr. Buckland said we shouldn’t ask what kind of science do we want library and information science to be, but we need to ask what kind of science can it be?

He emphasized that it is up to information schools, or “i-schools,” to define their own science, rather than allow others to define it for them. What they should be concerned about is cultural engagement and community building.

Dr. Robert V. Williams, SLIS distinguished professor emeritus, said Dr. Buckland’s work is widely cited. “He is one of the most thoughtful and reflective people in information science about the nature of the discipline, where it has been and where it needs to go in the future,” he said.

Dr. Buckland earned both his professional qualification in librarianship and his Ph.D. from Sheffield University and is now professor emeritus in the School of Information at the University of California, Berkeley. Throughout his lecture, he spoke about the nature of information and its fundamental value to society.

“Knowledge is more than propositional knowledge,” Dr. Buckland said. “Knowledge is belief and it is cultural.”

Any important social problem is complicated. To understand a particular problem fully, cultural dynamics such as sociological, psychological, economic and technological aspects must be addressed.

“As SLIS continues to build programs for cultural heritage, Dr. Buckland’s research and concerns about information and preservation are a perfect match,” said Dr. Sam Hastings, SLIS director. “His lecture addressed many of the issues we face every day.”

The “chameleon” words to which Dr. Buckland referred are vague and inconsistent. Their meanings change depending on who is defining them. Although they are useful for slogans and rhetoric, they are confusing. According to Dr. Buckland, “information” needs to be narrowly tailored to concern only knowledge and what people know.

“We have a vested interest in other people who know what they are doing,” Dr. Buckland said. “Who wants to go to an incompetent dentist?”

Information, as Dr. Buckland sees it, is broken into three piles: information-as-knowledge, or knowledge imparted; information-as-process, becoming informed; and information-as-thing, things like books and documents.

Documents, Dr. Buckland said, are “pervasive in our society and shape our culture.” However, documents don’t do anything. Rather, people do things with documents. Dr. Buckland, who just returned from South Africa, asked why his passport could go there without him, but he could not go there without his passport. “Who is more important? The passport or me?”

“We intend these annual Deans’ and Directors’ Lectures to be provocative,” said Charles Bierbauer, dean of the College of Mass Communications and Information Studies. “We want people who attend them to think beyond the predictable and see the intrinsic value in information and how society builds upon it. I certainly felt that was the kind of challenge Dr. Buckland presented.”