The Information Landscape

The information landscape refers to the suite of sources of information available to individuals. Several decades ago these sources of information encompassed books and libraries, magazines and newspapers, encyclopedias, an-nals, dictionaries, government records, archives and reg-istries, individuals, and scholarly organizations and soci-eties. More recently, radio and television were added as sources of factual material. Most of these materials were reviewed by experts in the relevant fields and their ac-curacy based on current information and knowledge was confirmed. Scholarly societies have played an important role in the certification and dissemination of knowledge to their membership and to society at large. Although information could be obtained, it was not as easy to access as it is today. The development of the internet has transformed the information landscape much as the invention of the book and written documentation of learning and lore did centuries ago. The internet offers a wide range of information, is readily searchable, interactive, open 24/7, portable, avail-able worldwide, personalizable, shareable, and relatively easy to use. This widespread plethora of information has altered not just how we access new knowledge but how we in fact view information. The desired knowledge ha