The information professions: knowledge, memory, heritage.

Introduction. Along with leading to growth in the numbers of people doing information work, the increasing role of information in our contemporary society has led to an explosion of new information professions as well. The labels for these fields can be confusing and overlapping, and what does and does not constitute an information profession has become unclear. Method. We have available a body of theory and analysis that can form the basis of a review of this new professional landscape, and enable us to clarify and rationalize the array of emerging information professions. Analysis. Work by the author and others on the philosophical nature, and core elements, of the information professions is drawn upon and applied to the current professional scene. The nature of information itself and of information-related activities are defined and closely analysed to produce models of the disciplines and the work elements within the disciplines of information. Results. The analysis makes possible the incorporation of popular new information disciplines into an overarching framework that includes pre-existing fields as well. Conclusions. The analysis provides a perspective that clarifies the relationships among the information disciplines as well as their relationship to other professional activities in society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]