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FeaturedInfoFire

Reframing Information: From “Information as Thing” to “Everything as Document” to the Identity of iSchools — Conversations with Michael Buckland

Michael Buckland, a pivotal figure in information science, has profoundly shaped the field through his scholarship and leadership. In this episode of InfoFire, Buckland engaged with me on foundational concepts, practical applications, and historical perspectives, offering provocative critiques that challenge conventional thinking. He declared “information” a problematic term— “It is a bad word; it is to be abolished”—arguing that its overloaded meanings obscure clarity. Similarly, he labeled bibliometrics a “pseudoscience,” questioning its methodological rigor. These rhetorical provocations underscore his effort to reframe information science around precise, document-centric frameworks.

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FeaturedFrontiersOpinion

Looking Backwards to See Ahead: The Case of Expert Systems Development in Libraries

During the current moment, as generative AI dominates our thinking, both for its extraordinary performance and serious flaws, a new direction is needed. The way forward may involve looking backward. The addressing the deficiencies of generative AI would benefit from reviewing, and incorporating, some of the lessons from expert system development during the late 20th century.

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