What is Library and Information Science?
Library and information science, popularly known as “LIS” Is a course that deals with information; it’s curation, organization, storage and dispersion.
AN OVERVIEW OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE
Library and information science though in ways relates to courses like; Information Science, Information technology, computer science and much more should not be confused with them. As there is a major distinction between Library science and the aforementioned courses of study.
It’s difference lies mainly in the bedrock of the course itself Which is a Library. Then getting even more technical in it’s approach to the information stored in the library and it’s management on several other forms and databases all around the world.
If you’re looking to study this course there are so many things one would need to learn. From methods and practices like the economy of information down to simple communication skills and interaction with people (different cultures and their information) to the ever-changing technological trends in Management of information. I’m sure you’ve heard information is power. This is the big task of whomever chooses to undertake this course of study.
This article would touch other parts of the course such as;
•The Origin of Library and information science (LIS)
•The Uses/Importance of Library and information science (LIS)
•Job opportunities available to the Library scientist.
•And Other relates courses of study.
ORIGIN OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE
One could easily argue that this science is perhaps as old as information itself, owing to the fact that information had to be and has been documented and disseminated. As generations increase we see this art developing.
One of the most notable Libraries in ancient was the library of Alexandria in the 3rd (Third) century, although other Libraries from other civilizations and empires are known. Thomas Jefferson was the one who brought about the first system of classification against the alphabetical order uses before him. Basing his classification of his books off their subject matter and grouping them as such.
In recent times the scope of library science has widened because of be various technological advancement towards information in this century. Incorporating more analytics and research to the study
THE USES/IMPORTANCE OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE
You definitely would be asking yourself questions like; “What use is this course to me?”, “Is this course of any Importance?”, or maybe “What impact does this course have on the society or economy of a nation?”. Whatever your question may be I think you would find the answer here. Let’s get into it!
The impact of This course anchors on it’s effect on the mind of individuals or groups of persons, such as; a family, school, a group of friends, a tribe or people and Even a nation at large. Therefore the effect of this course of study is mainly on the social aspect of a nation that also directly and indirectly affects a nations economy.
–Improvement of Literacy: With the dissemination of information the information scientists fights against illiteracy in the society. They open up people to information that allows for the improvement of skills, communication and education. Using various means to achieve this. Physical and digital libraries, Archives and online resources.
–Sustenance of the societal Cultures: Through the use of the information they providing by documenting history/historical events, Culture itself and changes made over time to it, the trends that influence such changes, and local traditions of different regions, the Library and Information Scientist aids in preserving such heritage and history.
–Promote and sustain information flow and Research: Library and Information Science is all about the flow of information. Not just information, but quality information, provides access to this information and research facilities to get this information and give back information to the society. A typical example is a school library on basically any level (High school, or Tetiary institutions).
JOB OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE TO THE LIBRARY SCIENTIST
There exists a plethora of jobs/careers one could take up having studied Library and Information Science. Let’s discuss a few of them
–Librarian: As you may have already guessed one could obviously work as a librarian. Helping in the a library to sort through Information and promoting literacy in the society.
–Archivist: An archivist’s job is to gather information. not just that, but information in it’s original form. It could be a Document, painting or picture, map e.t.c
–Cataloger: A cataloguer is responsible for the sequence of arrangements of curates pieces of information. They are trained to do this in a way that would make for ease in searching for Information. They can be found working in Libraries or in large organizations that have. lot of information.
–Computer, Data, and Information Systems professionals: These are people skilled in the use of current information technologies, that create means for information to flow from the owner to the user. They aid in the development of the ease of information flow and are versed most times in a number of programming languages.
-Curator: This so someone In the field of information science responsible for gathering information that would be of use.
–Indexers: An indexers job lies obviously in plain sight. You definitely would be familiar with it. You know that portion of a document that course easily help you locate the information you’re looking for? Yeah the index! that’s their handiwork right there. They organise information and provide an index for parsing through that information. Usually using keywords to make up that. many indexers work from home and some are also freelancers.
-Information architect: In the simplest terms they responsible for making information pleasing and easily accessible to the user from the provider of the said information. They could provide digital blue prints for going through Information. They really are the front men when it comes to how information is displayed and how it can be accessed. With such a skill set they are found in almost every sector and different organizations.
-Information broker: You could as well call them Information sellers. This is another class that could easily work from home and independently. They gather information for people or organization from open sources or databases, and are paid for the information they provide.
Some other Jobs one could easily take up after this course of study are;
Metadata Architects
Metadata Managers
Preservation Administrators and Conservators
RELATED COURSES OF STUDY TO LIS
The courses below are related to Library and Information Science;
-Mass communication
–Information Communication technology
-Sociology
-Archival Studies
-Psychology
-History
-Data Anaysis
This article was indeed helpful… Thank you