Brief history of information science

Abstract

Abstract Information science is the product of convergences of library science, computer and punched card science, R & D documentation, abstracting and indexing, communications science, behavioral science, micro‐ and macro‐publishing, video and optical science, and various other fields and disciplines. The role and contribution of each participating segment is reflected in certain basic and seminal writings, in the work of “major actors” in the field, and in major events or developments. These contributing sources are reviewed, analyzed, and related, as a means of tracing the history of the field, from its pre‐and post‐World War II beginnings to the early 1980s, to the near‐term future.