1. PRESS SUMMIT
Highlights: November 17, 2005
Communications to promote the
development
BBC World Service Trust, an independent charity that uses
the media to promote development, and the BBC World
Service, began the meeting by asking the panelists and the
public to participate in the production of "Access for All" the
BBC radio broadcast on Friday 18 November.
The theme of the meeting was the use of communications to
promote the development and content generation from users.
Representatives from public and private sectors and civil
society, an Egyptian government official, a representative of a
European telecommunications company and a professor of
South Africa.
The BBC captured the interest of the audience when he
demonstrated how to leverage the content generated by users
around the world will to carry out a collaborative project
called My Life. Through the project, young women in the
Arab world have created visual narratives of their lives, they
moved to be presented to all participants. Through
workshops in four Arab countries, many young people could
have their lives through records, pictures and paintings, and
while learning the basic concepts of broadcasting. The
stories dealt with issues such as religion, tradition, education
and disability. The BBC introduced the world to these
important and serious issues through programs on websites,
showing the lives and ambitions of women deprived of a very
genuine. In many countries, media arouse skepticism and
give the impression of distortion of reality. Being able to
generate themselves the information presented, these women
have had a sense that they have a voice and the world listens
to them.
The official part of the summit
During this session, several speakers reiterated their
commitment to implement the terms and mechanisms of the
Geneva plan, and issues like the promotion and preservation
of cultural diversity, combating computer crime, the to
protect the right to information, respect for the liberation of
speech and the achievement of the Millennium Development
Goals in terms of ICT development, all in the general
framework of the efforts of countries to ensure their

2. integration into the information society.
That was how the Prime Minister of Morocco, Driss Jettou,
said his country will promote the development of a veritable
industry of information and the liberalization of the media.
The same approach has been adopted by China, which has
developed a strategy to promote information through
industrialization, and Bulgaria, which has liberalized the
telecommunications market.
The Chancellor of the Government of Lithuania, Antanas
Zenonas Kaminskas, stressed the need to protect the universal
right to information. This concern was shared by the
Secretary of State for Computerization of Belgium, Peter
Vanvelthoven, for whom "the advent of society information
will not be an excuse to censor and prevent access to
information. "
On more than one occasion highlighted the issue of Internet
governance. For example, the delegate of Singapore, Lee Boon
Yang said that such a task "is not the sole responsibility of
governments but also from public sector partners and private
", while the Minister of Information and Communication of
Korea, Jun-Hyong Roh said that" Internet governance should
be multilateral, transparent and democratic, and must
guarantee a fair distribution of resources. "
The Minister of Communication of UAE, Sultan Al
Mansouri, referred to women's access to ICTs, and proceeded
to highlight the initiatives undertaken in your country to
facilitate this process. For the intestine of the Philippines,
Virgilio L. Pena, ICT can be a key tool for job search and l
for the computer trade.
For its part, the Director General of UNESCO, Koichiro
Matsuura, reaffirmed the commitment of his organization to
build a knowledge society, while the Secretary General of ITU,
Yoshio Utsumi, recalled that her organization works in the
interests of society information becomes a reality.
On behalf of civil society, the president of the Centre
Féminin pour la Promotion du Développement (CEFEPROD)
requested international agencies who care to integrate civil
society in the processes arising out of the Tunis Summit, and
the Secretary General of the International Federation of
Journalists called for firm commitments to include the media
in the information society and to ensure respect for
fundamental freedoms.
The Vice President of Switzerland, Moritz Leuenberger,
called for preserving cultural identity. He referred to the
"Anglo-Saxon linguistic" as a negative consequence of
globalization. He said that freedom of expression is not a
tradable commodity and affirmed the right to speak the

3. mother tongue is a human right. In the same vein, the
Assistant Secretary of Communications of Australia, Fay
Holthuyzen, and the delegate from New Zealand, Winston
Roberts, explained that their countries are making efforts to
digitize the intellectual property of Aboriginal and Maori
cultures, respectively, to counteract the "digital amnesia".
The Secretary of State of Austria, Franz Morak, said his
country was establishing "a special fund within the
framework of the WSIS to help update the content."
The Minister of Communications of Colombia, Martha Hart
Pine said that Internet technology should not be used to
facilitate crime or abuse of human rights. Since his country
was suffering the ravages of terrorism first hand, said "fully
support international efforts to secure electronic security."
The Minister of Finance, Finance and Industry, Thierry
Breton, said his country had the resources to combat spam, or
spam, and was willing to share knowledge with other
countries. France supports the idea of the cancellation or
exchange of debt for development projects for less developed
countries.
The Jamaica Information Minister, Burchell Whiteman, and
the Secretary of the Ministry of Transport of the Marshall
Islands, Jorelik Tibon, noted the situation of small and remote
island. The Pacific Islands face the challenge of providing a "
digital opportunity "to its inhabitants. The best instrument
to finance the connectivity would be the Digital Solidarity
Fund. In the same vein, the Minister of Information and
Communication of Bhutan, Lyonpo Leki Dorji, requested
special assistance to mountainous states.
The ITU and the next-generation technology
Will the day in which intelligent devices do serve as stewards
or secretaries? Can the car take us to our destination just
say? "Science fiction is about to become reality," said Lara
Srivastava, lead author of the report The Internet of Things,
published today. "As you are connecting, everyday objects
form a network," explained Professor Nicholas Negroponte of
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The report provides a technological revolution based on
dynamic innovation in certain technological areas, namely
radio frequency identification (RFID) technologies that can
"sense" or "think" by sensors that detect environmental
change or physical, and Nanotechnology, which allows the
miniaturization of devices.
The benefits of these advances for humanity can be
enormous, but the ethical questions that are plated on the
privacy of individuals can prevent the adoption of technology.
It will require significant mobilization of international efforts
to regulate these harmful effects within frameworks that have

4. into account the technical and ethical dimensions of the
revolution of the next generation Internet.
The information society from the perspective
of companies
Governments can encourage entrepreneurship in the ICT
sector by supporting small and medium enterprises,
protecting intellectual property rights and providing citizens
with the basic skills to use technology. So the opinions can
be summarized in a session organized by the Coordinating
Committee of Business Interlocutors Chamber of Commerce
(ICC), which analyzed various aspects of information society
from the point of view of businesses. Other topics stood out
were the good corporate governance and education and
training for, since, as noted by Lee Boon Yang, Minister for
Information and Communication, Singapore, after recent
corporate scandals, the administration of companies depends
on the integrity people who are in command and staff capacity
to respond to changes and not be left out of new processes and
modern.
InfoDev Forum: ICT in the lives of the poor
In the first panel of infoDev forum on how to put the
information society within reach of everyone considered the
degree of importance that ICT has on the lives of the poor.
The participants agreed that ICT itself relevant to the people
living below the poverty line, but only if they focus on their
specific needs. The technology alone will never be a priority
for the poor. "We must focus on needs and not problems,"
said Nyamai-Kisi of AfriAfya. The experiences of AfriAfya
projects in Kenya, and Employed Women's Association
(SEWA) in India, are clear examples of how ICTs help fight
poverty, disease and illiteracy, giving communities access to
information and the means to go in search of better living
conditions and economic development.
A serious obstacle that slows this process is the lack of
qualified teachers. To overcome this, UNESCO has
undertaken a program to train "teaching assistants" from
community leaders and other interested persons. Once
trained, these workers can make money providing operational
support to the program, creating incentives to encourage an
atmosphere of learning in their own villages.
In terms of access, the case of postal service offices in Tunisia
is an example of using existing infrastructure to provide
Internet access to large segments of the population. The
services of interest to citizens, such as banking and electronic
remittances can facilitate financial transactions and rapidly
improve the economic conditions of the population.

5. Global standards for broadband
Today, regulators and national authorities seek to ensure
that all citizens have access to cheap broadband
communications. The technology and business models to
achieve this objective.
Its theme this year was the regulation of broadband. The 120
executives and members of the national standards bodies that
participated in the meeting recognized that wireless
broadband technologies can be very useful to help close the
digital divide and proposed to develop a set of guidelines on
best practices to be used to manage radio spectrum to
facilitate access to broadband.
For more information see press release here .
UNESCO Round Table
UNESCO organized a roundtable to discuss how to forge a
future based on knowledge. Topics ranged from the
importance of expanding access to information and knowledge
to developing ways to facilitate the creation and application of
knowledge for development purposes.
The Director General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura,
outlined the four key principles of knowledge-based societies:
respect for human rights (especially freedom of expression),
universal access to information and knowledge, respect for
diversity cultural and linguistic capacity building through
access to quality education. The transition from an
information society towards a knowledge society is the central
theme of the report Towards Knowledge Societies ", prepared
by UNESCO and presented this month during the WSIS.
During the discussion, participants agreed that mere access
to information does not automatically lead to a knowledge-
based society. There was a call for the adoption of
mechanisms to safeguard and promote not only information
but also codified knowledge based on experience, local
practice and teachings. The importance of promoting local
content in several languages, and not to marginalize the
thousands of people worldwide who can not read or write.
This is the only way to close the "digital divide" and the
"knowledge gap."
WSIS Round Table
In the second panel of WSIS took stock of achievements and
challenges in relation to the goals and objectives of the Geneva
Action Plan. Participants stressed that the implementation
of strategies and policies for ICT-liberalization and

6. privatization of public telecommunication operators,
combination of technologies used and partnerships, can not fit
a single model. Each country must develop strategies and
solutions that take into account local characteristics and
resources available in each situation. However, some
common strategies, such as multi-stakeholder partnerships,
South-South collaboration, e-government applications and the
use of telecenters to provide community access, have positive
results in many countries, no matter how development.
Among specific cases, the Assistant Secretary of
Communications of Mexico, Jorge Alvarez Roth, told the
measures taken in your country to encourage transparent
competition rules and at the same time promoting "social
insurance" in communities. To achieve mass propagation of
ICT, was used directly to broadband and satellite to provide
coverage to 40% of underserved populations, including kiosks
connectivity and ICT community center.
For its part, Moritz Leuenberger, Vice-President of
Switzerland, said that even in his country there was a digital
divide, marked by age, sex and social status. The
representative added that rich countries CISCO Growing
numbers of people without basic skills to use technology,
"noted that some governments still" does not understand the
concept of ICT ", and therefore needed to further analyze the
correlation between ICT penetration and economic
development.
Among other participants included heads of state and
ministers of Argentina, Cuba, Jamaica, Lesotho, Pakistan, the
Republic of Guinea, Swaziland and Thailand as well as
representatives of international organizations (ITU, United
Nations, ECLAC and ESCWA), business (Cisco Systems and
Nokia) and civil society (Global Knowledge Partnership,
Association for Progressive Communications, Thailand
Association of the Blind and the Organisation Tunisienne des
Jeunes Medecins Sans Frontiers).
Initiative to help indigenous communities
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the
Observatory for Cultural and Audiovisual Communication
(OCCAM) and the Navajo Nation signed a memorandum of
understanding. Joe Shirley Jr., President of the Navajo
Nation, said the first initiative to be undertaken will be a
collaboration agreement to create a global portal for
indigenous communities, whose purpose is to facilitate the
dialogue on values, traditions, history and languages, as well
as aspirations for the future of Internet.

7. Communications to promote the development
BBC World Service Trust, an independent charity that uses the media to promote development, and
the BBC World Service, began the meeting by asking the panelists and the public to participate in the
production of "Access for All" the BBC radio broadcast on Friday 18 November.
The theme of the meeting was the use of communications to promote the development and content
generation from users. Representatives from public and private sectors and civil society, an Egyptian
government official, a representative of a European telecommunications company and a professor of
South Africa.
The BBC captured the interest of the audience when he demonstrated how to leverage the content
generated by users around the world will to carry out a collaborative project called My Life. Through
the project, young women in the Arab world have created visual narratives of their lives, they moved to
be presented to all participants. Through workshops in four Arab countries, many young people
could have their lives through records, pictures and paintings, and while learning the basic concepts of
broadcasting. The stories dealt with issues such as religion, tradition, education and disability. The
BBC introduced the world to these important and serious issues through programs on websites,
showing the lives and ambitions of women deprived of a very genuine. In many countries, media
arouse skepticism and give the impression of distortion of reality. Being able to generate themselves
the information presented, these women have had a sense that they have a voice and the world listens to
them.
WSF: Another communication is possible!
"... Employment, education, health, freedom, food, social
security, social rights, economic rights are fundamental to
ensure the dignity of the existence of all human beings," stated
in the Forum.
The World Social Forum ended on January 21 in Mumbai, India,
with a march and a mass rally in the large field of Azad Maidan,
which combined music, speeches and an endorsement to the
hope of another possible world where justice prevails. For the
Americas spoke the native Ecuadorian, Blanca Chancoso, who
noted that "The WSF has become a real organization of the
united nations because here are people who had no voice." He
noted the challenge of further strengthening the process of
society civil in each country and region of the world, and
stressed that the participation of women and men in the Forum
has demonstrated the feasibility of a world without inequalities
and yet diverse. He also noted that the FSM convened who are
developing proposals for alternatives to globalization which
includes the rights of individuals.

8. The manifestation of closing of the Forum was the largest in the history
of Mumbai. Between cars and buses, and amidst an area of intense
commercial activity, tens of thousands of participants celebrated before
the astonished gaze of the neighbors at the coronation of the fourth
World Social Forum. Colored flags, claims of all kinds and collective
singing together in a single message to the greater cultural and ethnic
diversity than ever before, that this time, despite the criticism and fears
of "wasting", he paid special attention to communication and
information as fundamental rights of peoples.
With its complexity and richness, contradictions, and symbology, the
WSF was more than a mere folklore and Asia became a geographical
reference point and global justice. The diversity of the Forum, despite
the notable absence of American (for economic reasons, of course),
could be felt in 13 languages shouted the Better World Possible:
Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Bengali, Malayalam, Korean, Bahasa
Indonesian , Thai, Japanese ... English, French and Spanish. Such
a title which Wired magazine: " In the Social Forum, thirteen languages
are spoken with one voice "
The organization played an important role in terms of translations, was
the international network of volunteer interpreters Babels , which uses a
Linux open source software start-ups. To run the software you need a
computer term capacity, thereby reduce the high costs of translation
associated with special high-speed computers, consoles and mixing
equipment. "This is the first time we used a free software so innovative
in that scale," said Sophie Gosselin, a member of Nomad , the
organization that created the translation software . "And all the
speeches and translations go through our computers, we archive all.
This means that we publish on the site of the FSM to be shared by all
who could not attend, which will be the forum for hundreds of thousands
of people. "
The need for a movement for the right to communication was expresda
to live voices of thousands of people. In this regard, some challenges of
the event were making a map of the communication rights and the
strengthening of the media produced by civil society organizations and
social movements. The need to build a movement for the Right to
Communicate, following the example of what was the environmental
movement 20 years ago, was one of the findings fully agreed at the
Forum. "Diversity in the communication must be defended like
biodiversity," noted Steve Buckley, president of AMARC, World
Association of Community Radio Broadcasters.

9. Another communication is possible!
Much of civil society gathered at the World Social Forum 2004 took the
airwaves with the message "Another communication is possible!"
Community radio journalists from around the world collaborated on a
joint effort coordinated by transmitting a broadcast from AMARC WSF
headquarters.
The broadcast team included producers and journalists from Radio
Lora (Switzerland), Radio Tierra (Chile), Simbani Africa News
Service, AmmanNet (Jordan), Sri Lankan Associatonion of
Community Broadcasters, Mass Line Media (Bangladesh),
Sheffield Live! (RU ), Community Broadcasting Association of
Australia, Radio Sagarmatha and Radio Lumbini (Nepal) and
Voices (India).
In addition to the five days of transmission, the World Association of
Community Radio Broadcasters, AMARC, and other social organizations
held a conference stressed the importance of media and civil society
initiatives in information and communication alternatives .
The FSM adopted the theme "Media, culture and knowledge" as one
of the central themes that focused on different conferences, workshops
and participatory cultural events. Who spoke on the topic was the
journalist and member of ATTAC , Bernard Cassen: "The reality of
things is that we should not have the means to disseminate such
information. Each one of us is a means, says the meetings, discussions,
clubs, seminars and dinners to friends become media. The information is
disseminated on the Internet today much better, and if the mainstream
media do not cover an event that by definition must be addressed, but it
must be said that not giving extraordinary weight. "
Cassen's position is extremely interesting and even massively
impractical. The journalist argues that journalism should not require
that we report, for commercial operations, politically and economically,
according to private interests. Learn from this point of view, beginning
to be understood as a more elaborate and collaborative activity, less
passive, spontaneous, and more difficult but more guarantees. (Would
not the new technologies essential tools to ensure access to
information? Should we not launch right away, "as proposed by Ignacio
Ramonet, a formidable technological Marshall Plan?)
Access to information and communication facilities should be secured
like any other fundamental rights. But it happens. This is so clearly

10. today. The technological gap limits (and sometimes prevent) more than
the instant transmission of a message. Limits the right to information,
ergo, limits the ability of thought, expression and decision of the people.
It also limits opportunities for education and preventive tools that have
to do with health. The gap limits the cultural and political development
of societies. The gap limits us as peoples.
Related Links
www.wsfindia.org
www.attac.info
www.india.indymedia.org
World Social Forum in Argentina
• Author: Pablo Mancini |
• 22/01/2004 |
• 1 comments
1 Comment
1. Francisco Hernandez Gomez. March 6, 2004 6:50
We can not say that the information society is equivalent to the
knowledge society, as the S. Knowledge is a state higher than the S.
information, that is, is to spend the amount of data and information
quality and choice. In the final box plasmo the most significant
differences.
In short and in accordance with the above I can make a ranking of the
three terms used: DATA ---> INFORMATION -> KNOWLEDGE. Where
each level is built on the former, and on this basis a number of authors
(Ackoff and Emery) who believe that after the knowledge society will
come wisdom is the ability to apply knowledge to important facts of
human life and not the possession of great knowledge. Then it seems
that we are facing or will face another paradigm, the ability to apply the
ability to recode the living material (Drucker, Castells and Ackoff -
Information, knowledge and wisdom .)
ACIMED
Print ISSN 1024-9435
ACIMED v.13 n.3 Ciudad de La Habana Mayo-jun. 2005

11. Librarians on the Information Society
Ms. Claudia Silvera Iturrioz 1
Summary
It describes the changes brought about by new information technologies
in the field of libraries, as well as new features adopted by the
specialists to adapt to the information society. The importance of
lifelong learning and information literacy to ensure that users become
active receivers of the new media. It addresses the introduction of
standards for the acquisition of information literacy and the need for the
creation of national information policy consideration to achieve better
opportunities in the equitable development of citizens.
Keywords: Information Society, users of information, media,
information services, librarians, user training.
Librarians in the Information Society
Abstract
The changes file info generated by new technologies in the field of
libraries, as well as, the new Functions ADOPTED by the Specialists to
Adapt Themselves to the information society, are described. The
Significance of permanent education and literacy of the informational
campaign to transform Into active users of the new media receivers is
stressed. The introduction of Norms for the acquisition of an
informational literacy, as well as the Need for the creation of National
Information Policies to Achieve Better Opportunities in the Development
of Citizens equitable, are dealt with.
Key words: Information Society, information users, communication
media, information services, librarians, user's training.
Copyright: © IMTS. Contribution of open access, distributed under the
terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike
2.0, which provides access, reproduce, distribute, and use the results of
work in practice, and all its derivatives, without licensed commercial
purposes identical, subject to properly cite the author or authors and
their original source.

12. Citation (Vancouver): Iturrioz C. Silvera The librarians in the
information society. Acimed 2005, 13 (). Available at:
http://bvs.sld.cu/revistas/aci/vol13_3_05/aci06305.htm Accessed: day /
month / year.
Throughout history, and nuanced, libraries have created their structures
and objectives around the needs of users. At first, frequented by a
limited core of people, for example, those using the Library Alexandria
(305-282 BC), as a school and research center, or scholars and
authorities who had access to the library of Pergamum (197-159 BC)
Also, during the Middle Ages was limited access to the collections and in
general , guarded by monks of various orders, its use was limited to a
circle of educated individuals.
This situation began to change because, among other factors, to the
Protestant Reformation, which promoted access to libraries through its
doctrine of free examination of the Bible. Also, the French Revolution
had its origins in the nineteenth century, its "principles of popular
sovereignty and national ownership of cultural property," proclaimed in
the Declaration of the Rights of Man (1798), propelled the work of public
libraries " 1
The objectives librarians and the various service models have gone
through different stages, according to the times.
The history of the library that presents Torres Vargas is very
interesting. The chronology lists several models of services provided by
libraries since its inception and outlines. In principle, the library was
established under the model of accumulation which was conceived as a
collection of books to keep for the sake of their users potential,
subsequently appeared in the register-based library of information,
whose primary mission was to control the acquis to organize it in a
systematic manner; later, came the library with free access that allowed
public use of the funds and so on until today . 1
An interesting theory is the possibility that the libraries arose due to the
educational needs of the first teachers - Sumerian scribes. "The basic
characteristics of the libraries Persian, Jewish and Babylonian, Sumerian
in identity with the shows that it did not have libraries, nor have, as
ultimate function or purpose, conservation and preservation of culture,
but its dynamic update, training the human being, the ideal to which
they aspired, and the librarian, before a mediator liability, subject to
these libraries, was essentially active and was aware of its purpose
community forming "2

13. Therefore, beyond its profile, libraries were developed and
supplemented their objectives, through constant transformation to
provide a service that met the expectations of its users.
Current Libraries
To set the current model libraries, you can use the term "hybrid
library", a high profile in recent times. The hybrid library information
services include those that feed on a variety of tools and traditional
elements - mostly represented by the media of printed and card
catalogs - and incorporating new technologies to meet their goals-
computers, networks and integrated systems information, new formats,
electronic publications, etc.. The hybrid library includes new information
technologies, with features including a common feature in all their
services, but this added value is not a simple sum.
The technology is an integrating element that managed to cross and
transform all areas of the acquis and the management of the library
service.
The common goal of library activity is to provide information to the user
and the incorporation of technology has enabled greater integration of
services and tools aimed at this objective. They have transcended the
physical boundaries of their own information service to enable
cooperation between institutions and networks. These changes forced
by the environment, are reflected as new concerns among users and
librarians.
The forms of documents and supports technologies introduced by the
questions raised when processing the information with the techniques
used traditionally. That is why the cataloging rules are reviewed on an
ongoing basis and processing the electronic formats and exchange of
bibliographic information. The continuing emergence of new means and
channels of information implies, at times, a reclassification and
redefinition of the documents as its structure and characteristics.
Broader definitions emerge and new categories of document datos.3
Moreover, some compare the emergence of electronic publishing
revolution meant the other time the invention of imprenta.4
Anyway, none of these innovations can really replace the other, and in
any case, new media are complementary and valuable, while reflecting a
stage of development of the library, communicator and promoter of the
information on society.

14. The current state of media convergence, both for access to information
management is a major challenge for professionals responsible for the
technical processing documental.5 is necessary to work with a growing
body more hybrid, where information is on paper as traditional media
(print media), and also in electronic or digital form (in non-print media).
You can talk, sometimes, from a single source of information and
content on various media. Growing demand for decisions to process
collections and to integrate the new and old.
We agree with Torres Vargas, stating that "digital information and paper
represent two totally different areas. No supplies to the other. The
hybrid library should not be regarded as a transitional phase but
harmonization between these two media." 6 This harmonization can be
achieved through education and orientation to the again gradually.
As for the modern library collections, C Rusbridge a description of the
media to be included in any library that can be defined as a hybrid, and
clarifies that it "adds different technologies, different sources and
reflects the present state is not completely digital, or fully printed,
where available technologies are used to unite in a single library, the
best of both worlds (the printed and digital) "7.8
According to the classification of the author, in a modern library to
coexist in the following ways: "OPAC (On line Public Access Catalogue),
COPAC (Curl On line Public Access Catalogue) and the Unified Catalog
(Telnet / Web). Participation in consortiums allows an academic
community use the library resources of other institutions, local and
regional (...), a unified virtual regional catalog, in addition to the CD-
ROM and floppy drives off line, CD-ROM network, the providing access
to full text, electronic booking systems, remote data groups at
universities, groups of local data, web-based libraries and institutions,
local resource portals on the web, remote web portals , remote
electronic journals, books, local or remote electronic, print journals,
special collections, maps, slides, audio and video. " 8
This combination of resources and supports that today's libraries offer
many actually turn them into "hybrid."
With regard to users of information technology presents significant
advantages for those able to adapt to technological changes and soon
were able to get out of your domain. But also, there are users who do
not achieve a rapid adaptation, either because no have the means to do
so, or because they do not venture to use the new formats of

15. information, and means for management.
As can be seen, there is a new type of technological-social relationship.
There are new needs among users of libraries in the framework of the
Information Society, which gradually transforms and brings to the
restatement of its main services. However, before discussing what
changes should be defined are the implications of being part of this new
society.
The Information Society
The information society is a new form of social organization and
productive around information technology and Redon comunicación.9
Rojas, defines this company as a web of social relations. "From a holistic
approach is the set of social relationships in a social (institutional) highly
dynamic, open, globalized, which support and carry through the
information, that is equally dynamic, open, globalized, commodified
addition technologised . Thus, individuals to exist, must be receivers,
transmitters, consumer and creative elite of this type of information. "
10
There is talk of a society induced to adopt a new organization,
characterized by the need for information as a basic element for
operation in the new technological, social and productive. The
environment of this new society, is, as noted, an advantage for Those
who can embrace change and knowledge needed to adapt. But it means
a major obstacle for those who can not so easily assimilated or access to
new knowledge. Therefore, education of people is essential to achieve a
fair and equitable integration into the new paradigm of society.
The Information Society, as defined, suggests a commercial interest, or
economic interventionism. In this sense, in direct reference to the
influence of economic power in the libraries, Wals Magallán says that
"while we can trace the existence of a thinking and library skills from the
earliest urban societies of antiquity, these [Information Centre] have
always been linked to political interventionism and the interests of
pressure groups (economic, political, religious) each time most
influential (...)." 11, "Today, the keen interest of the economic groups
by pressure media and its control as a key factor for political
propaganda and dissemination of specific social models, coincides with
the diminishing role that states have the decisive power to subjugate
their interests to supranational economic groups. " 11

16. It is undeniable that the information is a power that enables them to
obtain various goals.
It is also true, that information can be handled by means of data or its
failure to create in people a convenient interpretation for the purposes
of the proposer.
The quest for power and control over society is a component of the
impact of globalized development of media and communication.
Access to information is not something that just appeals as a legitimate
right of individuals, today has become a constant struggle with the
information market for open and fair access.
Faced with these facts and in consideration of the consumption of
information is increasingly necessary in today's world is a clear need to
develop criteria to differentiate between the information presented in
different media with respect to its real content and utility. These reasons
lead us to believe that education and information centers are key to
guaranteeing the right to see and adequate information.
On the other hand, does not help that libraries complement its services
and transform their collections, according to new technologies, if these
do not focus on the user as their primary objective. This user is the one
librarians have always served. Today the user of the information is often
lost or disoriented and, trained and new demands on the new
information society. Thus, the librarian, in the information society,
strives to be the user, because the fear of losing new and offers the user
demanding new products and services, but this should have broad and
constantly trained.
Literate people in information and communication technologies, as well
as intellectual and critical handling of information obtained through such
technologies, is a fundamental need.
It is very important to appeal to the user able to identify, from across
the media, those sources of information more valuable and reliable for
interest.
With regard to user attitudes and education against the media, it is
noteworthy that "any proposal that passes articular spaces of
communication and education must be based on the concept of an
active receiver, which , according to Martinez of all is a "deconstructive /
reconstructive of the meaning of the media, able to think critically about

17. them, but at the same time, entertain you and offer solutions to their
problems." 12
Learning that enable the media, resulting in the experience of the
"active subject" is an ideal of education in the beneficial use and critique
of the media that should appeal to librarians.
According to Pineda, the librarian in the information society, to achieve
new technology and information literacy for the citizens, must "leverage
technology and reduce the globalized world in some way, the gap
between rich and informed informed poor, enable everyone to
participate in the information society and creating a culture of
individuals with ability to work with information, for personal and
professional development. " 13
Need for information literacy
The proliferation of information technology, information sources and
new possibilities for communication, it coexists with the growing need
for information for making decisions and solving problems of daily life.
Also, continuing education, as educational paradigm in the information
society is a necessity manifest or latent in each individual.
Every day, it is clearer constant change and the emergence of new
demands for information needs.
This need is so important that we are witnessing a new kind of
illiteracy. Saragüeta a term used fairly representative:
"neoanalfabetismo." 14 With him, refers to the gap that new
information technology and communication have created between
individuals familiar or alien to their implementation in society. The term
is successful because it represents something new (neo), certainly, this
class Illiteracy is new, involves more than knowing how to read and
write properly, why UNESCO has worked for the past 20 years. But also,
the notion of depth and distance that expresses, as it relates to the gap
between the companies involved in the world and among its citizens.
Moreover, at a time, there is talk of a new illiteracy, appeared with
great force, since a few years, a specific términto to refer to literacy
necessary to avoid economic and social gaps, which is capable of
generating society information. This is "information literacy." Gradually,
we will approach this concept but first we need to describe how this new
literacy occurs in the current educational context and how it relates to
the profession of the librarian.

18. Continuing Education
The increase of technological knowledge, communication and
informational has generated a process of change around the education
of people. Increased knowledge considered necessary for various
activities has resulted in the need for lifelong learning.
The media and formal levels so far used to transmit knowledge is not
sufficient to meet the training needs, which involves knowing the world.
Fontcuberta, warning about the new challenge at the level of education,
twenty-first century, and specifically refers to the factors that determine
"need for educational change to a new way of knowing, the demands of
a society complex, in which social phenomena are increasingly
interrelated and must accept contradiction and uncertainty as methods
of access to knowledge, globalization, and the existence of a media
culture that has occupied spaces, until recently, reserved for education
system. The solution to these challenges is a crucial task for the future
of our societies. " 12
Delacôte Goéry describes three great revolutions in progress that cause
a significant change in education: the cognitive, interactivity and
management of education systems. 15
Interactivity is linked to the changing relationship between transmitter /
receiver, narrator / reader, teacher / student. In the words of the
author, "is the user who builds the story teller will be no fully developed.
The function of those who conceived the program is to provide the
building blocks of stories." 15
On the cognitive revolution, "education must have a content, knowledge
must be able to be used to solve problems, even new situations not
explored and, finally, the individual must consciously and voluntarily
control their own cognitive processes, their thoughts, how they learn,
what happens in his memory and how it can strengthen its management
to improve results. " 15
The revolution in the management of education systems, resulting in
multiple crisis: crisis in the school curricula, crisis in teacher role, crisis
in the language that establishes and uses school, technical resources
crisis, crisis in values and socialization systems, crisis management and
so forth.
But beyond the problems of defining what is "known" can be identified

19. three key elements in the transformation of knowledge in society today:
the need for further training and specialization in a specific field of
knowledge-knowledge that in several areas, rapidly becomes obsolete,
demand for training in new disciplines in the academic and professional,
as well as objects of study establish an interdisciplinary perspective.
The various professions increasingly require greater knowledge update
for daily practice as well as the integration of their knowledge with other
disciplines. These are the bases where justified and sits lifelong
learning. The current concept of lifelong learning is related to "the
continued development of the individual, their knowledge and their
skills, their critical faculty, their attitudes and their ability to act, to
enable us to develop a critical awareness of ourselves and encourage full
participation in our work and in society. " 16 Almada share the view of
Ascencio, who believes it is important to address the educational plans
for a "teacher and educated society" for the next century. But still, we
believe that it will not be achieved without expanding the supply of
education quality, equity and with the support of new information
technologies.
The change in libraries
The introduction of information technology has influenced the goals and
direction of libraries. The right to know and the right of access to
information are two key principles at the turn of the libraries. During the
last years there has been some important changes in the library field,
including:
• The emergence of new forms of reporting, as well as new
ways of looking, to access it and process it.
• The emergence of new needs for decision making regarding
the collections of libraries. It has established a new
relationship with the librarian's information industry,
publishers, librarians and information officers. Consortia
have been created to defend the rights of libraries with
suppliers of information and for an interlibrary loan
cooperative activity or access to databases and documents.
• The establishment of better systems for exchanging
documents at the regional and global levels.
• The beginning of the academic movement dirigdos to
promote open access to electronic publications and free
software.
• The emergence of new requirements for decision making in
acquiring new technologies and information carriers. To this

20. are added the decisions and constant changes to be
considered in the procurement of software and computer
support.
• The rapid growth and constant flow of information and
publications, as a result of the facilities offered by new
technologies.
• The establishment of new challenges among information
professionals, new features in their field of work, every day,
more related to teaching and education support to users of
information.
• Finally, the librarian, as a professional, now requires lifelong
learning, often without having to do so, other resources and
themselves as well as adaptability to your working
environment. It is necessary to make quick decisions and
participate actively in the process of changing work tools, for
example, rules of cataloging or bibliographic formats, and
the adoption of new standards.
These changes represent major challenges, difficult for those without
sufficient resources to monitor the development of technology and the
market, be they individuals or institutions. Those who need to know to
approach today's society, must necessarily face training as a tool to
achieve this. It is very important that people learn to identify and select
information, and how to handle the technological tools to inform and
educate permanently.
The answer to these needs begins with an appropriate informational
afabetización.
For information literacy can be understood: "the ability to face new
situations and questions about the basis of being well equipped [able] ...
to find and use information" 17
The current situation shows that both the user and the librarian himself
require such training on an ongoing basis in order to deal effectively
carry out their daily professional activities. "To develop good user
training programs to help students learn and improve their skills in
information, the library and information should properly prepare their
teaching skills" 18 but it is also important to extend the scope of these
training programs to all users of libraries and information centers, ie not
only to libraries outside the field of education.
A few years ago, joined the continuing education activity, the intention
to train librarians in certain teaching skills for their profession, in this

21. regard, there are several experiences in various European universities,
19 have desarrolladodiversos teacher training centers for librarians For
example, in France, the Unité Régionale de Formation et de Promotion
pour l'Information Scientifique et Technique (URFIST) founded Unité
Régionale de Formation et de Promotion pour l'Information Scientifique
et Technique, United States, the American Libraries Association ( ALA),)
established in 1997, the Institute for Information Literacy.
The incorporation of the training and education of users, the librarian
uses the services of user education and have established a number of
priorities for their own information centers to incorporate into its goals,
new ideas for training of users, from the use of various methods of
education information.
Education in the context of libraries
The library is a link to knowledge and education in society, hence it:
• It acts as an intermediary between information and user,
acquires, conserves, processes and provides information, ie
easy access to information for its transformation into
knowledge.
• It provides users, through its information services and
consultation, the possibility of finding the necessary
information directly.
• Develop training courses and training of users, which
represent a real form of education in the library environment
and approach that allow the user to the library and its
collection.
• Taught in different ways, the concept and importance of
information, techniques and procedures for information.
In this way, it guides the user to easily unfold in any institution for
information.
User education, a common and necessary activity in every library, has
changed gradually expanded its methods and contents.
The traditional training of the user in finding information and
management of library resources is not sufficient for it to get the
information you need. The reality today is required to possess certain
skills and knowledge to gain the large volume of information available,
regardless of medium or format. This brings us back to the need for
information literacy.

22. And precisely one of the edges of an information literacy is the mastery
of the processes necessary for the user of a library get access to
information, analyze it and understand its characteristics, good content
and presentation, in order to obtain and manage knowledge of interest.
"Information literacy is a global goal that involves and engages both the
educational system at all levels and the institutions required
documentation. The documentary, as providers and organizers of
information for their use should facilitate understanding of the
methodologies that allow documentary the best use, teach and simplify
information retrieval systems based on needs and characteristics of the
process of acquisition of knowledge of users. " 18
Interdisciplinary involvement
Another possible educational intervention of the librarian is their
participation in interdisciplinary teams to support teaching, especially at
university level.
According to Bruce, 17 the concept of information literacy is a process
of searching and finding the right information, which will depend, to be
effective, and can actually solve a problem or assist in making decisions,
the experience of those who seek information.
In this sense, the librarian, used to process information and the
information, sometimes specializing in the processing of an area of
knowledge or type of library, is identified as a suitable agent to make
finding relevant information efficiently and qualified because it is a great
connoisseur of the means for these purposes. Moreover, the librarian is
the ideal professional knowledge on policy and methodology for the
presentation of academic papers, whatever its nature, on the most
important sources for the preparation of lists of references and so on.
For this reason, training and experience of the librarian is often claimed
for the execution of tasks in interdisciplinary teaching and support
continuing education for different groups of information users.
As for the teaching profession in general, technologies have changed
the variety of teaching methods and incorporated new ways of knowing
and updated, and today are common virtual conferences,
teleconferences, virtual courses, educational forums, discussion lists ,
online educational videos, interactive web pages, tutorials, etc..
Have also changed the media, in a way that information can be

23. presented in print, on CD, DVD, electronic formats such as html, xml,
pdf, tif, among others.
To assist in this new context, librarians must be trained and constantly
solid.
Changes in reference service
The referral service libraries is their main means for the direct
satisfaction of the questions of its users.
Basically, it deals with informing the user, through answers to specific
questions or frequent or indication of appropriate sources to meet their
needs or to evacuate their doubts. In addition, is responsible for
conducting personal interviews to agree and determine the requirements
for the literature searches requested by users.
The information society has significantly influenced reference services
mainly from the emergence and proliferation of data sources and the
need for new and varied skills for handling emerging tools for searching
information, as much has happened to the kinds of questions that are
received in such services. Each time, the queries become more complex
and diverse, and to answer is necessary to master the new context of
information available, their types, structures, organiazicón,
characteristics, forms of access, etc..
"As the librarians have to stay in an attitude of continuous learning to
keep abreast of new trends and sources, should rethink how to do their
work and how to provide their services. Traditionally, librarians have
offered reference services and information in some way, and has been
expected that users adhere to these terms. Now, however, librarians
must begin to understand the desires and changing needs of their users
in relation to the acquisition of knowledge and use of information. " 20
The library reference services are changing, for example: 20
• The help desks have become part of reference services.
• Users need training for access, organization and use of
information so that information literacy is incorporated into
the activity of reference services.
• The remote users need help, so electronic communication,
including videoconferencing, integrates the work of
reference.

24. • Users need to be assisted at the site where they are, so that
the reference assistants often "run" to the library to meet
these needs or access to professors' offices to provide
necessary services. "
To complement this perception of a traditional reference service, the
following classic questions or queries from users, can illustrate to the
reader:
• How I can find books or magazines that have a library?
• How I can find information I need?
• What is a database, how it works?
• What are keywords?, What are they?, How do I look?
• Where I can find what you need?
• Who can advise me on this issue?
• What is a literature search?,
• What are the works of reference?
• What are the references?,
• Why, how and who makes the rules of the library?
However, in the present context, these questions have changed and
could be:
• What is Internet?
• What is HTML or WWW?
• What is a link?
• What Internet addresses I can find the information you
need?
• What are FAQs?
• What is a search engine, how it works?
• How I can find this item?
• How I can find images?
• What are the magazines / e-books?
• What is a PDF file?
• What is an online database?
• How does a software translation and how reliable is it?
• Why I can not access this information, which is a password?
• Do I pay for the information available on the Internet?
• Did this information is reliable, how I can be sure of that?
• If not get the information I need online, where else I can
find?
• What is an e-book, where I can find?
• How do I access electronic journals?
• "I can save this information, how should I do?

25. • How should I cite in the bibliography of electronic
resources?
The answer to these questions and many more common in current
reference services, they require new knowledge about the details of a
new level of learning.
It is important to clarify that the new paradigm, involves being able to
lead us to answer queries, when there is so much technology and
facilities as when they are lacking. The information society is present for
all, regardless of the fact that we touch. To enable all users to achieve
human right to obtain information to their social life and personal
development, 21 must be leveled knowledge, from an education in
information, according to the possibilities of each situation.
Future prospects
Constant and necessary changes occur. In some countries, are matter
resolved those issues that are beginning to emerge in the form of
questions in others, such as the discussion on new possibilities for the
technical processing of the information they provide bibliographic
formats, as well as the construction of large information networks to
support new information technologies.
The library literature of the advanced countries, often refers to the
importance of designing user-friendly interfaces, appropriate to the
needs of the user in the electronic media, either with respect to graphic
design, documentary, web pages, the network or online catalogs, always
in accordance with the standards for the management of metadata, to
facilitate access, search and information retrieval.
The metadata is raised for some time in the library field as a
challenging alternative to traditional cataloging standards. There are
questions about which formats used for bibliographic records for the
exchange and access to data in the electronic environment, MARC 21 ,
Dublin Core or other widely used today in many online catalogs and
rapidly expanding.
In this sense, Ortiz-Repiso, 22 calls to the library community to follow
in the search objective and careful study of metadata standards and
greater promise for the digital future.
In addition, Gorman, 23 poses a very successful set of questions related
to the concerns that provides storage of electronic information, the brief

26. duration of publications on the web, the relevant expertise of its
contents, its conservation, etc.. These are complex issues to be resolved
against the challenges of technology and information society.
Technology, each day, allow a more adequate to satisfy the information
needs. There is, in turn, a constant need to adapt to the changing
workplace, technology investment and training librarian and she
undoubtedly is the condition sine quanon to achieve real progress
towards the future.
In this sense, both from the perspective of the librarian and the user,
information literacy is the medium that enables it to be an independent
learner over a lifetime. And this does not mean that an information
literate user will not need more of the services offered by librarians,
because their theoretical and practical training, the permanent contact
information, both for processing as search, experience in resolving
Similar problems and needs, familiarity with the use of media
information processing, knowledge of new sources and possibilities for
searching, always provide benefits to librarians to act as a necessary
intermediary between the user and the information you need .
And finally, what can be achieved from libraries and other institutions of
information and documentation, information literacy?
As mentioned above, there are some leading countries in which, for
some years, there have been some proposals to implement pedagogical
education in the careers of library and documentation, this modality is
increasingly spreading to other countries.
To provide a practical overview of the subject, will show some of the
alternatives: 18
• Educational programs and user orientation independently or
combined with educational curricula.
• Oriented digital libraries offer tutorials and educational
resources to learn to manage and search information.
• Digital libraries supporting teaching courses through the
placement of educational materials on-line consultation.
• User training courses to satisfy their own needs for
information, according to their characteristics.
Normalization
Part of information literacy skills are información.24 Refers to specific or
measurable skills and work related information that an individual can

27. acquire. The powers are useful information to measure or diagnose the
extent of a person's information literacy.
Information literacy should be established based on certain common
standards of what most consider bibiotecarios basic skills in information.
It is very important to define certain common points in the criteria that
determine the extent or the success of individuals in the acquisition of
information literacy, this will ensure that everyone gets the same level
in their training. The existence of standards for developing and
assessing information skills in individuals is common in developed
countries. In the words of Martial angle, "The information literacy
standards calls generated by fellow librarians in the United States,
England and Australia have had a strong impact at the national level,
institutions of higher education in their countries and have been adopted
and appropriate to different situations such as Canada, New Zealand,
South Africa and some European countries. The graduates of educational
institutions of these countries will, undoubtedly, an advantage over
graduates of educational institutions in Latin America if we spend more
time . 25
The author proposes a standard adapted to our regional reality and
stresses that the lack of skills to identify information of value, we put at
a disadvantage to the progress made by those countries who provide
priority attention to developing information literacy standards. This
makes us think and reminds us of the need for information policies in
our countries.
With respect to the search of solutions and common perspectives of
educational work in the field of information literacy is important to
emphasize research in Library and Information Science. The search for
common solutions closely related to the adoption of information policies.
The environment of the Information Society, to which reference has
been made before, is an enabling environment to stimulate debate and
research for the betterment or responding with consistency and fairness
for the whole society on the new literacy required and information policy
that points to it with clarity.
There is talk, especially towards the establishment of common
guidelines and regulations in order to support a firm stand against the
current challenges of the informational field. In the words of Suaiden,
"research in information science may be the thread that a disinformation
and information society. A fairer, less elitist, where information becomes
central to decision making and critical user training. "26 With regard to
information policies, these are the ideal setting for implementation of

28. any literacy program. But to get them to consider the view from our
professional perspective, it is essential to promoting a high level of
awareness regarding the usefulness and value of information in the
governmental, public and industrial. " 27
Conclusions
The information society, characterized by a strong technological, social
and economic, has trasnformado to library services in an unprecedented
way. People require new technological and informational assets to be
recipients of information and communication media.
Librarians have also been forced to adapt to new demands for
knowledge and have expanded their functions to achieve better
integration into the information society.'s New responsibilities include
user training more intense and committed towards the development a
critical mass of users. It also highlights the need to protect access to
information and the right to objective knowledge.
Information literacy is an appropriate measure to get people to actually
reach the information they need. This is possible because it gives
citizens the tools and resources necessary to seek answers to their
concerns and allow the encounter with the information and the world
around him. It also prepares the individual to draw their own
conclusions, criticisms, or opinions from information, to make decisions
as it considers are the most convenient, and thus facilitates their
personal development.
For information literacy possible in the environment of libraries and
information institutions, it is necessary to promote training activities for
different user communities, as well as continuing education of teachers
and librarians dedicated to these tasks. The promotion and support they
can receive from the national information policies, the creation and
implementation is absolutely necessary in all countries, they are
cornerstones for achieving learning and human development.
Nothing can achieve the international development cooperation without
the final decision of governments to implement policies for information
on a schedule and committed to the welfare of its people and their
country.
In most countries of our region, these policies are a pending matter
that can not refer only to training in the use of computadoras.28
But that does not mean that the players with information and education

29. is not aware of the importance of information literacy for citizens is
through struggle and debate to establish information policies at the
national level or the normalization or the creation of guidelines for work
in the information institutions. The latter is a way to appeal to actual
and potential actions to the awareness necessary to consider the real
problems of development, equality and respect for human rights in our
countries.
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http://scielo.sld.cu/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1024-
94352003000300005&lng=es&nrm=iso&tlng=es [Accessed: December
17, 2004].
28. Menou MJ. Information literacy in national policies on information
technology and communication (ICT): the cutlura of information, a
dimension absent. Journal of Documentation 2004; (7) :241-61.
Available at: http://www.um.es/fccd/anales/ad07/ad0716.pdf
[Accessed: March 2, 2004].
Received: April 28, 2005.
Approved: May 14, 2005.
Ms. Claudia Silvera Iturrioz.
Library and Documentation Centre of the Faculty of Dentistry,
University of the Republic of Uruguay. Heras M ontevideo Uruguay.Las
1925, Uruguay. CP 11 200
Email: csilvera@odon.edu.uy
A degree in Librarianship. Library and Documentation Centre of the
Faculty of Dentistry, University of the Republic of Uruguay. Uruguay.
Processing Tab
Rating: Article teachers.
Suggested terms for indexing
According DeCS 1
MEDIA, INFORMATION SERVICES;
MEDIA COMMUNICATION, INFORMATION SERVICES;
As he said two
INFORMATION SOCIETY, LIBRARY, USER INFORMATION;
MEDIA, INFORMATION SERVICES, TRAINING OF USERS
INFORMATION SOCIETY, Librarians, INFORMATION USERS;
COMMUNICATION MEDIA;
INFORMATION SERVICES, TRAINING USERS

33. 1 BIREME. Descriptors in Health Sciences (DeCS). Sao Paulo: BIREME,
2004.
Available at: http://decs.bvs.br/E/homepagee.htm
2 S. Díaz del Campo Proposed terms for indexing in information
science. Descriptors Information Sciences (DECI). Available at:
http://cis.sld.cu/E/tesauro.pdf
TOPIC: Knowledge Management PUBLISHED: 18/07/2008
Achieving goals of productivity and competitiveness requires us to
reflect on our vision of Information Society and Knowledge. In each
working day, many of us spend several hours at the computer, but is
not sure when the search, access to adequate information that will
generate new knowledge useful and applicable in our professional
performance, however, the success in decisions and actions every
day demand higher dose of knowledge.
Without questioning that we live in the Information Technology or Computer
Science, who is still frowned on hearing of the Information Society, and even
more when it comes to the knowledge society: not always find everything we
seek, or to translate it well to find solid knowledge. Yes sometimes seems
true that we live in the Virtual Society Relations, and it is true that so-called
social networks are becoming a very significant dimension: Social Software is
pointed at as something revolutionary. But despite possible reservations, we
do need to be aware of the emerging knowledge economy and innovation.
Early Reflections
We read that Redtel, an Association (perceived as lobbying) of telecom
operators (Telefonica, Orange, Vodafone and Ono), born, according to its
president, engineer, financial and winemaker Miguel Angel Canalejo,
intending to put Spain into the head of the Information Society, but I fear
that perhaps relates mainly to the Society of Communication or
Telecommunications. In reality, pointing to the emerging economy, what
characterizes it is knowledge and innovation, and, in short, come here
several labels (information, knowledge, communication, innovation ...)
should not melt or confuse.
Some might think that this-place Spain at the head of the Information
Society, can be a very ambitious goal (even though the government has
already made plans), and that employers are often associated to defend

34. their business interests , the fact is that something be done to advance
productivity and competitiveness, and will certainly need a synergy of
efforts. In truth, Spain should be among the most advanced information
technologies and communication, but also all depends on how we interpret
the idea of Information Society, as they may often interpret it as
"Information Society and Telecommunications .
I think it was April 13, 1999, almost nine years ago when I was invited to a
symposium under the theme "The Information Society for All", and although
there were some speakers that, without going too far in the evolution of the
economy, said he had gone from the "consumer society" to "consumer
society of information" in general the role of the day fell on access to
Internet and telecommunications networks. Miguel Angel Canalejo himself,
then head of Alcatel Spain, spoke at a round table. From that day, what I
remember most, however, was the final speech of the philosopher José
Antonio Marina, who came to remind us that the information resides on
media and knowledge in people, once they give-grant "due to the significant
meaning.
More recently, in May 2005, I attended another event called from the
political arena under the buzzword "Information Society". The day was
entitled "The Development of Information Society and Knowledge: a bet for
progress the European Union. "It seemed, indeed, that the information was
no longer primarily seen as something to consume, but as the main raw
material in the knowledge economy, as raw material from which we extract
the desired knowledge to properly apply it for prosperity.
Informatics and Telecommunications are inexcusable, but valuable
knowledge and apply it comes from a rigorous and appropriate information
to which we can access easily. It is true that we handle a lot of information
in enterprises is great, but perhaps not always enough and appropriate, nor
is it sufficiently rigorous and easy to translate into valuable knowledge and
its application. We may be doing wrong and false aprehendizajes learning,
and perhaps wrong on the decisions, because the information is not reaching
the proper quality, or properly evaluated. We have good networks and good
media, but in some cases, poor information.
Managing information
Les comment own anecdotal experience. I bought a department store in a
cool-mist humidifier and told the lady that treated me that never had one
(had used the hot water.) "Do not worry: is an instruction sheet," he said.
Well believe me, even being an engineer, I was unable to follow the
instructions on the sheet and, when he had decided to return to the stores, I

35. ended up doing work or using my intuition I guess ... Something similar used
to happen when you try to tune in television ... clear that may also be why
my wife and me to be something blockhead sometimes.
But neither the information we use in business has always meant that
appears, nor can we believe everything we read in print or electronic media.
It is true that each of us perceives the realities in their own way, depending
on their beliefs, feelings, values, concerns and desires, but we can also see
us with incomplete information, confused, manipulated or inaccurate. So, if
we add the possible lack of quality information with the tendency of the brain
(for his many "filters") to deceive, the result could be unreliable.
Note that, admitting the need for lifelong learning in the workplace,
universities have been developing the idea of information literacy (IL), so
that students learn to cope well with the information: access, consulting,
training, integration and implementation. Already in the business world,
would speak of skill-and even-informational excellence, no doubt, good
management of information and knowledge is inexcusable in business
knowledge.
Three months ago I heard Robert Cencioni (European Commission / DG
Information Society and Media) that we work with information as raw
material spend about 27 hours a week searching and analyzing information,
and lost three and a half because we did not find, I I feel part of that group,
but I fear losing more time ... Of course I sometimes make discoveries
"serendipitiously" (casual): I find very interesting things, but do not meet my
search patterns.
It has placed great emphasis on digital literacy and less on the
informational, but the company's knowledge must be excellent not only on
information that treasures and their access to existing outside, but on its
operation, ie in his translation rigorous sound knowledge and application. In
this translation, the individual must realize their critical thinking to the
information available that can be rigorous and assertive, but we must
ensure.
In a recent book, Eduardo Punset says: "Probably the great evolutionary
leap between hominids came the day when one of those people was able to
intuit what was pondering another member of his group. Knowing what I
was thinking allowed him to help her partner ... or handling. This tendency
to convince others of our own views or try to manipulate it appears to have
broken since then. " Punset therefore highlights the need for critical thinking
in all of us, that is, reflective thinking, penetrating, meticulous and
inquisitive, thorough and independent truth-seeking: something that is

36. essential to ensure the conversion of information available valuable
knowledge .
The knowledge worker
The new knowledge worker needs, of course, a good dose of "skill
informational" ... but remember how quickly drew his profile Peter Drucker:
• Visible degree of personal and professional development.
• Information and digital dexterity.
• Autonomy in the performance and lifelong learning.
• Creative and innovative attitude.
• Loyalty to the profession and quality of work.
This worker is, for all that, a valuable asset to the knowledge economy
straight, but let me also remember that the manual worker is not necessarily
out of the profile, because there are crafts that require great deal of
knowledge, without resorting to example of the dentist or surgeon. All work
is needed in society, and most of them require a specialization to be updated
regularly, probably without the assumption of new roles and responsibilities
for workers. Neither identify the worker with university-based knowledge:
most of us have to learn continuously and therefore suitable to handle
information.
It's worth out on the second feature noted: the skill driving information. A
little over fifteen years, began to speak separately of two concepts related to
information society: in business, knowledge management, and in
universities, for the adequacy or informational skills. The first (knowledge
management) seemed to assume a kind of conceptual reengineering of the
traditional systems of information management in companies, taking more
care of the technical, functional and relational business: know-what, know-
how , know why, know who ... The second (information literacy) arose
between documentary and some universities, in line with the growing
concern for lifelong learning (self Directed lifelong learning). The idea of
informational sufficiency-day in the company and as we said, we must think
of excellence "and then pointed to access, use and exploitation of the
growing information available, but still did not use Internet.
From those 90 years, first the advance of knowledge management in
enterprises has not always been successful (despite the powerful tools
available), and secondly, the information has continued to multiply
significantly and putting at our disposal through of ICT. Today, those

37. concepts, knowledge management and informational skills (Information
Fluency) - very visibly have approached each other in the business world, to
enter into synergy with the emerging figures of the new managers and new
employees, especially also with the idea lifelong learning, and of course the
need to innovate in short, to the evolution of the economy.
In organizations, skill in the use and development of internal and external
information available seems more than necessary, but not always possess
the necessary degree. Perhaps the new generations come out of universities
with solid preparation for lifelong learning, but companies today need higher
doses and knowledge to better address its challenges of productivity and
competitiveness in the new economy. The concept of business excellence
has evolved with the new realities, and it seems questionable that we should
also be excellent in the translation of information to knowledge, and the flow
of it in business. Certainly everything points to the need to improve our
information competence.
(Interestingly, in a recent book editor changed my term "information
literacy" by "information skills" and I found this surprising. The truth is that
the experts talk about information literacy - "IL" - and I have joined the
adjective but have chosen other nouns. Instead of talking about literacy or
proficiency in the business prefer to speak of excellence, competence or
skill).
Lifelong learning
Speaking of information and skill in its management, we refer to the concept
of lifelong learning (lifelong learning), another key feature in the profile of
the employee talked. In fact, we all have to meet the continuing
development of our professional profile. Here we must remember that the
technological advancement in Information Technology and Telecom brought
in the previous decade, the concept of e-learning, ie online learning . It
seemed that the courses came on line to replace the more expensive
companies to classroom courses, and for nearly ten years large corporations
spread their virtual-platforms-campus e-learning.
At the time, seemed to put more emphasis on technology in their own
educational information that the user should be translated into knowledge
and behavior, and in fact, in 2004, a study of Santillana Training uncovered
dissatisfaction of users with the content offered in the online training. A year
later, the learning produced were considered very significant representatives
of the Tripartite Foundation for Employment Training. As late as 2007, I
noticed that some leading provider of e-learning was an emphasis on
technology as a means to improve learning outcomes, and did not mention

38. the information contained in the courses, whose educational potential has to
ensure properly.
There is no underestimating the importance of technological support for the
load multimedia courses and interactivity, but I insist here that knowledge
comes from the information provided, and consolidated in the brain of the
student. The Computer and Telecom do their work advantageously, but
inexcusable is all the work of expert teachers creating educational
information, such as translating the student apply knowledge appropriately,
and even develop connections, inferences, and useful abstractions (the best
learner is also creative).
The reader may have had some experience of e-learning, including
interactive and multimedia material. I have met with timely and intelligent
user-computer dialogues, but also with information irrelevant and confusing
questions that made me lose confidence in the course content. There are
providers of e-learning which appear to qualify the importance of content for
technology, but there are also many ready with their products and services,
to catalyze the user learning to meet their expectations.
Certainly we must talk about learning more training, and even learning skills
that are so necessary to us. Among these skills and strengths to learning,
and insisting that the worker is showcased in the process of learning, critical
thinking and figure other cognitive abilities, but also intrapersonal elements
such as tenacity, intuition or serendipity (sagacity to make chance
discoveries). The professional expert and lifelong learner is capable of
achieving maximum benefit from the information accessed, and not left
confused.
Innovation
Beyond the mere renewal of technology, innovation features a special way
to the emerging economy, and it is noted that involves the extension or
modification of fields of knowledge: something that is difficult to achieve
without mastering these areas. Indeed, penicillin and vaccines came to
expand the field of medicine, railways and aviation at the time constituted an
additional and advantageous transportation, telephony accounted for more
than a half century more than communication, as well Internet guessed in
the past decade.
Sometimes the extension of a field originating outside of it, and so we say
that surgery benefited from laser technology, the packaging is reconcibió
with the advent of plastic and other advances, which benefited from
mechanics and electricity electronics ..., and, in general, the fields of

39. knowledge meet, overlap, or at least related in its content, tools, etc.. It is,
if we accept him as well, the systemic nature of the world as human beings
is systemic in their anatomy and their resources.
Sometimes it alters some new fields of knowledge and displace previous
solutions. Aspirin came to displace salicylate, the electric light the oil or gas,
spring mattresses to wool, latex and then those ... we also remember how,
almost 20 centuries after Aristarchus, the heliocentric view the world was
imposed on the geocentric worldview wrong, and sometimes have difficulty
developments imposed. We thank the advancement of astronomy to people
who, like Copernicus, Brahe, Kepler and Galileo, were characterized by
critical thinking and alluded to his desire to know more.
As I made clear in articles appearing on the Internet, some other
innovations were the result of chance, even if this were specified and
sagacious minds receptive, willing to offer new solutions to society. This is
the case of a stethoscope, cyanoacrylate glue, Velcro, sucralose, the Sony
Walkman, the microwave oven, etc.. So, as the reader knows and I wanted
to emphasize in these paragraphs, the concept of innovation goes well
beyond the mere advancement of information technology and
communication (technological renovation). I like to check, by the way, and
recently, in 2008 exports held in Madrid, the experts insist on it.
Conclusion
Despite the prominence that acquires technology (ICT) today, we see it, in
effect, and if the reader agrees, as a means, as a means to communicate
and to access the information we need. From there, it is to generate
knowledge that allows us to develop our profession in the twenty-first
century economy.
Faced with possible deficiencies in the information gained, and to ensure
sound learning, we must activate our critical thinking. Also, for optimization
of solid knowledge acquired, we also display connections, analogies,
inferences and abstractions, well targeted, desirable catalyze innovation in
processes, products and services.
As alter ego of the Information Society, called "Knowledge Economy and
Innovation demands professionals who are permanent learners, with their
individual competitiveness, contribute to the collective. We must develop our
abilities and strengths of human beings, and here we have stressed the need
to become valuable knowledge and apply the available information. But if
there is a gap between knowledge and information, as there is between it
and technology , we also found gaps between knowledge and high

40. performance, and between knowledge and innovation. Improve our
productivity and competitiveness would, without ruling out other challenges
to be resolved but these four hiatuses in each company.
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Author's other items
Experiences of a writer of e-learning
Fifty years after McGregor
After the quality of the so-called virtual training
The Ember, sardines and management literature
Hierarchical communication difficulties
Deceptions and delusions
After genuine innovation
Epinicion premature bragging suspects
Astronomers specimens, critical thinkers
Competing innovating
A rule, after the training quality "virtual"
Relations, the hierarchical, very complicated

41. Teachers virtuous, virtual teachers
Towards innovation, as the European Year
Genuine intuition to see beyond
And you, what do you think of e-learning?
Handling hierarchical relations
Beware of leadership, take care commitment
Formulas for prosperity
The boss asks me feedback
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