Structure of an information System

An information system may be viewed as indicated in the Figure 1. Information systems accept (input), store (in files or database), and display (as output) strings of symbols that are grouped in various ways (digits, alphabetical characters, special symbols). Users of the information systems attribute some value or meaning to the string of symbols. Our emphasis here is on the characteristics of systems rather than on the meaning attached to the output.  

Any organisation must seek to develop an information system that meets the majority of the information requirements of the organisation. Different types of information systems are used in different organisations. Generally library and information professionals are concerned with library management systems and Information Retrieval Systems. Library management systems are transaction processing systems and support the control of transactions associated with acquisitions, cataloguing, circulation and serials control, etc.