A new Biographical Directory of Documentation and Information Science (https://asist.a2hosted.com) has been created under the auspices of the Association for Information Science and Technology Special Interest Group in the History and Foundations of Information Science, using wiki-style presentation. It rescued, updated, and extended the “Pioneers of Information Science” webpages created by the late Robert V. Williams in the 1990s. The historical background, technical decisions, and policy options are summarized.
Documents can be understood as containers for information that enable remote communication between people across space and time. They are therefore fundamentally subject to issues of trust. The theoretical treatment of documents as a means of remote communication has a long history and has arrived in the age of electronic document exchange, as shown by the work of R. T. Pédauque, which is taken as a starting point here.
The article discusses two traditions of documentality: that of social ontology and that of neo-documentation, and it contains an appendix on artificial intelligence.
This paper is an exposition of the documental being, becoming, and unbecoming of hair, wherein I argue that although human hair is a corporeal material, and an object that can be viewed through various perspectives and theories, it can also be read as a document imbued with meaning, intention, and perception by humans, and fulfills Suzanne Briet’s criteria (Briet, 2006; Buckland, 1997) for an object to be considered a document: it has materiality (it must be a physical thing), intentionality (intended as evidence), needs processing (to be made part of a documentary system), and is an object of phenomenological perception (recognized as a document by humans).
As the Indonesian government advances digital document management through the SRIKANDI system, challenges persist regarding fragmented and subjective classification practices. This study proposes the integration of Natural Language Processing (NLP)-based classification within SRIKANDI to enhance consistency, transparency, and accountability in document management. Framed by an interdisciplinary theoretical foundation, the study synthesizes Michael Buckland’s document theory, viewing documents as dynamic social evidence, with Michel Foucault’s theory of power, highlighting classification as an exercise of institutional authority, and NLP methodologies that enable automated, content-driven categorization. The study positions documents as both technological artifacts and political constructs, whose classification practices simultaneously structure meaning and reinforce power relations. To assess the feasibility and implications of this proposed integration, the research adopts a qualitative approach, employing a case study of the SRIKANDI platform complemented by in-depth collection and analysis of practitioner feedback. Critical analysis reveals that classification systems risk reproducing institutional hierarchies if epistemological and political dimensions are not explicitly addressed. This study invites practitioners to evaluate the proposed NLP-enhanced system, offering reflections on its technical utility, potential biases, and impact on bureaucratic transparency. The insights gathered aim to inform the future development of more equitable, accountable, and semantically robust governmental information systems.
