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Boundary objects in information science
Author(s) -
Huvila Isto,
Anderson Theresa Dirndorfer,
Jansen Eva Hourihan,
McKenzie Pam,
Worrall Adam
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of the association for information science and technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.903
H-Index - 145
eISSN - 2330-1643
pISSN - 2330-1635
DOI - 10.1002/asi.23817
Subject(s) - boundary (topology) , liminality , computer science , information science , range (aeronautics) , data science , epistemology , sociology , library science , mathematics , anthropology , mathematical analysis , philosophy , materials science , composite material
Boundary objects (BOs) are abstract or physical artifacts that exist in the liminal spaces between adjacent communities of people. The theory of BOs was originally introduced by Star and Griesemer in a study on information practices at the Berkeley Museum of Vertebrate Zoology but has since been adapted in a broad range of research contexts in a large number of disciplines including the various branches of information science. The aim of this review article is to present an overview of the state‐of‐the‐art of information science research informed by the theory of BOs, critically discuss the notion, and propose a structured overview of how the notion has been applied in the study of information.