On Mon, 3 May 2010, Mitchell, Michael wrote:
> I'd substitute the word "knowledge" for your use of "information" and
> then agree with most of what you are saying. Knowledge includes a
> context for information.
I would not agree, in that "knowledge" can (in one sense) represent
cognitive interpretation (i.e., personal understanding of information
applied to a specific purpose), whereas information is understood to be
merely representational. Interpretation of information provides
knowledge, however glib, distorted or manipulative it might be (which
information might be more about the interpreter than about the information
being interpreted).
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Laval Hunsucker
> ... you don't grasp ... the difference between information ... and
> "materials" : what I called "documents". This is in fact a large and ...
> significant distinction.
"Documents" are simply the carriers of information, but they are also
understood to be a special form of information (records). Of course
ideas are distinct from objects, but the organization of carriers of
information can affect the interpretation of the information they contain
or represent.
> [Information] cannot be organized for anybody else by librarians or ...
> whosoever.
Compilations [e.g., bibliographies, encyclopedias, etc.] and collections
are organizations of information and knowledge.
> If you ... consider the term "hypostatization", you may better come to
> see what kind of manoeuvre is involved here.
Information is not abstract belief, opinion or concept (although much
implied "knowledge" is), therefore the maneuver implied is not taking
place. It is true, however that a carrier of information could be
considered more concrete than the information itself.
> It only, at best, muddies the waters -- while fatuously bolstering our
> ego's, I suppose, and that seems sadly in fact to be the purpose
Apparently so.
> [It is false] to say, in organizing materials (documents) and/or their
> surrogates and metadata etc., that we are in the process of "organizing
> information".
If records are to be considered special forms of information, then the
organization of them is organization of information. Also, as the
carriers are organized, so is the information contained by them. In fact,
it is possible to "muddy" the information (and the records) by
mis-organizing it (them).
Best wishes,
J. Marr
John G. Marr
CDS, UL
Univ. of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131
jmarr_at_unm.edu
jmarr_at_flash.net
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sharing is permitted.
Received on Mon May 03 2010 - 15:37:59 EDT