Information science: Some questions and answers

Abstract

The basic opinion voiced in this paper is that an information scientist, in the all-round sense of the word, is an individual who is capable of dealing with information problems wherever they occur. Libraries make up only one of hundreds of environments in which an information scientist should be able to work intelligently on problems, and library science is only one part of the much broader field of information science. In the University, the logical organization for training information scientists would be in a Department of Information Science which would grant a degree in information science. It would also grant a degree in library science as a highly specialized degree within the information science field. The total number of courses to prepare a student for work in all fields of information science is too large to be incorporated into the one-year-plus-one-summer period which is presently allotted to earning a master's degree in library science. The information science sequence should start in the freshman year and result in the traditional bachelor's (after 4 years), master's (after 1 or 2 additional years) and doctor's (after at least 3 years beyond the master's) degree. As the student progresses through the various degrees, increasing specialization takes place, and increasing emphasis would be placed on research.