Individuals in history have provided information to the world that would have a greater impact than they ever dreamed. For example, Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon he translated led to the first worldwide religion since Islam. Charles Darwin and his notions of natural selection in Origin of the Species revolutionized scientific theories for all time. Mao Tse-tung and his Little Red Book sparked a cultural revolution that changed a region of the world. People have the opportunity to read these works and determine for themselves whether the information they contain is true and valuable or the ramblings of a fractured mind. Simply reading and comprehending the information in any of these works will inadvertently influence and affect the life of the reader. In turn, if the reader shares his or her thoughts about these works with others, it affects further change. Information has great influence and its dissemination can affect the social, cultural and economic status of a community.

The relationship between the social, cultural and economic influence of information is complex. The best way to describe the relationship is with a Venn diagram within a circle of information. Three interlocking circles in the Venn diagram represent social, cultural and economic influences of information. Many Venn diagrams have minimal overlapping or traits in common. The relationship represented in this diagram leaves only a small portion of each interlocking circle not overlapping. This close relationship between these aspects often means that reference to one implies a reference to another.

The exchange of information is a very basic social action. Information is what individuals in society need to interact with each other. It provides the content for conversations. This can be from a group of young men talking about their rice rockets or sports statistics to trophy wives talking about the latest gossip and how they’re going to spend their husband’s money. Every time you learn something new, whether it is about new engine modifications for a Honda or where the hottest male celebrity takes his dates, you are showing how important information is in society. Information affects society because it educates it.

Information provides the tools to advance socially and broaden culturally. People who wish to learn a foreign language can obtain the information which will allow them to fit into a new society and culture. People can obtain information about other societies and cultures, adding to their knowledge and dispelling misconceived notions they may possess about customs, traditions and beliefs. Democracy is based upon well-informed citizens. Citizens have a responsibility to know what the issues are and form a personal opinion. Information provides the ammunition for people to take political action, affecting change in the society and culture they live in. An individual can build upon a skill by gaining information on how to expand their trade.

There is a converse relationship between economic prosperity and use of information. In order for a community to succeed, it needs to have access to information. It takes that information, applies it and uses it to make good business decisions, learn new skills, and improve the services it provides, building the community. As the community progresses and becomes more affluent, it will use its economic success to provide more information resources. This is realized in the form of a library and specialized information centers used by specific organizations or institutions within the community. This is a socioeconomic cycle that communities must endure. At some point, the members of the community reach a level of affluence, allowing them to climb the social ladder and join a new culture. Then new members will join the community, and the process will start all over again. The members of the new community will have different information needs than the members of the previous community did. The community’s cultural image may change as well, and information may be required in different languages. The community will find a way to obtain the information they need that will eventually require them to build up their community as a part of the cycle.

Libraries are a primary resource for the dissemination of information in most communities. The library is able to obtain resources that are not available over the Internet that are of substantial value. In order for libraries to provide the right types of service, they need to know what their community wants from them in terms of subjects, language and literacy needs. This was a topic we discussed in LIBR 266, Collection Development with Dr. Joni Bodart. As a class we discussed various methods and means to assess our service communities. It was up to individual groups to determine what parts of assessments were essential to understanding the wants and needs of the community. Public libraries should pay attention to the schools in their community and help augment the collections where schools may be lacking. In academic libraries, the assessment should focus primarily on the wants and needs of the faculty in terms of subjects collected, but pay attention more to the students when it comes to the literacy level and variety of mediums of collected items.

The final group project of LIBR 266 was to create a collection development policy for a specific library for a small academic library that we envisioned, The Fashion Institute of San Francisco Library. This project required my group to utilize all the different aspects of librarianship to develop a collection that would support the curriculum at The Fashion Institute of San Francisco. The creation and application of an equitable collection development policy is critical to the success of a library, as it can define the values of an institution and its patrons. Chapter 3 of our collection development policy demonstrates the methods we used to assess our community. We clearly state in our policy that we give staff requests and considerations priority over student requests. In this chapter, we also prioritize which types of information generated from the assessment are the most relevant in describing the types of information the library should collect. Chapter 8 of my collection development policy outlines the budget for our library. The analysis of our budget shows that funds are allocated according to the size of the academic programs. Librarians funds are at the discretion of the librarian to select items that will provide for the specific needs of the faculty and students in that program. The successful completion of these chapters demonstrates that I understand the social, cultural and economic effects of the use of information. This also shows liability to create assessments of my community and properly evaluate their information needs.

In LIBR 250, Design and Implementation of Instructional Strategies for Information with Dr. David Loertscher, we discussed the effects of the use of technology in regards to information literacy. Information holds a value relative to your ability to comprehend it. To illustrate this point, a third grader may highly value the information he finds on a topic in a picture book in his school library, whereas a high school student looking at the same book may find it to be of little or no use. Conversely, the third grader may not see the value of the high school student’s well-written textbook that describes the topic in much greater detail.

In my Target Information Literacy Model, I explain the social and cultural effects of the use of information. In my Target Model, each circle encompasses another, bringing focus to the target. The first and largest circle pertains to lifelong learning. All information professionals encourage lifelong learning. Individuals should always be learning and contributing to society with the information they have gained. The second ring deals with the ethics and responsibility associated with the use of information. Copyright laws and intellectual rights must be preserved. Violation of copyright laws steals money away from authors and publishers who have invested time and effort in their creation. Violation of copyright and intellectual rights shows discounts the validity of any work created with that information if it is not properly cited. The next ring deals with the purpose of information. Information to be gathered is to fill in the gaps of knowledge needed to perform a task. Individuals should identify the types of information that are best suited for your task. As librarians we hope to instill in patrons that information should be used to serve a defined goal. The remaining rings deal with the gathering and evaluation of information, ultimately resulting in a product of information. The successful creation of this model shows that I am able to adapt the social, cultural and economic effects of information to individual use. I believe that it is a vital part of information literacy for individuals to know that information serves a purpose. The ability and the privilege of gathering information should not be abused. Information is the currency of the information age, and should be handled with care and not spent frivolously.

As an information literacy professional, I have the opportunity and obligation to provide patrons with the information they want or need. When a reporter asked Joseph Smith how he got so many people to believe in his religion, he replied that he teaches people good principles and lets them govern themselves. As an information professional, I will strive to teach the communities I serve good principles and allow them to govern themselves. I want the people to know that they have a responsibility for the social, cultural and economic effects of the information they gather and choose to use. I will disseminate the information that I reign over to those who wish to obtain it. In the various roles I have as a librarian now, I can see how I can assist patrons in acquiring information. In my technical services responsibilities, I provide quality records that will allow users to locate the specific information they wish to find. When giving reference services, I can work with patrons to determine their information needs and verify that they will be using information for the benefit of the community and do so abiding by all of the rules associated in academics and professional ventures. As an administrator in the future, I hope to establish a relationship with my community so that I can provide them the exact resources they need. I want to be seen as a catalyst for good in the community, creating informed citizens and lifelong learners.