Core Competency C
The following statement and submitted evidence show my understanding of the social, cultural and economic dimensions of information use.
Practically anything people do involves some kind of information. By thinking they process information, by talking they exchange information, by writing something down they preserve information. Buckland (1991) defined these different forms of information as (1) information-as-process, (2) information-as-knowledge and (3) information-as-thing.... MORE>>
Some of the evidence documents are presented as HTML pages, but most of them are in iPaper format, which requires ADOBE FLASH PLAYER. Clicking on [PDF] link will open the same documents in ADOBE ACROBAT READER.
Evidence 1 :: De materia medica by Dioscorides (Clm 337) [PDF]
This research paper was written as an assignment in the Seminar in Information Science: Medieval Manuscripts and Incunabula class, Fall of 2005, and shows my understanding of cultural implications of use of information and its transmission between cultures.
The codex with shelf mark Codici latini manuscripti (Clm) 337 is a quarto-size book containing the full five book of Latin version of De materia medica written by Greek medico and herbalist Pedanius Dioscorides of Anazarbus (40-90 CE), and is copied sometime in the 8th or 9th century, maybe in the scriptorium of Monte Cassino, Italy.
The research paper examines the physical characteristic and illustration of the manuscript as described in secondary sources, discuss the character of the script and the origin of text and variations that developed through the time. Besides codicology of the manuscript, the paper examines the history of the use of herbals in European medieval society and in southern Italy in particular, and the ways of transmission of medicinal knowledge thorough time. A particular problem, related to the Mideastern origin of the De materia medica, presented acquiring ingredients that could be found only in that particular region. The Jewish physicians, very common in the southern Italy, were in an advantageous position to rely on shared language and well established trade connections of the Jewish community across the Mediterranean to obtain the desired ingredients and were reasonably sure that information did not "lose in translation" some essential part required by receipt in a herbal. Finally the paper examines the provenance of the manuscript and its meandering through the history until it finds its way to the collection of Bayerischen Staatsbibliothek in München, Germany.
Evidence 2 :: Explaining the raise of the codex: Was Christianity chiefly responsible for this change? [PDF]
This research essay was written during my undergraduate years in George Mason University, as an assignment in an independent study class in the Department of History and Art History, Fall of 2002, and shows my understanding of social and cultural dimensions of information technology.
The main focus of the essay is the technical advantage of codex over the scroll. It argues that codex would, in time, overcome the forces of tradition that favored the scroll format and that Christianity was not chiefly responsible for that change. The new religion only adopted and utilized all the potentials that a codex format offered, from compactness, easy reference, and random access to maximum usage of page space. With time, the codex become the defining cultural symbol that separated Jewish and pagan book production from emerging Christian literature, giving a new cultural dimension to a book format. The essay also examines the social dimension of two formats, where parchment notebooks were associated with less affluent classes and use of papyrus scrolls was seen as expression of cultural sophistication and connection with the Greek past.
Evidence 3 :: Given what you know about today’s information world, which of the authors studied in this course are/were visionaries and why?
The answer to this final exam question in the Information and Society class, Spring of 2005, shows my understanding of the economic dimensions of information use.
Among various authors studied in the course, Peter Drucker is one with a clear understanding and vision of the future society. Unlike others who focus their attention only on the changes in technology, Drucker was able to realize that this time the changes in technology and the use of information affect the whole social structure and concepts of learning. He points out that this time it is not enough just to acquire a particular set of new knowledge, like, for example, how to make a car. For individuals as well as countries that want to prosper and keep pace with a new technology, it is necessary to keep acquiring new skills and knowledge during one's lifetime. And besides schools and educational system, the libraries are natural knowledge resources of this new society.
This web site was developed to satisfy the graduation requirements for
the School for Library and Information Science at San Jose State University California
Text, design, and digital imaging by Vlasta Radan