HISTORICAL INFORMATION-SCIENCE AND COMMUNICATIONS - A REPORT AND REVIEW-ESSAY

Historical studies using computers and social science research methodologies share many interests, techniques, methods and approaches with modern information science. The major difference is a focus on retrospective rather than contemporary research topics and attendant differences in methods resulting from the nature of historical sources and the impact of time on interpretation. Whereas historical informatics evolved as a focus on computer science and history from quantification research, this field is still growing and absorbing in an interdisciplinary manner material, methods and approaches from other fields in accord with the syncretic nature of History. This enlarged arena may be called Historical Information Science, which is exemplified by the recent conferences and activities of the International Association of History and Computing (IACH).