Why Is Relevance Still the Basic Notion in Information Science? - (Despite Great Advances in Information Technology)

Abstract

Relevance is a fundamental notion in information science. The aim of this paper is to provide a perspective on two large questions, the first historical the second contemporary: (1) Why did relevance become a central notion of information science? (2) In this day and age of huge advances in information technology, why did relevance still remain a central notion? In the 1950s, relevance emerged as a central notion in information science because of ex- tensive theoretical and practical concerns with and commitments to searching and not only with organization of information. In turn, searching was con- nected to and made possible by many innovations in computers and compu- ting. Contemporary advances in information technology brought about great many changes. Search engines, social media, and a myriad of new informa- tion resources emerged and transformed the world. Searching for information