[00:03.99]1995 Passage3

[00:07.72]In such a changing,

[00:09.24]complex society formerly simple solutions

[00:12.98]to informational needs become complicated.

[00:16.30]Many of life's problems which were solved by

[00:19.12]asking family members,

[00:20.65]friends or colleagues are beyond the capability of

[00:24.09]the extended family to resolve.

[00:26.81]Where to turn for expert information and

[00:29.63]how to determine which expert advice to accept

[00:32.96]are questions facing many people today.

[00:36.78]In addition to this,

[00:38.13]there is the growing mobility of

[00:40.04]people since World War Ⅱ.

[00:42.36]As families move away from their stable community,

[00:45.69]their friends of many years,

[00:47.92]their extended family relationships,

[00:50.74]the informal flow of information is cut off,

[00:54.07]and with it the confidence that information

[00:56.68]will be available when needed

[00:58.81]and will be trustworthy and reliable.

[01:02.41]The almost unconscious flow of information

[01:05.24]about the simplest aspects of living can be cut off.

[01:09.23]Thus, things once learned subconsciously

[01:12.35]through the casual communications of

[01:14.38]the extended family must be consciously learned.

[01:19.22]Adding to societal changes today

[01:21.55]is an enormous stockpile of information.

[01:25.08]The individual now has more information

[01:28.00]available than any generation,

[01:30.52]and the task of finding that one piece of

[01:33.59]information relevant to his or her specific problem

[01:37.32]is complicated, time-consuming

[01:39.94]and sometimes even overwhelming.

[01:43.57]Coupled with the growing quantity of information

[01:46.70]is the development of technologies

[01:48.93]which enable the storage and delivery of

[01:51.54]more information with greater speed to

[01:54.77]more locations than has ever been possible before.

[01:59.61]Computer technology makes it possible

[02:02.13]to store vast amounts of data in machine-readable files,

[02:07.07]and to program computers to locate specific information.

[02:12.31]Telecommunications developments

[02:14.53]enable the sending of messages via television, radio,

[02:19.16]and very shortly, electronic mail to bombard people

[02:23.71]with multitudes of messages.

[02:26.23]Satellites have extended the power of

[02:28.75]communications to report events

[02:30.62]at the instant of occurrence.

[02:33.95]Expertise can be shared world wide through teleconferencing,

[02:38.28]and problems in dispute can be settled without

[02:41.61]the participants leaving their homes

[02:43.82]and/or jobs to travel to a distant conference site.

[02:48.87]Technology has facilitated the sharing of information

[02:52.50]and the storage and delivery of information,

[02:55.51]thus making more information available to more people.

[03:00.21]In this world of change and complexity,

[03:02.83]the need for information is of greatest importance.

[03:06.86]Those people who have accurate,

[03:08.80]reliable up-to-date information

[03:11.42]to solve the day-to-day problems,

[03:13.84]the critical problems of their business,

[03:16.05]social and family life, will survive and succeed.

[03:21.80]"Knowledge is power" may well be the truest saying

[03:25.74]and access to information may be

[03:28.16]the most critical requirement of all people.