Information continuum : the changing nature of information in library and information science

Abstract

The main focus of this research is to determine how the discipline of Library and Information Science defines and uses information, and how this has changed over time. This research consists of a thematic content analysis of six well known and respectable Library and Information Science Journals. The results show an increase in both the quantitative and qualitative use of the term information within Library and Information Science. It also shows that a central definition does exist and that this changes over time in response to wider changes in society. The research makes a significant contribution to the existing literature on information because it seeks to clarify the use, definition and development of information within Library and Information Science and link these developments to wider socio-historical changes.