Information: Its Definition for its Service Professionals

Abstract

The study centres round a systematic strategy for formulating a definition of the term INFORMATION, which can be deemed to be appropriate for application by the professionals engaged in carrying out secondary information (information about sources of information, directly or indirectly) work for rendering information services based on professional activities, such as, subject classification and indexing, abstracting, and information analysis and consolidation. For this purpose, it starts with the proposition. "where there is "communication", there is "information" integrally associated with it". Considers "communication" to be a generic term to comprehend "self-communication" (SC), and "communication with others" (CO). Analyses both the processes thoroughly by taking note of the technical significance of each of the psycho-intellectual processes involved in being prepared for communicating by the communicator; and in receiving the essence of the communication by the communicate. Finds that in both the cases, SC plays the most significant role; and it involves several psycho-intellectual processes, such as, that of perception, analysis, classification, integration, interpretation, evaluation, conclusion, consolidation, conception, organization. association, knowing, remembering, learning, learning for knowing, and learning for remembering, to the extent these processes are warranted, and they are deemed to be necessary and sufficient. Finds also a close relationship between the essence of communication and "knowledge "and" data" in some specific senses. The essence of any piece of communication is its "MESSAGE"(M), which signifies one or mere intentions of its communicator. For all practical purposes, the "M" of a piece of communication, is inseparable from its "medium of expression" (ME), which is always a language; the complete sense-making units of which all are systematized bodies of concepts. Concludes that "ME" is "M" conveyed or intended to be conveyed by a systematized body of concepts, or by its accepted or acceptable substitutes.