To better understand the term “Information Society”, I decided to look at the meaning of each word separately. MacMillan Dictionary provides the definition of information as “knowledge or facts about someone or something” (MacMillan Dictionary, 2022). The definition of society in the same dictionary is “people in general living together in organized communities, with laws and traditions controlling the way that they behave toward one another”, while the information society is defined as “a society in which every aspect of cultural, political and social life is based on information technology” (MacMillan Dictionary, 2022). Thus, information technology is the main asset of the information society, rather than any form of material goods. Hugh Mackay (2003) refers to information society as a post-industrial society, pointing out that it is the next stage of evolution of the society after industrialization, which combines social and technological aspects. The information society uses information as an economic resource. The growth of IT and telecommunications made technology a part of our everyday life. People nowadays can’t imagine their lives without the Internet and Social Networks. The constant demand for information services and facilities led to the emergence of the Information Industry. IT made it possible for us to stay connected with each other 24/7 regardless of time and distance, and even be connected to our work and business. People have almost unlimited access to information whenever they need it. Hugh Mackay (2003) argues that these connections will help us improve our practices in economic, environmental, political and social fields by using shared ideas and best practices with solutions to global and local problems (p. 9). 

In the post-industrial era, people have moved from producing physical goods to producing information and providing services. Getting access to this information and services became crucial and that’s where the implication of teacher librarianship comes into place. It is very important for the Teacher Librarian to understand the informational landscape. Just like the city landscape consisting of various buildings, roads, highways, parks etc., the information landscape consists of multiple formats of containing information and the ways to deliver this information. In the times of industrialization, people gained information from books, magazines, journals, radio and TV programs and it was relatively easy to trace where the information was coming from and who created it. Thus, it was easier to find reliable sources of information unlike nowadays, when people have access to endless videos, posts and publications online without knowing who the author is. Teacher librarians need to be aware of the information cycle, which starts from the author followed by the product and then the distributor of the product to the main consumer of the information. 

References: 

Mackay, H., Maples, W., Reynolds, P. (2003). Investigating Information Society. Taylor & Francis Group.

MacMillan Dictionary. (2022). Information. In MacMillan Dictionary online. MacMillan Education Limited 2009-2022. Retrieved December 4, 2022, from https://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/information

MacMillan Dictionary. (2022). Information Society. In MacMillan Dictionary online. MacMillan Education Limited 2009-2022. Retrieved December 4, 2022, from https://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/information-society

MacMillan Dictionary. (2022). Society. In MacMillan Dictionary online. MacMillan Education Limited 2009-2022. Retrieved December 4, 2022, from https://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/society