A model of the development of the information sciences is described and used to account for past events and predict future trends, particularly fifth and sixth generation priorities. The information sciences came into prominence as electronic device technology enabled the social need to cope with an increasingly complex world to be satisfied. The paper provides a framework for the information sciences based on this logical progression of developments. It links this empirically to key events in the development of computing. The fifth generation development program with its emphasis on human-computer interaction and artificial intelligence, and the sixth generation research program with its emphasis on knowledge science are natural developments in the foci of attention indicated by the model. The fifth generation development program emphasizes