Introduction to Information Sciences
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Course code
INT6002.DT
old course code
INT6002
Course title in Estonian
Sissejuhatus infoteadustesse
Course title in English
Introduction to Information Sciences
ECTS credits
6.0
Assessment form
Examination
lecturer of 2024/2025 Autumn semester
Not opened for teaching. Click the study programme link below to see the nominal division schedule.
lecturer of 2024/2025 Spring semester
Not opened for teaching. Click the study programme link below to see the nominal division schedule.
Course aims
To develop theoretical foundations of library and information science, and to create preconditions and opportunities for developing knowledge of information science and librarianship and their basic concepts, theories and key research directions.
To develop knowledge and deepen understanding of the nature and development of information science and librarianship and their interdisciplinary relations.
Brief description of the course
The nature and development of information science. The factors, researchers and events influencing the development of information science. The definition of information science, key issues, major research questions and intellectual structure. The main development stages and their characteristic features. The main research directions and topics. The realtionship between information science and librarianship. The interdisciplinary nature of information science.
The basic concepts of information science. Data, information, knowledge. Information behavior, information needs, information seeking and retrieval, information use. Information management, information organization, knowledge management, document and record management. Information systems and networks. Information society concepts and approaches (Bell, Baudrillard, Poster, Castells, Schiller, Aglietta, Giddens, Habermas and others). Information infrastructure, information policies and strategies. The information overload, information poverty and information literacy.
The main research areas and researchers of information science. Studies on the nature of information, information needs, and information seeking and retrieval, information literacy. Development of information science in Estonia. The main research directions, research strategies and methods, studies and researchers of information science.
Learning outcomes in the course
Upon completing the course the student:
- defines the nature of library and information science, its research object and tasks;
- explains the basic concepts of library and information science and their relationships with other disciplines;
- describes the development of library and information science, its main research areas, issues, researchers and approaches of information society;
- analyses the nature of information policy and its different levels, the areas, structure, spheres of influence and areas of application of information policy;
- has on overview on the theoretical approaches of the librarianship and information science;
- has knowledge on functions and roles of different types of libraries and information centres;
- has an overview on the developments of library and information centres in the digital information environment;
- understands the role of library and information professionals in the society;
- describes the competence requirements of library and information professionals, the environment of library and information science education and training and professional organisations;
- analyzes the professional literature, justifies the views of his/her own and the others and presents the results of analysis to the professional audience.

Teacher
S. Metsar, MA; S. Virkus, MA
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