Introduction to Information Science

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This text offers historical context for understanding the evolution of recorded information and documents through different eras, highlighting key developments and their impact on modern practices. It's an overview rather than an in-depth treatment of each period.

Expected outcomes:

• Gain insights into the history of information management.
• Understand the evolution of documents and information systems.
• Appreciate the historical context of current information science practices.
• Recognize the ongoing relevance of historical information issues.

Core Content:

1. Distinct Eras in Information History:

• The text categorizes the history of documents into five main periods:
  • Prehistory and the ancient world.
  • The medieval world.
  • The age of print.
  • The age of mass communication.
  • The documentation age.

2. Proto-Writing and the Origins of Documents:

• Cave paintings and rock art are considered the earliest forms of documents.
  • These served as means to record signs and symbols, facilitating communication.
• Proto-writing, with symbols of unknown meaning, appeared on stone artifacts.
  • Examples include bone tags from tomb U-J at Abydos.
  • These developments show that people recorded signs and symbols, and thereby to communicate across time

3. The Rise of True Writing and Mesopotamian Collections:

• True writing emerged over 5,000 years ago in Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, and Mesoamerica.
• Mesopotamian writings used the cuneiform script on clay tablets.
• The earliest writings were accounting records. Specific collections include : Three examples below, showing the size and sophistication of document collections in ancient Mesopotamia- The library/archive at the palace of Ebla- The temple at Sippar- built around 650 BCE, the palace of Assurbanipal at Nineveh

4. Egyptian Document Collections:

• Document collections existed in ancient Egypt, but physical structures and materials have not survived well.
• Institutions storing documents included:
  • per ankh ‘house of life’
  • per medjat ‘house of papyrus rolls’

5. Libraries and Alphabetic Writings in the Classical World:

• Libraries and record centers became widespread in the Hellenistic world.
• Alphabetical scripts influenced the ordering of materials; the alphabet used a small number of symbols to replace the much larger symbol sets
• The Great Library of Alexandria in Egypt was believed to contain over 400,000 Greek papyrus manuscripts * Pinakes was a catalog of this library and is regarded as the first recognisably modern form of bibliographic tool.

6. The Roman World and the Evolution of the Codex:

• The Romans adopted the documentary infrastructure of the Greeks.
• The codex, the forerunner of the modern book, was developed by the Romans.

7. Document Culture in the Medieval World:

• The codex continued to evolve throughout the medieval period.
• Parchment became the norm for illuminated manuscripts.
• Innovations included new symbologies for maps, music, and mathematics.
• Islamic world played a major role in document production, translation, and original scholarship.

Q&A

Q: What is Proto-Writing?

A: Proto-writing refers to early forms of symbolic representation where the meanings are unknown, used from portable stone artifacts.

Q: What is "Pinakes"?

A: Pinakes was regarded as the first recognisably modern form of bibliographic tool, divided based on the classification of its creator and including a general guide to the literature of the day.

Q: What is the significance of the Codex?

A: The Codex lead to a new era of book production which allowed for writing on both sides of parchment and the ability of the sheets to be folded and sewn in codex form.

Q: Give examples of collections in Mesopotamia.

A: Three examples below, showing the size and sophistication of document collections in ancient Mesopotamia- The library/archive at the palace of Ebla- The temple at Sippar- built around 650 BCE, the palace of Assurbanipal at Nineveh