Information History An Introduction

This is a pioneering introduction to the emergent field of information history. It explores how the contemporary values and concerns of our own information society have helped lead to a reconsideration of our history, and of what constitutes our historical understanding of information in the twenty-first century. In Information History, Toni Weller examines the historiography of information and asks how the key schools of thought have explored the concept in terms of its social, technological, economic and cultural understandings. Based on personal experiences, the author also proposes some practical applications of information history in research and university teaching, offering some suggestions as to how the field may develop based on its growth during the last decade. A ground-breaking introduction to the field of Information History Takes an interdisciplinary approach – embracing both historical, and information science research and ideology Explores the relevance of Information History to contemporary society

This is a comprehensive introduction to books and print culture which examines the move from the spoken word to written texts, the book as commodity, the power and profile of readers, and the future of the book in an electronic age.

Book history has emerged in the last twenty years as one of the most important new fields of interdisciplinary study. It has produced new interpretations of major historical events, has made possible new approaches to history, literature, media, and culture, and presents a distinctive historical perspective on current debates about the future of the book. The Broadview Introduction to Book History provides the most comprehensive and up-to-date introduction to this field. Written in a lively, accessible style, chapters on materiality, textuality, printing and reading, intermediality, and remediation guide readers through numerous key concepts, illustrated with examples from literary texts and historical documents produced across a wide historical range. An ideal text for undergraduate and graduate courses in book history, it offers a road map to this dynamic inter-disciplinary field.

This landmark textbook takes a whole subject approach to Information Science as a discipline. Introduced by leading international scholars and offering a global perspective on the discipline, this is designed to be the standard text for students worldwide. The authors' expert narrative guides you through each of the essential building blocks of information science offering a concise introduction and expertly chosen further reading and resources. Critical topics covered include: foundations: - concepts, theories and historical perspectives - organising and retrieving information - information behaviour, domain analysis and digital literacies - technologies, digital libraries and information management - information research methods and informetrics - changing contexts: information society, publishing, e-science and digital humanities - the future of the discipline. Readership: Students of information science, information and knowledge management, librarianship, archives and records management worldwide. Students of other information-related disciplines such as museum studies, publishing, and information systems and practitioners in all of these disciplines.

Information has a rich but under explored history. The information age of the late twentieth century witnessed the emergence of a new history of information and, in this timely collection of essays, a team of international scholars from a variety of disciplines examines the changing understandings of information in the modern world. Situating the concept of information in varying historical contexts since the eighteenth century, Information History in the Modern World: Histories of the Information Age: - Explores how this historical research can challenge our perceptions of the information age in the global twenty-first century - Discusses ephemera, wars, imagery, empire, identification and the transience of history in the digital era - Argues that the changing uses, perceptions and manifestations of information helped to shape the world we know today. Authoritative and approachable, this is an invaluable resource for anyone who is interested in how and why information has become a distinguishing feature of the modern world.

Starting with an examination of how historians work, this "Very Short Introduction" aims to explore history in a general, pithy, and accessible manner, rather than to delve into specific periods.

The impact of the `information society' are multiform and transdisciplinary. There are few areas of social, political and economic life that have not been affected or challenged by the new technologies of information and communication. In this short introduction, Armand Mattelart unpacks the notion of the information society, and examines why it has become the dominant paradigm for social change in the 21st Century. Critically, he also asks why the notion has come to dominant in the absence of any critical examination of the conditions under which it has been produced. Combining a long-term historical and geopolitical perspective, Mattelart questions the axioms used to legitimate the Information Society and critically assesses the ways in which it has been conceptualised as a theoretical concept as well as policy making tool. This introduction will be of interest to all students of media and communication, as well as social scientists in general.

World History: An Introduction provides readers with the knowledge and tools necessary to understand the global historical perspective and how it can be used to shed light on both our past and our present. A concise and original guide to the concepts, methods, debates and contents of world history, it combines a thematic approach with a clear and ambitious focus. Each chapter traces connections with the past and the present to explore major questions in world history: How did humans evolve from an endangered species to the most successful of them all? How has nature shaped human history? How did agricultural societies push human history in a new direction? How has humankind organized itself in ever more complex administrative systems? How have we developed new religious and cultural patterns? How have the paths of ‘The West’ and ‘The Rest’ diverged over the last five centuries? How, at the same time, has the world become more interconnected and "globalized"? How is this world characterized by growing gaps in wealth, poverty and inequality? Sharp and accessible, Eric Vanhaute’s introduction to this exciting field demonstrates that world history is more of a perspective than a single all-encompassing narrative: an instructive new way of seeing, thinking and doing. It is an essential resource for students of history in a global context.