A Futuristic Approach to Information Sciences

Abstract

In the Information Age, the amount of unique information created every year reaches a level high enough to fill the American Library of Congress 37,000 times and 92% of this bulk is recorded on magnetic media. For the upcoming younger generation, information recorded on paper is “out of coverage area.” They tend to reach information on the spot, via some intelligent informational agents. Thus, they think information that cannot be accessed in increasingly shorter periods of time is not worth accessing. Traditional functions, like presentation of information, trusted information storage, maintaining authenticity and conservation, expected to be fulfilled by information professionals, are becoming increasingly electronic focused, in parallel to the changing world. The level of technical information infrastructure required to fulfill these functions in an electronic environment, on the other hand, has reached a level that requires information sciences to turn into an “information engineering.” Setting out from these changes, this paper questions the ratio of technological aspects to be taught during the education of information professionals and concludes that the place that this education should take place should be reconsidered.