The general aim of bibliographic information activities and the general model of the information flow

Abstract

The author examines the hierarchy of objectives and resources of scientific and technical information systems as a first step toward the establishment of a general system model. The information system is one of the resources of the social environment requiring and using information. Starting from this point and based on the author's definitions of information, information systems and information services, a general system model has been developed. This model assumes a two-level information flow according to the levels of primary and secondary information, and it also displays and interpretes the relations between these two levels (subsystems). A number of environmental factors are discussed which have to be studied and considered for the development and analysis of information systems based on the general system model.