Toward Information strongInfrastructurestrong Studies Ways of Knowing in.pdfVIP

Toward Information Infrastructure Studies: Ways of Knowing in a Networked Environment Geoffrey C. Bowker, Karen Baker, Florence Millerand, and David Ribes Introduction It is rare enough in human history that fundamentally new ways of working are developed, which changed the way in which information was gathered, processed, stored, and reused. When we developed speech, writing, and printing, new forms of action at a distance over time became possible (Clanchy, 1993; Goody, 1987). It now seems natural to update this triad by adding the internet. It is clear that each new work mode has accompanied – rather than preceded or followed – social, economic, and organizational upheavals. In this article we explore the current change accompanying the development of the internet in terms of its relationship with the nature and production of knowledge. We move from a definition of infrastructure to the exploration of a historical context for its development. We continue with the organizational, political, and finally onto- logical dimensions of its development. Many of our examples will be drawn from scientific cyberinfrastructure; however, where appropriate, links to knowledge work in the arts and humanities and in business will be made. PART 1: THE WHAT OF INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE What Is Infrastructure? The term “infrastructure” evokes vast sets of collective equipment necessary to human activities, such as buildings, roads, bridges, rail tracks, channels, ports, and communications networks. Beyond bricks, mortar, pipes or wires, infrastructure also encompasses more abstract entities, such as protocols (human and computer), standards, and memory. G.C. Bowker (B) School of Information Sciences, University of Pittsburg, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA e-mail: gbowker@ J. Hunsinger et al. (eds.), International Handbook of Internet Research, 97 DOI 10.1007/978-1-4020