Tietotiede

Tietotiede, meaning information science in Finnish, is an interdisciplinary field that studies information and knowledge as phenomena, focusing on their creation, representation, organization, storage, retrieval, and use. It combines theories and methods from library and information science, computer science, cognitive science, linguistics, and management to understand how information is produced, labeled, accessed, and leveraged by people and systems. The field addresses both theoretical questions about information and practical problems in designing and evaluating information systems, services, and infrastructures.

Historically, tietotiede grew from library science and information theory in the 20th century and expanded with the development of information retrieval, databases, metadata standards, digital libraries, and human–computer interaction. In Finland, the term is used for academic study and research related to information organization, access, and use, often overlapping with computer science and data-oriented disciplines.

Subfields commonly include information retrieval and search technologies, information organization and metadata, knowledge management, information architecture and user experience, digital libraries and archives, information behavior and user studies, data governance and privacy, semantic technologies and ontologies, and information systems design. Methods range from bibliographic classification and indexing to algorithmic retrieval, communication theory, and usability testing.

Education and career: Higher education programs in tietotiede or closely related information sciences prepare graduates for work in libraries, archives, museums, government, and industry, focusing on information management, system design, data stewardship, information literacy, and user-centered services.

See also: Information science; Library science; Data science; Information systems.