Purpose

The purpose of this blog is to emphasis the need, changes and evolution of information. Information creation, transition, storage and retrieval has changed, but not the need. I have also included an invention that had a significant impact on information. Man's ability and need to communicate is the foundation of information development, which has had an importance impact on civilization. Food for thought, What is the starting point of written communication?

Information

What is information and why is it so important to us. Information is simply defined as "the communication or reception of knowledge or intelligence." As intelligent beings we have always communicated important information to each other. If human beings could not have accomplished this we probably would not have survived as a species. All species communicate to survive. Passing on information from one generation to the next. What has evolved for humans is a more and more complex and sophisticated form. The ability to create, transmit, store and retrieve information is what enables human beings to evolve and improve their world.

The creation of information happens all the time for humans, but most of it we ignore. Human beings receive information from many sources. Information is the transmission and reception of new data that is changed into knowledge. Information has been seen as a thing and as a process. Both of these properties can be applied to information throughout its history. Lets look at that history now (Black, 2007).

Black, A. (2007). Information history. Annual Review of Information Science and Technology, 40 (1), 441-473

How Information Develops

There are basically four steps to the development of information.

1. Information is created.
2. Information is transmitted.
3. Information is stored.
4. Information is managed.

I hope to show how each of these aspects of information has evolved. I, also, hope to show the value of both old and new formats (Lester, 2007).

Lester, J. and Kowehler, W. Jr. (2007). Fundamentals of information studies. Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc., New York, New York.

The Beginning

When did information become important to us. You can say from the time we began to communicate to others information that we deemed important. From the beginning of human communication. What is communication. Webster defines communication to mean:

1: an act or instance of transmitting2 a: information communicated b: a verbal or written message3 a: a process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or behavior ; also : exchange of information b: personal rapport 4plural a: a system (as of telephones) for communicating b: a system of routes for moving troops, supplies, and vehicles c: personnel engaged in communicating5plural but sing or plural in constr a: a technique for expressing ideas effectively (as in speech) b: the technology of the transmission of information (as by print or telecommunication).

Communication is the key component of information. It effects the creditability, understanding and usability of the information.

communication. (2008). In Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.Retrieved July 1, 2008, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/communication.

How is Information Created

Information is all the data that is collected and formulated into knowledge. Most of the data we see and hear is dismissed. If the data is important we file it away. What kind of data do we file. Data that will be helpful in the future. The first file cabinet for information is our own brain. Early man passed his information along through stories and drawings. Drawings were the first form of written language. The written word has evolved from stone tablets to computerized text.

One important component of information is how well it is communicated to others. Information as a thing, means the information is usable to me. It serves a purpose. It is put in a format that others can receive, whether it is a ancient verbal story or a modern computer transmission, if the information is not clearly communicated it is really useless (Greer, 2007).

Greer, R., Grover, R. and Fowler, S. (2007). Introduction to the library and information professions. Libraries Unlimited, Westport, Connecticut.

Information Transmission

How has information been transmitted? Information has been spoken, written and now digitized. Which form is best is relivent to the time it was created. Many predictions have been made the books and libraries will become obsolete. This is a prediction that I personally never see happening. Even if the format that we put a book in becomes a computer file, patrons will always need that information stored and organized for them. Libraries play an important job to help keep citizens informed and I do not see this ever changing.

Just as paper books replaced clay, stone and animal skins, because it was a more efficient form, so will technology replace books, but not information. Information will always be created in the form of documents and communications. The form will change, but never the need (Gorman, 2007).

Gorman, M. (2007). Our enduring values, librarianship in the 21st century. American Library Association, Chicago, Illinois.

Information Storage

As soon as civilized man began creating and recording information, he began to store it. Libraries were formed to manage the storage of information. From scrolls to books to computer files, libraries have organized and stored information. Many may say that digitalization of information will make libraries obsolete, but I strongly disagree. Libraries play a more important role in society than just a storage house. Libraries enable everyone in society to have access to information. Just in the early 1900s the citizentry did not have access to books, except through libraries. Citizens needed the library to help them expand their education and knowledge.

This has not changed, even if the needs and forms of information have. Many people cannot afford a computer, but they still need the functions the computer performs. Libraries are the one place citizens can go to obtain the digital information they need without paying a fee. Libraries ensure equality in society (Lester, 2007).

Lester, J. and Koehler, W. Jr. (2007). Fundamentals of information studies, second edition. Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc., New York, New York.