Information science is an
interdisciplinary field primarily concerned with the analysis, collection,
classification, manipulation, storage,
retrieval, movement, dissemination, and protection of
information. Practitioners within the field study the application and usage of knowledge in
organizations, along with the interaction between people, organizations and any existing
information systems, with the aim of creating, replacing, improving, or understanding information systems. Information science is often (mistakenly) considered a branch of
computer science; however, it predates computer science and is actually a broad, interdisciplinary field, incorporating not only aspects of computer science, but often diverse fields such as
archival science,
cognitive science,
commerce,
communications,
law,
library science,
museology,
management,
mathematics,
philosophy,
public policy, and the
social sciences.