Some Thoughts...

Some day in the near future, accessing information, communicating with others, and performing complex transactions will be performed as thoughtlessly as turning on a light switch. Computerized systems will satisfy our every information need automatically and effortlessly. Information will ooze out of every corner of our lives.

This is, however, far from the currently reality and there are severe bottlenecks in the flow of information.

Chief among these is poor information organization, structuring and design, which we have learned to accept with a shrug of the shoulders rather than demanding something better. If a search results in no hits, for example, users may go away from that system empty handed and blame themselves for failure although their answers are just a click away.

The Information Revolution has only just begun and already access to information previously not available is incomprehensible. The average person needs information about information; or in other words, help satifying his or her information need. All too often people are not able to locate basic information that is available to them.

Access to information is empowering and will be a fundamental commodity of the next generation, if it is not already. Lack of access is not a trivial issue, rather mission critical to any person or organization. The widening gap between the haves and the have-nots must be closed. The information poor must be given a chance to participate in future society on a level playing field.

Furthermore, the current focus on pure technology solutions must be augmented by user-centered approaches of understanding information needs and uses. The success or failure of a given information application lies not on technology, but on a firm comprehension of the use of that technology by people. Understanding human behavior within information-rich environments has never been more crucial.

Information professionals must strive to create intelligent and intuitive systems that engage users in meaningful negotiations with information on their own terms, while helping those users to learn and expand their own knowledge.