Two things struck me as I considered the definition of information as part of my course readings this week:

1. The nature of information as a saleable commodity, and
2. The attributes of information – specifically that information is indivisible

Information as a saleable commodity

Photo by LumenSoft Technologies on Unsplash

The first point interests me as my current job has me dealing in the sale of teaching and learning resources, and therefore information. I work for a major academic publisher, promoting texts and educational technology platforms to academics as tools to support the delivery of their courses, and training them in their use.

On telling acquaintances at social functions what I do, I have occasionally been openly criticised, with people complaining about the expense of textbooks for their child or partner who is studying. After explaining the lengthy and labour-intensive process of developing a textbook, carried out by a large team of highly qualified professionals and subject matter experts, I ask what my acquaintance paid the last time they bought a designer dress or handbag, and how they perceive the inherent value of that compared to the textbook which likely cost less. I see a contradiction in the value we place in certain resources and goods, with complex teaching and learning resources having become devalued.

Not all disciplines rely on resources such as I describe above, nor do students working at a postgraduate level, but for a first year nursing or medical student learning Anatomy and Physiology for the first time, or an accounting or economics student in their very first unit of study, a carefully organised resource presenting the fundamentals of that discipline, supported by quality revision tools, is essential. And costly. All of the information contained within such a textbook or course is freely available somewhere, but to source, select, curate and present it so that it aligns with specific learning outcomes is a major and costly undertaking – and someone has to pay. I am under no illusions about the profit motives of most academic publishers, however I do see a contradiction in the relative value ascribed by some to quality teaching and learning resources.

What do you think?

 Information as indivisible

One of the attributes of information described in the ETL401 module resources is Indivisible: ”Goods used as materials like electricity and water can be divided and used, but information can only be used when it constitutes a complete set.” (School of Information Studies, 2021)

Photo by Jose M. on Unsplash

I would argue that it can be divided and used in discrete parts, and it often is. The question is whether it should be, and of critical importance is the danger of doing so, and of being duped by this practice. The definition does go on to say that when this happens, the information is transformed and becomes new information or misinformation. Helping to educate young people about the prevalence and danger of the division of information for the purpose of wilfully misinforming is one of the things which most interests me about the potential impact a thoughtful teacher librarian can have.

For some further reading on this topic, Andrew J. Hoffman in The Conversation discusses the prevalence of politicians practicing the division of information and the challenge it poses for academics: https://theconversation.com/when-politicians-cherry-pick-data-and-disregard-facts-what-should-we-academics-do-79101

This module has shown me how much more there is to learn about information and has highlighted important questions about how we communicate, learn, and use information. I am daily dealing directly with information as a saleable commodity, and there are many points of contention around this. As well as being a resource which can be costly, information is also enormously powerful, with much potential for dangerous misuse. Libraries play a critical role in relation to both these characteristics of information.  They bring what can be costly and valuable resources to the public at no cost (in a society where this is valued and facilitated – a topic for another blog post) and librarians in their capacity as educators can help people learn how to consume information critically.

School of Information Studies (2021). Module 2: The Information Environment [Subject Resources]. ETL401, https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/listContentEditable.jsp?content_id=_4194235_1&course_id=_55148_1