In the modern society, the general trend is for organisations and nations
to globalise and work in a burden less open manner. Geographic, time and culture
barriers are no longer issues of concern. People are in a position to communicate
with each other across boundaries. They are able to tap talent, expertise and
content from a vast reservoir of resources. In education, variation from previous
norm is becoming as something to be consciously planned. In addition to all
these developments taking place in consumerisation of goods and services, and
changes taking place in social and cultural arena, the modern society has varied
needs not the least of which is education. Education helps to mould well-informed,
knowledgeable and responsible citizens who will be able to contribute to the
progress and advancement of the nation. There is the goal of the economic well
being of the society. Certainly, activities towards this end must be sustained by
technological developments brought about by research and the enormous amounts of information it makes available to us. In other words, efforts are afoot to evolve
into a society, which is modern and which enables us to lead a cultured, prosperous
and full life laying emphasis on certain values. It is the collective responsibility
of the members of the society to make suitable arrangements for achieving this
ideal.
Society during the course of its existence founded different institutions.
Educational institutions like schools, colleges and universities, research
institutions, cultural organisations, institutions for arts and recreation, business
and industrial establishments are but a few examples. In fact, of all the institutions
founded by the society library and its modern cognates are potent in meeting a
variety of needs of different users of modern society.
- Role of Libraries in Society
“When thinking of libraries people have many different images in front of them.
By stepping back from individual cases and examining the context in which
library services are provided and the trends which are likely to affect them in
future, it is possible to arrive at some conclusions about how libraries’ roles are
likely to develop and to start to answer the central question.
The deep transformations that come with the accelerated insertion of
artificial intelligence and new Information Communication Technologies (ICTs)
in our present society? Is it a question of a new stage in the industrial society or
are we entering into a new era? Global village, technotronic era, post-industrial
society, information society, or information age, and knowledge society are just
a few of the terms that have been coined in an attempt to identify and understand
the extent of these changes. But, while the debate proceeds in the theoretical
sphere, reality races ahead and communication media select the terms that we
have to use. It is the case with the term Information Society. In the present decade,
the expression Information Society has without doubt been confirmed as the
hegemonic term, not because it necessarily expresses theoretical clarity but rather
due to its baptism by official policies of the more developed countries and the
fact that it merited a World Summit dedicated in its honour (2003 in Geneva and
2005 in Tunis). However, let us try to understand the concept and its development.
The concept of Information Society emerged during the 1970s and throughout
the 1980s and rapidly gained popularity and currency, its proponents ranging
from scholars and academic authors to popular writers. Prominent among the
first group of writers were Masuda, who in the Japanese context, perceived an
eventual transition of the society to the point at which the production of
information values became the driving force for the development of the society.
The second writer belonging to this group was Tom Stonier, who perceived the
dawning of a new age for Western Society. He draws explicit parallels and
contrasts between industrial and information societies. Although not very
comfortable with the term information society, Daniel Bell did much to sustain
it through his work on post-industrial society. Daniel Bell, the classical exponent
of post-industrialism, also theorised the Information Society (Bell, 1979).
Information and Communication
Technologies (ICTs) are seen as the facilitators of change. The current revolution
around the importance of information and knowledge is profound. In fact, a new
class structure is being created around the wealth of information and knowledge.
Nowadays, knowledge has come to be constitutive of the way that we live.
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Libraries, Information and
Knowledge-based Society
Historically speaking, it is correct to say, to a greater or lesser extent, knowledge
has always followed the development of man and mankind. It has been seen as a
kind of measurement to the success and achievements of society or mankind.
Nevertheless, no society until the present one has ever been called or referred to
as knowledge society. This term developed relatively shortly after the term
information society was introduced in the last decades of the 20th century.
(Stipanov, 2005). The reason for this might be the technology-related
developments which have fundamentally transformed the degree to which
knowledge is being integrated into economic activity to the extent that we are
witnessing a shift in the very basis of competitive advantage. The expression
knowledge society, recognisable more as social project than as sign of times, is
not without substance. In 1960s the debate on industrial society raised the question
whether there can be considered a paradigm shift towards a knowledge-based
society. Some prominent authors already foresaw knowledge as the main indicator
in order to displace labour and capital as the main driving forces of capitalistic
development. However, the notion Knowledge Society emerged towards the end
of the 1990s and is particularly used as an alternative by some in academic circles
to the Information Society. UNESCO in particular, has adopted the term
knowledge society, or its variant, knowledge societies within its institutional
policies. There has been a great deal of reflection on the issue, which strives to
incorporate a more integral conception that is not only related to the economic
dimension. For instance, Dr. A.W. Khan, Former Assistant Director General of
Communication and Information, UNESCO writes:
“Information Society is the
building block for Knowledge Societies, whereas I see the concept of Information
Society as linked to the idea of technological innovation, the concept of
Knowledge Societies includes a dimension of social, cultural, economical,
political and institutional transformation, and a more pluralistic and
developmental perspective…. The concept of knowledge societies is preferable
to that of Information Society because it better captures the complexity and
dynamism of the changes taking place…. The knowledge in question is important
not only for economic growth but also for empowering and developing all sectors
of society.” (Sally, 2005)
“Today on the political level and also in many scientific disciplines, the
assumption that we are already living in a knowledge-based society … the vision
of a knowledge-based society determines at least the perception of the Western
Societies”
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