The iSchools have been slowly emerging on the academic horizon over the last 30 years, and they continue to gain strength and support from IT as well as from their parent disciplines: computer, library and information sciences. At present, no one truly knows what they are, since the iSchool interdisciplinary concept is yet to be fully developed, so that it can be as easily recognizable as a concept of a school of law. Although the University of Michigan was the first one to embrace the new term, it was up to Penn State to launch the brand new School of Information Science and Technology in 1999, and, later, to open its doors to researchers from all over the country for their first ever iconference in September 2005. Thus, the proponents of the i-school movement got their golden chance to ponder and decide on an elusive identity of emerging academic programs.
Let's try to understand whether iSchools are truly different. Perhaps they are because their faculty and students are trying to connect the dots, to bring down the walls between sciences, and encourage personal and scientific curiosity about the great unknown.
It's a well known fact that there are different triangles in the world, including the Bermuda Triangle and now the IST Triangle. It is quite obvious that they are fundamentally different. One can make anything disappear, the other one has a mission in reverse. Every single iSchool is familiar with the IST Triangle, and understands that the triangle is destined to bring things together: people, technology, and information.
Why did I choose an iSchool at Penn State? There are too many reasons to name them all.
The most important one was the idea of using my background connections to the information side of the Triangle ( as a former professional reference librarian), and extend the dotted lines toward often challenging and ever changing technology on one side , and sometimes too demanding but always fascinating people on the other. I am happy to follow the path along these lines.
Let's try to understand whether iSchools are truly different. Perhaps they are because their faculty and students are trying to connect the dots, to bring down the walls between sciences, and encourage personal and scientific curiosity about the great unknown.
It's a well known fact that there are different triangles in the world, including the Bermuda Triangle and now the IST Triangle. It is quite obvious that they are fundamentally different. One can make anything disappear, the other one has a mission in reverse. Every single iSchool is familiar with the IST Triangle, and understands that the triangle is destined to bring things together: people, technology, and information.
Why did I choose an iSchool at Penn State? There are too many reasons to name them all.
The most important one was the idea of using my background connections to the information side of the Triangle ( as a former professional reference librarian), and extend the dotted lines toward often challenging and ever changing technology on one side , and sometimes too demanding but always fascinating people on the other. I am happy to follow the path along these lines.
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