Archival informatics

To understand the term archival informatics, it is important to first understand the term informatics. Informatics is a term that has a variety of meanings in different fields. Frequently, definitions of this term are connected to technology, particularly computers. In the field of medicine, informatics means "the science, engineering, and technology of computer hard-ware, software, and communications" (Collen, 1994, 91). This definition exclusively emphasizes many facets of computers. In a sense, it seems that the medical field sees informatics essentially related to computer science.

Other fields, like library science acknowledge a technological aspect but include much more. One component of the definition indicates the importance of "automated and electronic methods" in information handling (Prytherch, 2005, 348). However, in another component, many other aspects of information is included that does not specify computers or technology. These aspects included the recording, processing, storage, retrieval, and dissemination of information (Prytherch, 2005). The combination of these definitions suggests that the library and information science field sees informatics related to both computer science and information science. This hypothesis is supported by one of the main databases used in field. The thesaurus for the Library and Information Science Abstracts database directs users who are looking for this term to "computer science" and "information science".

Some fields, while illustrating a technological component of informatics, include a life science component. For instance, the University of Edinburgh School of Informatics defines informatics as "the study of the structure, behaviour, and interactions of natural and engineered computations systems" (University of Edinburgh, para. 1). Here this institution included both the behaviour and the interaction of natural systems which is quite unusual.

Etymology

The etymology of informatics highlights the importance of technology to its meaning. This term first showed up in the Soviet Union during the 1960’s. Originally it was called Informatika and later used for an abstracting title Informatics Abstracts. Not long after, the term was adopted by the French. In 1962, Phillipe Drefus spearheaded the formation of the Societe pour l’Informatique et Applique (SIA) for the design of systems and software. By the end of the sixties, the term had developed a formal definition in France (McCrank, 2002). This definition established informatics as a science for processing electronic information (Bauer, 1995). While the definition of this term was solidifying in France, the term was simultaneously picked up in America. A software company, called Informatics, was formed to develop online systems. The architects of this company, Martin Bauer, Richard Hill, Werner Frank, and Frank Wagner, carefully considered their conception of informatics. For them, this term had both a scientific and a management component as it pertained to information systems and software (McCrank, 2002).

After this American company adopted the term informatics for its name, use of the term became more popular. In fact, there is an assertion by Bauer that the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) wanted to change its name. Supposedly, this education and scientific society wanted to change its name to the Society of Informatics. Since Bauer and his partners considered the word informatics as a trademark, they did not allow this. However, since the term had been adopted at the same time in different locations in the world, it did not stop its’ massive adoption around the world. Today, informatics has become a buzzword particularly in America. It is now frequently used for computer applications in any scholarly field (McCrank, 2002).

Informatics in the archives field

The first use of informatics in the archives field dates back to 1986 with the formation of the Archives & Museum Informatics by David Bearman. He indicated that he borrowed the term from the biomedicine field. However, this concept was important to him because it illustrated a "system oriented view of the synergism of information based activities" rather than the limits placed on terms such as automation or computerization (Bearman, 1987, 8). Especially in the seventies and the eighties, archival literature made frequent use of these latter terms so the adoption of "informatics" was likely a reaction to this. Although it has been 21 years since this term has been introduced in the archives field, it is not often found in literature. Largely, it was used in reference to Bearman’s creation. However, exceptions include usage by Anne J. Gilliand-Swetland and Lori A. Lindberg.

The appropriate definition for archival informatics can be found in the Glossary of Archival and Records Terminology. This definition is apt because it comes from an archival glossary. In the archives field, the meaning of informatics has two parts. In the first part, it is described as the study of information properties, particularly as it relates to the use of technology. The second part of the definition specifies the inclusion of computer applications particularly structured databases for research (Pearce-Moses, 2005). These definitions suggest that computer science and information science are related to informatics in the archives field. However, in the aforementioned glossary, "information science" is the only related term listed. This is curious since the definition given highlighted computer applications.

References

• Baur, M. (Ed.). (1995). Resistance to New Technology: Nuclear Power, Information Technology, and Biotechnology. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

• Bearman, D. (1987). What are/is Informatics?: And especially, what/who is Archives & Museum Informatics? Archival Informatics Newsletter, 1(1), 8. Retrieved October 14, 2008 from http://www.archimuse.com/publishing/AMInewsletters/AMInewsletter1987_1-1.pdf

• Collen, M. F. (1994). The Origins of Informatics. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 1(2), 91-107. Retrieved October 14, 2008, from PubMed Central database.

• McCrank, L. (2002). Historical Information Science: An Emerging Unidiscipline. Medford, New Jersey: Information Today, Inc.

• Pearce-Moses, R. (2005). A Glossary of Archival and Records Terminology. Chicago: Society of American Archivists.

• Prytherch, R. (2005). Harrod’s Librarians’ Glossary and Reference Book. (10th ed.). Burlington, VT: Ashgate.