Information Management

1
Information Management

• Introduction to Information and
• Information Resources Management

LIS 387.8 Martha Richardson
2
What is Information?

• There is no clearly understood and commonly
  agreed definition of information.
• It is most often confused with data. Clive
  Holtham

3
Data, Information

• Data - A representation of facts, concepts, or
  instructions in a formalized manner suitable for
  communication, interpretation, or processing by
  humans or automatic means.
• Information - The meaning that a human assigns
  to data by means of conventions used in their
  presentation. Clive Holtham

4
Data, Information

• Data - observations of states of the world
• Information - data endowed with relevance and
  purpose Tom Davenport

5
Data, Information, and Knowledge

• Data - Simple observations of states of the world
• Easily structured
• Easily captured on machines
• Often quantified
• Easily transferred Tom Davenport

6
Data, Information, and Knowledge

• Information - data endowed with relevance and
  purpose
• Requires unit of analysis
• Need concensus of meaning
• Human mediation necessary Tom Davenport

7
Data, Information, and Knowledge

• Knowledge - Valuable information from the human
  mind. Includes reflection, synthesis, and
  context.
• Hard to capture
• Difficult to capture on machines
• Often tacit
• Hard to transfer Tom Davenport

8
What is information management?

• the effective production, storage, retrieval,
  and dissemination of information in any format on
  any medium to support business objectives.

9
What is information management?

• Having the right information, in the right place,
  in the right format, at the right time.
  Motto of special librarians

10
Key resources of traditional economics

• People
• Money
• Property/Equipment
• Information

11
Management Disciplines

• People - Human Resources
• Money - Financial
• Property/Equipment - Facilities
• Information - Information

12
Information in business process
13
Information Resources Management

• Information technology view - held by computer
  and business disciplines
• Integrative perspective -held by information
  studies disciplines

14
Information Technology View

• information equated with information technology
• guide for better management of computer-based
  information systems
• sole provider of organizational information

15
Information resources

• From IT Perspective
• Computers (hardware and software)
• MIS personnel
• End-users

16
Components of IRM

• From IT Perspective
• Resource management
• Technology Management
• Functional Management
• Strategic Management
• Distributed Management

17
IRM Activities

• From IT Perspective
• Data planning
• Capacity planning
• Application selection
• Information systems development
• Data administration
• Hardware and software acquisition
• System integration

18
IRM limitations

• Through IT Perspective
• Paper-based information still prevalent
• Deals almost exclusively with internally produced
  data
• Most important concerns are technology focused
  rather than context focused

19
Integrative Perspective

• Management approach to integrate and harmonize
  corporate information sources, services, and
  systems
• Allows an organization to create or acquire,
  process, and store information and data of
  adequate quality, timeliness, and accuracy to
  support organizational goals at minimal cost.

20
Information resources

• From integrative perspective
• user-based integrative framework
• formal information flows and holdings
• internal and external information
• computer-based and noncomputer-based information
  systems

21
Components of IRM

• From integrative perspective
• identifies information process flow in an
  organization
• identifies information needed to support
  corporate goals
• manages information life-cycle
• integrates knowledge and skills of people to
  maximize use of resources

22
IRM Activities

• From integrative perspective
• data processing
• telecommunications
• records management
• library/technical information center
• office systems
• research/statistical information management
• information services/public information offices

23
IRM concept

• Recognition of information as a resource
• Integrative management approach
• Management of the information life-cycle
• Link with strategic planning

24
Benefits of Information Audit

• Identifies information sources
• Identifies information gaps and redundancy
• Identifies owners and users of information
• Identifies flow of information
• Can result in cost savings

25
Information as an asset

• State of Texas Government Code Sec. 2054.001.
  Legislative Findings and Policy (a) The
  legislature finds that (1) information and
  information resources possessed by agencies of
  state government are strategic assets belonging
  to the residents of this state that must be
  managed as valuable state resources