ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book introduces the reader to human service Information Technology (IT) using scenarios that present typical uses and human services and IT concepts and presents their historical context. It presents generic IT applications that one would find in the human services and discusses several types of management applications. The book presents human service applications at various levels of the human service delivery system. It also presents the process of developing any IT application and describes the systems and decision-making theories underlying IT applications. The book shows how the information needs of human service professionals and organizations influences IT development. It discusses hardware and software influences and examines database management influences on IT development. The book discusses the networking and telecommunications influence on IT development, managing, supporting, and evaluating IT, and presents future trends and issues.
