Song title? Performer(s)?
R.G. Bias | rbias@ischool.utexas.edu | 1

Knowing: Acquiring and Sharing
Information in the Information Age
Randolph G. Bias
1/19/2011
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R.G. Bias | rbias@ischool.utexas.edu | 3

 Authority method
 Logic (new information from old)
 Trial-and-error
 Modeling
 Intuition
 Scientific method
R.G. Bias | rbias@ischool.utexas.edu |

1. Information studies – How is information classified, stored, retrieved, archived, preserved, etc.
2. Human Information Processing -- Usability
 What would a system look like if we were designing it for dogs?”
– Wouldn’t be a lot of text.
– Wouldn’t require a lot of dexterity.
– Might code information in smells and tastes
3. Research methods and statistics
4. Information literacy – “Library skills”
R.G. Bias | rbias@ischool.utexas.edu | 5

Who among you has heard of the UT-Austin
School of Information?
 Old “Graduate School of Library and Information
Science”
 Renamed in 2004.
 No UG major. 300 master’s students. 30 doctoral students.
 Still put out leading librarians.
 Also produce “information scientists” of all ilk.
– Since 99.xxx% of all information is digitized, it makes sense to have usability, human-computer interaction, information architecture in the iSchool.
R.G. Bias | rbias@ischool.utexas.edu |

 B.S. in psych from FSU
 Ph.D. in cognitive psych from UT-Austin
 Bell Labs for 3 years
 IBM-Austin for 11 years
 BMC Software for 5 years
 Co-founded small usability consultancy
 Previously adjunct faculty member at UT; Have taught at UT, Rutgers, Huston-Tillotson, (SW)TSU
 Assoc. prof. in the UT School of Information since
2003.
 Married to Cheryl Bias for 37 years.
 Father of Travis and Drew Bias.
 Scratch golfer. (OK, I made that one up.)
R.G. Bias | rbias@ischool.utexas.edu |

Course TA –
Jamie Swim
R.G. Bias | rbias@ischool.utexas.edu |

Michele Ostrow
– UT Librarian
R.G. Bias | rbias@ischool.utexas.edu |

R.G. Bias | rbias@ischool.utexas.edu |

R.G. Bias | rbias@ischool.utexas.edu |

 . . . let’s go over the syllabus.
R.G. Bias | rbias@ischool.utexas.edu |

 . . . in GAR 2.214.
 No homework except to buy and start reading the Foss book.
– “Course packet” available at
IT Media -- 512 West M.L.K. Blvd.
R.G. Bias | rbias@ischool.utexas.edu |

 Today’s song was “What’s on your mind
(Pure energy)” by Information Society.
 Why do you suppose we chose to play it before THIS class?
R.G. Bias | rbias@ischool.utexas.edu | 14