Perspective Review of the Evolution and Application of Information Science

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to critically review literature pertaining to the evolution and application of Information Science so as to understand varied perspectives and attempt to address the following questions: what influenced the origin of Information Science; what was predicted to happen in the modern times; And how has the evolution and application of Information Science has impacted on the information services sector in the 21st century. Using the desk review approach to understand the subject matter based on published online literature from 1990 onwards. The paper examined the evolution and application of Information Science by reflecting on the evolution and application of Information Science from different schools of thoughts as reviewed from literature. We discussed the evolution based on the historical, documentation movement, institutional, sociological, technological, interdisciplinary, and philosophical perspectives. The paper concludes with a critique on the application of Information Science. This study is juxtaposed with Rayward, (1996) conclusions that suggested “the evolution of Information Science is an historical interdisciplinary and those interested in it need to draw on a range of related historical studies such as the history of science and technology, the history of printing and publishing, and the history of information institutions such as libraries, archives and museums”. We concluded that the trend brought about by the Internet through Information Technology has enabled Information Science field to simplify the processes of acquisition, processing, storage, retrieval, and dissemination of information to be used by various stakeholders. The Industrial Revolutions have facilitated the emergence of more robust trends in the application of Information Science within the professional practice and academic spheres. As such, Information Communication Technology (ICT) has become part of Information Science and we re-affirm that they complement each other.