Some History of Libraries, Library and Information Science, Information Technology

Abstract

Information is a form of social capital, and information institutions of all sorts are disseminators of the cultures in which they arise. Therefore it is important also to understand the culture of the institutions themselves. Libraries, museums, archives, and repositories of knowledge artifacts have existed as long as societies have considered themselves organized. History demonstrates how such institutions have evolved from simple repositories to service providers. The introduction of scientific method applied to the problems of information service helped information workers move up a social ladder from custodians of artifacts to valued professionals. The evolution of ever more sophisticated information technologies accompanied the evolution of the discipline to the complex, interdisciplinary status it enjoys today.