What Is Information?

In Uncategorized

What is information? How can we conceptualize this important
term better without reifying it? Why does doing so matter?

READ: Buckland (1991) [online] Chatman (2000) [New Review] Cole & Kuhlthau (2000) [New Review] Cornelius (2002)
Högland & Wilson (2000) [New Review] Reddy (1993)
Rowley (1998) [online] Schiller (1988)
Weaver (1949)
Wilson et al. (2000) [New Review]

AS: Braman (1989)
Buckland (1999)
Capurro (2000)
Cole (1994)
Cool & Belkin (2002)
Cooper (2002)
Harmon (1987)
Losee (1990a)
Losee (1997)
MacMullin & Taylor (1984)
Norton (2000b)
Roberts (1982)
Scarrott (1994)

Discussion topic — Choose three of the papers listed above that we have all read and identify two important similarities and two important differences between them. Such differences might be in their conceptualizations of information, their models of how human beings learn and live together, how the authors analyze users, or other topics. These are only suggestions; please develop your own description of the papers’ attributes and differences, and come to class prepared to discuss them explicitly. Be sure to be ready to explain why the attributes and differences matter specifically.