ABU ZARIA MIM Online Information Industries

DESIGNING FOR EXPERTS; HOW SCHOLARS APPROACH AN ACADEMIC LIBRARY WEB SITES

2011-03-04T13:58:00.000-08:00

ABDULSALAM ADEIZA MOMOHJIMOH
MIM/EDUC/4182/2009-2010
WEB DESIGN AND MANAGEMENT
LIBS882

Introduction

This research stems from an interest in the online information -seeking behaviors of experienced researchers and the extend to which customizable portal might improve their ability to locate and manage information sources. The scholars habits were analyzed to help identify online tools that will help to improve the ease of information retrieval. The authors use two study method: A set of web usability were developed to test the ease of information discovery and retrieval and also a structured open ended. interview conducted to determine user preferences, expectations and current online searching practices.
Data collection method were also analyzed and prefers the purposeful sampling than the random sampling, purposeful sampling allows for selecting of limited rich cased for in-dept observation. Through this method help to determine the web use efficiency and effectiveness. various subject area were used as case study. This research also shows that librarians or student with prior knowledge of the use of search languages or query languages have better search result than first time users.
Implication of the study.
The research team intents to conduct further testing of user- centered web design applying lesson learned from the study. this enables the participant to consider a lot of more useful method of making the web site reach for information seekers. It has make it possible to create site map that will guide users of the site. one solutions that helps in browsing the site is Mouse over links that describe the link.
Conclusion.
In designing a website for experts requires in-dept research on the subject area of special interest areas of the researchers that will soothe their information need.
Web designers must determine how to provide just enough information on page, giving the possibility to have everything on a page.
Abstracting an indexing should be applied when designing web site information data base.

Recommendation
A lot of people in the academic world should explore the various opportunity in the web site design as it has become the fastest means of sharing information all over the world.
web design should be introduce in student curriculum at the secondary or high school level and it will become part of many graduates all over the world.
Our country Nigeria should invest more money on information technology as a lot of us are serious backwards Information Technology wise.
we can also emulate the Indain's.

Age Differences in search of Web Pages: the Effects of Link Size, Link Number, and Clutter

2011-03-02T03:40:00.000-08:00

Topic: Age Differences in search of web pages: The effects of link size, link number and clutter

Class: Masters in Information Management (2009-2010)

Course: Web Design and Management

Group Members: Nzurum, Iheanacho Okezie MIM/EDUC/4234/2009-2010
Okugbe, Isaiah Jeremiah MIM/EDUC/7424/2009-2010
Obikaonu, Pauline Chimuru MIM/EDUC/6668/2009-2010

SUMMARY
The authors’ state that it has been established via tests carried out that links located to the left of a webpage are more easily found than others. They also believe that older adults make up the bulk of the internet users and some of the benefits they derive include communication via email, chat room access and discussion groups, to mention but a few. The use of the internet has also helped improve the well-being of older adults given the wealth of health information they have online access to. Nonetheless, older adults encounter more problems while trying to access the internet than younger users.
Conventions exist which allow users to search and navigate the web more easily and a major feature that affects web navigation is how conspicuous the links are and also, changing text sizes can help improve reading. This is particularly helpful to older adults who are more prone to visual fatigue and limited reading speed and accuracy.
It need be mentioned however that Internet users find things more easily on the net when items are in consistent and expected locations. In this regard, targets in the upper left corner of the screen are much more likely to be found quickly.
The authors again adjudge that age differences in search are more pronounced when targets are inconsistently placed and particularly, older adults would find this more challenging. Also, clutter can affect simple or difficult a search can be en though this depends on its location. Studies have again showed that in older adults, increased clutter and too many links adversely affect how well they can read web content.
To substantiate their claim, the authors presented details of a test conducted with two groups of users (20-31 and 55-62). A total of 192 graphics, 96 web pages and 96 target screens were created. A visual search task was then divided into 4 blocks each consisting of 24 trials which the two groups of users were subjected to. Three key variables were observed and these were presence, clutter and links. The main purpose of the study was to examine the influence of several characteristics of web pages that affect visual search. At the end of the experiment, search performance was found to be enhanced when links were larger with less clutter and fewer competing links, as well as when target links were located in the left region of the page. Thus it can be said that page design is a major contributing factor to how enhanced a visual search can turn out. Nonetheless, it was also observed from the experiment that simple changes in web design such as increasing print size alone is not sufficient for older adult users but rather, changes in location and colour do suffice.
It is also thought that both physical and cognitive declines affect the ability of an older person to use technology but design considerations help improve usability. Furthermore, used and unused link colours should be changed to contrast with the background of a webpage. Another valuable practice is to match user expectations to each search.
Finally, two major limitations to the study were identified as equipment specifications as evident in the monitors used and the fact that some older adults experienced some difficulty with the colour vision test that was used in the experiment.

CRITICISM
The allusion that older adults constitute the growing internet user group may not hold true as at today because of the proliferation of young internet users in the world as a whole. It is also obvious that the article is based on finding from an experiment conducted in the USA alone. This in itself is not enough reason to conclude that older adults use the web more than others.
Yet another issue to take into consideration is that this article is based on what obtained in the year 2001/2002 and the internet world and of course usage statistics have since changed tremendously. An example that readily comes to mind is the fact that these days, institutions of learning deliver a lot of content online. A greater majority of those who patronize these sites are of course the younger generation.
Gain, proliferation of cutting edge technology has brought with it a lot of appeal to the gaming community which of course consists of mostly the younger generation.
Another sour point to the article is the fact that it is filled with so much technical jargon which may not appeal to the average reader. Specifically, in various sections the write-up uses terms that would best be understood in visual medicine, statistics and perhaps by the very technology-savvy.
Finally, it is possible that the tests may have been conducted with utilities which probably have been overtaken by more precise and better technology. Thus, there is no guarantee that the results obtained then would be the same if the experiment were to be carried out today.

2011-02-28T05:13:00.000-08:00

DEPARTMENT OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE
FACULTY OF EDUCATION
ABU ZARIA

COURSE CODE: LIBS 882
COURSE TITLE: WEB DESIGN AND MANAGEMENT

DESIGNING YOUR WEBSITE FOR INSTRUCTIONAL
AND
COMPLETENESS: FIRST STEP

REG.NO
MIM/EDUC/5145/2009-2010

BY
ABDULLAHI BILKISU MAHADI

LECTURER
DR.EZRA SHILOBA GBAJE

THE WEBSITE FOR INSTRUCTONAL AND COMPLETENESS: FIRST STEP.

IINTRODUCTION
The Information age has a lot of facilities on the worldwide web as Instructional materials therefore Instructional Designers and Educators needs new Design Models to be able to live up o the expectations of the millions of Internet Users on the worldwide web.
Dick, Carey, and Carey (2001) states that the web is a combination of a variety of other Instructional media from Computer based Instructions (CBI) to interactive multimedia to deliver Information in plain text.
The Design of a model enable Instructional Designers to ensure Instructional websites with the necessary elements to support learning and its objectives, including a delivery medium an Instructional websites with the necessary element to ensure Instructional websites with the necessary elements to support medium and an Instructional medium (paper) that is the website present Information, offer interaction and anywhere on the web.
WEBSITE FOR INSTRUCTONAL AND COMPLETENESS: FIRST STEP.
The Goal and Objectives of website
The websites should be able to take into considerations the overall goals and objectives for the Instructional system and websites, as well as list the major objectives to reach the goals, by using the lists of all details objectives written during analysis be it in list or in clusters for any specific unit of with a minimum of two to six Objectives.
Table
The Table is presented on the web in many ways as text and graphics on the Web pages. Interactions is needed in the able on the web from the various interactions between within the materials itself by way of quizzes, simulations. Connections from the web pages, to other parts of the web, which provide more Information, and also more Interactions.
Information Presentations
The web present Information to users of the websites in the form of text,data,images of all kinds from graphics to photographs,Illustrations,Images,sound and video and so on through links o other web sites which is designed, organize and described other Information and Interaction that will further the goals of the websites.
Interactions on the web
The Designer should be able to provide active learning and Interaction with the Information, Instructor and other Students users, its necessary to decide the kinds of interactions that will help attain the goals and objectives of the website which are varies and many (Liaw and Huang 2000)
THE MODEL
Organizational Structure
INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES INFORMATION INTERACTION CONNECTIONS
Design an organizational Structure
Provide reference to Books, inside and outside,online lecture on Organizational Structure
The lecture will help users go through the pages and also provide a self assessment at the end Link to other articles, about Organizational Structure on other websites

SUMMARY
The model produce most ensure that Instructional Websites and WebPages should be based on the Users characteristics like how users read and process text on the web pages or the Computer in general, there sense of navigation through the web.(Anderson 1980)
CONCLUSION
Websites are for users therefore designer give glizt, substance, meaningfull interactions while some of the design webs are meaningless, full of nude videos and indiscriminate links, and yet the web is supposed to give designers of the web a way and guide to design instructional websites that will serve users Information needs.
REFERENCE
Ezra Shiloba Gbaje (2010).Effective website design Skills Compiled, ABU Zaria,
Department of Library and Information Science.

summary of Discontinuous Change in University Web Sitessssss: The Relative Importance of Reasons for Change

2011-02-26T09:24:00.000-08:00

INTRODUCTION:

We make a distinction between discontinuous changes and incremental ones, such as those
that occur with normal maintenance of Web sites. Discontinuous changes to sites involve more
than mere alterations in appearance, such as changes in the number, nature, and organization of
pages that constitute a site.
The most obvious of these, if not the most important, is that we are all university employees and
have an interest in how they, as a population of organizations, work. Universities are important
organizational forms, having existed for many years and being likely to continue to exist for
many years to come. Understanding why universities make discontinuous changes to their Web
sites seemed to us to be a worthwhile goal.Van de Ven and Poole (1995) provide a comprehensive typology of change models. Their four
categories are:
Teleological theories (goal oriented) – Change occurs for rational reasons. People have
goals in mind for their organization and seek change to try to meet those goals. Theories
of this type would explain Web site change in terms of better accomplishing the organization’s
objectives.
Dialectical theories (conflict) – Change occurs in a process of competition between ideas
or for resources to accomplish different objectives. Theories of this type would explain
Web site change in terms of changes in the organization’s political landscape.
Life cycle theories – Change is seen as a normal progression through phases, analogous
to the well-known marketing model of brands having a life cycle. The brand is established
(birth), enters a youthful phase when the product is seen as fresh and young, matures
into a well-known product, and then dies when the brand is old and stodgy. Theories
of this type would explain Web site change in terms of desire to refresh an aging
brand image.
We believe that these four types of explanation for discontinuous change represent a thorough
coverage of the reasons that we were able to find in the literature and in correspondence with
other researchers.
1. Rational Change: When Web sites are changed to increase effectiveness or efficiency.
Change is required for the organization to accomplish its stated goals. The focus of the
change is on the work to be done, the task to be accomplished, and the objectives to be
met. Objectives may be internal, focused on efficiency and internal processes, or external,
focused on better customer relations. The manager seeking rational goal change will set
objectives and establish clear expectations for change outcomes.
2. Political Change: When Web sites are changed to reflect a new regime. A new executive
officer or technology officer required the Web site to change as a way to show his/her influence,
the “new broom sweeping clean,” or to clear out images and mechanisms from
the previous regime. It was not a requirement that the site work better or adhere to better accepted
design principles, just that it be different from the previous site. Users should
see that the new site is clearly connected to the new blood in the organization.
3. Marketing Change: When Web sites are changed to freshen up the organization’s brand
image. Web site design for an organization is a reflection of the organization itself and its
“brand”. All brands need occasional refreshing. This brand freshness will keep the brand
in the consumer’s eye and keep the look contemporary. Without routine brand image
change a once-novel look will become old and dated, leading to a consumer perception of
staleness and stolidity. A changing organization needs a changing brand image.
4. Institutional Change: When Web sites are changed to improve fit with peers. The organization
sees itself as being part of an ‘organization field,’ a collection of similar organizations.
These other organizations are the focal organization’s reference group. When
enough of the reference group changes in a given direction, or even one key referent
changes, then the focal organization changes in the same way to maintain a match with
the other. The organization changes to keep its membership in the group, so that others
can see it as falling in the same group of organizations.
Dawson and Buchanan (2005) argue that technological change occurs as part of complex political
processes that are not well described in terms of simple, linear event sequences. They suggest that
multiple, competing narratives are necessary to capture the reality of such processes and the contexts
in which they occur. According to Dawson & Buchanan, when corporate descriptions of
change processes are produced, they tend to present the firm in a positive light, sanitize the story
concerning the change, and describe how the change occurred in a neat fashion. Because change
can be the result of power struggles, from their perspective, to understand it requires multiple interpretations
of events focusing on the exercise of power over time—before, during, and after
change occurs.the most compelling reasons for
Web site change are rational ones--those that involve increasing effectiveness or efficiency.
Changes required for the organization to accomplish its stated goals may be the ones that will be
viewed as normal, perhaps leading to perceptions of the change being reasonable. When the focus
of the change is on the work to be done, the task to be accomplished, and the objectives to be met,
the motive for the change might be more easily understood and familiar. Speculatively, rational
reasons for Web site change may be the preferred ones to use in arguing for the approval of Web
projects, especially if the argument occurs in a typical university context.

Conclusively, arguments for Web site changes that are based on institutional or political reasons may be
viewed as more unusual. While this does not mean that such arguments are inappropriate or
unlikely to succeed, they may be more likely to stand out, which could mean that they will be
more closely scrutinized by decision makers. Whether this would mean that proposals with such
justifications would be rejected by decision makers more frequently than those justified by rational
or marketing arguments is not clear. This research suggests the need for additional study,
although it does not allow a definitive answer to such questions
SUMMARY BY:

Is-haq Ibrahim MIM/EDUC/3720/2009-2010

Garba Muhammed MIM/EDUC/5083/2009-2010

Ibe Iyabode A. MIM/EDUC/9716/2009-2010

Saidu Mujitaba Baure MIM/EDUC/3603/2009-2010

2011-02-22T02:53:00.000-08:00

SUMMARY OF THE ARTICLE “THE ACADEMIC LIBRARY AS A GATEWAY TO THE INTERNET: an analysis of the extent and nature of search engine access from academic library home pages.” BY CAROL A. WRIGHT

BY:
OZIOKO, STANLEY C. MIM/EDUC/6670/2009 – 2010
UMAR, AHMED MIM/EDUC/5686/2009 – 2010
SANI ONEKUTU JOB MIM/EDUC/7531/2009-2010
AHMDU BELLO MIM/EDUC/0365/2009 - 2010
HASSAN SALIHU MIM/EDUC/3495/2009 - 2010

Librarians often see the library as the primary gateway to information for the University community. In the presentation of collection and services on library home pages, libraries often provide inadequate paths to resources, and other navigational tools. A library webpage is the most common vehicle for the delivery of instructions and information; yet, library web pages often fail to serve as a campus gateway to external resources. Academic librarians assert their role in support of their institutions by developing comprehensive instruction programmes that integrate the internet with licensed library resources.
The study was aimed at determining the manner in which academic research libraries present links to their web sites to search engines and guides to using internet. In the literature review, it was observed that recent studies had indicated that undergraduates regarded internet as a primary information resource and that reliance on the internet was increasing. For instance, the report of the Pew Internet Project found that students use the internet more than the library while searching for information. The OCLC White Paper on Habits of College Students also reported that students’ first choice among web resources were search engines and course specific web sites.
Studies also show that students appear to value convenience and delivery speed more than quality of information. Because of easy access to the web, undergraduates don’t use library collections as much as they use the internet and in the absence of quality information search tools on the surface, this may imperil the quality of learning. Faculty is usually skeptical of the reliability of the information obtained from the web by students, and their ability to evaluate them. Although students consider themselves able to use internet information technology, they are unable to meet the expectations of their faculty experts.
On the usability of library websites, many studies have reported difficulties users experience in navigating academic library websites. Some of the challenges include: an obvious need for clearer, simpler terminology to facilitate navigation and decision making; use of library jargon; interpretation of menu labels, understanding the content of categories and knowing when to start; inadequate structuring of websites to respond to information tasks; inability to extrapolate from the list which tool / service is best suited to help them; unclear labels such as resources, databases, research which obfuscate the content of the library website.
Libraries are increasingly using the web to direct users to resources beyond their own licensed collections, but there is a striking and disturbing inconsistency among libraries in the presentation of these internet searching resources. Libraries that don’t offer high quality internet search engine links, user guides, and instructions lose a great opportunity to attract students and to position themselves as the primary gateway for information. Academic libraries can significantly enhance access to internet searching resources by focusing attention on the vocabulary, web-page design and content.
Academic libraries consider that part of their mission is to serve as the gateway to information in their institution. A well designed presentation of internet searching content is an opportunity to help clear blurred user impression of library resources versus internet resources. Librarians should demonstrate that they are positioning themselves to meet the challenges of the new information environment.

Information Literacy as a Catalyst for Educational Change. A Background Paper

2011-02-13T13:01:00.001-08:00

Information Literacy as a Catalyst for Educational Change. A Background Paper
Bruce, Christine S. (2004) In: "Lifelong Learning: Whose responsibility and what is your contribution?", the 3rd International Lifelong Learning Conference, 13-16 June 2004, Yeppoon, Queensland.
By
Musa Salih Muhammad MIMEDUC/7995/2009-10
Salisu Ramat Umar MIM/EDUC/9113/2009-10
Zakari Andrew MIM/EDUC/6517/2009-10

Introduction:
Information literacy is a natural extension of the concept of literacy in our information society, and information literacy education is the catalyst required to transform the information society of today into the learning society of tomorrow. Across the world, educators in primary, secondary, tertiary and professional education contexts have been developing strategies and policies for designing learning opportunities that will enable learners to take advantage of the information and communication infrastructures available to them. This paper, a reprint (with permission) of Bruce's paper in the proceedings of the UNESCO Information Literacy Meeting of Experts, provides a background discussion of information literacy as a catalyst for educational change.

Christine Bruce makes reference to how in Australia library schools try and expose IL to students in their courses and that once qualified they are encouraged to do the Graduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching. As Bruce says:
“There is no point in teaching IL if you are not experiencing it in your own learning…Being a librarian is not just about librarianship, it’s also about being a teacher, a manager, a whole range of different things – you have to see yourself as an educator and a librarian.”
“Research suggests that, although UK information departments regard information skills training as important, the extent to which these skills are specifically embedded within course curricula is inconsistent. And partnerships between faculty and academic library staff, providing a co-ordinated approach to learner support, are not as widespread as one would hope.
Bruce’s three main approaches
Bruce identified three main approaches characterizing IL.
Behaviourist model
“Information literacy is defined in terms of attributes and skills that can be learned and measured objectively.”
Constructivist model
“The individual is seen as constructing his/her own representation of what is being learned, and where the emphasis is on the development of critical thinking and problem-solving competences.”
Relational model
“The relational model frames information literacy into seven different ways of experiencing information use through the learner’s active and reflective engagement with the relevant information practices. This therefore approach focuses on the user’s interpretation, or conception, of the various stages of information literacy.
• Information technology (IT) conception, which associates information literacy with the use of IT to gather and communicate information.
• Information sources conception, in which information literacy is perceived as the knowledge of sources and the ability to access these directly, or indirectly via an intermediary.
• Information processing conception. Information literacy here is seen as ‘executing a process’ (Bruce, 1997: in which a new situation is tackled through the use of an appropriate strategy to find and use information. The nature of the process varies according to the participant who is engaging in this process.
• Information control conception. Information literacy here is associated with the effective control and manipulation of information through the use of mechanical devices, memory or IT.
• Knowledge construction conception, in which information literacy is perceived as ‘building a personal knowledge base in a new area of interest’ (Bruce, 1997 Bruce stresses that this differs from the storage of information, because it involves the application of critical analysis of the information read.
• Knowledge extension conception, which envisages the application of knowledge and personal perspectives that lead to new insights.
• Wisdom conception, which is associated with the wise and ethical use of information considered in a wider historical or cultural context, such as historical or cultural perspectives. In addition, the information here undergoes ‘a process of reflection which is part of the experience of effective information use’ (Bruce, 1997)
Clear strategy of collaboration between faculty, library and administrative staff to ensure flexible provision Embedded approach (ACRL, 2000; Bundy, 2004) Top-down & Bottom-up (Lantz et al, Stubbings et al)Learning and teaching institutional strategies
Critical and reflective pedagogy (Lantz et al, Whitworth, Hepworth et al) Learning and teaching provision by staff Learning outcomes (Stubbings et al) Prevention of plagiarism

Designing Your Web Site for Instructional Effectiveness and Completeness: First Step

2011-02-12T03:58:00.000-08:00

By Aaron Williams(MIM/EDU/2294/2009-2010)

Introduction

The World wide web has evolve over the years with increasing and relevant capabilities that if efficiently exploited and if the non standardized proliferation of web site can be tackle will become a remarkable means of presenting instructional materials that will enhance both learning and teaching methods to the benefits of stakeholders

Because most of the instructional materials on the web are setup my individuals that do not have good training as instructional designers; they end up with web sites with random and complex hyper links and have reduces the capabilities of the world wide web that ought to have exploited for enhanced, improved and efficient delivery to mere reproduction of the instructional materials that would have been simply and inexpensive on papers.

The web should be use as a true instructional medium by exploiting the possibilities that come with it and the unique capabilities that will distinguish it from other medium and justify the use of it over others.
Websites designers by exploiting the capabilities of the WWW can enhance learning and teaching by breaking down the information into small chunk and make more explanations available.

The Model

The model adapted in the designing of an instructional material on the web should be in such a way that it doesn’t over work the working memory of the user and cluster can be use to break down the overall objectives and directly relate an objective to the part of information that seek to achieve that objective.

Information Presentation

Presentation of instructional materials on the web can be enhanced by combine use of text, sound, maps, pictures, audio, video, animations etc using this tool improve learning and comprehension rate which has given the web base instruction medium an edge over other means.

With the intended usage of the capabilities of the web some certain consideration should be considered like keeping the web page as short as possible, independent of other pages as possible and with one or two points. The navigation like should also be in sequence and orderly among others.

Interaction on the Web
This is to give active learners an opportunity to interact with the instructional materials which are in form of exploration of the course content, submits quizzes, online test, Tutorials, Case studies, Assignments and discussion forum.

Comment: Designing Your Web Site for Instructional Effectiveness and Completeness: First Step
The document emphasized and argues for the need in the standardization of instructional materials published on the web where both the designers and content providers will be adequately trained and vet before he/she can be allow to publish important information such as instructional and learning tools. This will ensure that information obtained from the various website can be reliable and use to trained future professionals that will be entrust with responsibilities of nation building.

Project Topic:Contribution

2010-10-20T05:02:00.000-07:00

I'm required to conduct a research on "Planning Organizational Information system" for some selected establishments in Kaduna,Kaduna State.Pls i require publication,materials,journal,advice contribution from experts and experience persons in designing,developing and deploying(Implementation) information systems for manufacturing companies like Peugeot,Nigeria Bottling company,Nigeria Breweries,Textile companies etc.any publication,information sources and I.T journals that will enhance the success of this research will be appreciated.

The research is part of the requirement for the award of Masters of Information Management(M.I.M)

Contact or send related/relevant material to

mim.abu.bill@gmail.com
waaron@challydoff.com

Thk u.
A. Williams

Web Consulting, Web Design, Web Development, E Commerce, Web Hosting And Maintenance, I.T Consulting - Webland Visionz

2010-09-28T05:26:00.000-07:00

Web Consulting, Web Design, Web Development, E Commerce, Web Hosting And Maintenance, I.T Consulting - Webland Visionz

SUMMARY OF THE NEW ONLINE INFORMATION

2010-09-20T04:47:00.000-07:00

NAME: ABDULSALAM ADEIZA MOMOHJIMOH
REG NO: MIM/EDUC/4182/2009-2010
COURSE: LIBS 883 – ONLINE INFORMATION INDUSTRY
SUMMARY OF THE PAPER: THE NEW ONLINE INFORMATIOM INDUSRTY
This paper, critically gives an overview of the various technological advancement in information industry from inception to date. It also provides insight into the future and how it will be utilized for technological advancement and economic gains to the world in general.
Information industry was said to comprise of the following: collecting, creating, storage, processing, automation and display. This information was created and displayed in the following format: text, voice, image, video and audio which form collection of information called data.
The recent technology advancement leads to the reduction of the major industries from five (Voice, Text, Image, Audio/Video and Data) to three (Digital Content, Multimedia Devices and Convergent Networks). Of the three new industries, digital content is the most developed while entertainment and publishing industries will both dominate content delivery on a global scale.It is expected that, when the information industry realigns itself based on its capabilities, dominant players will be from entertainment, consumer electronic, personal computer and communication industries. Information Transport (which will succeed today’s Telecommunication Industry), public telephone networks, the internet, wireless networks, cable TV, broadcast media and private networks will be consolidated whereas consumer electronics companies and Personal Computer manufacturers will converge into the Information Appliances Industry.
The major players focus on the business side of information industry. The recent trend is digitalization of the various format of information. There has also being a transformation on the band used, which moved from the usual narrow band information transmitters to broadband information transmitters, that allows for mass communication and also less bandwidth cost with high speed.
The new technological advancement will lead to three major industries: industry involves with collection and creation of information, industries that deals with the manufacturing of variety of information appliances and industries that are responsible for transporting information as earlier highlighted.
MY COMMENT
This paper gives an insight to the transformation that took place in information industry. This transformation are majorly adopted and utilized by the developed countries like United State of America and it has help to transform their economy, while a lot of developing countries are still lagging behind and have a long way to go.
To be successful in the new online information industry, there must be proper planning and control measures in place that will allow for integration and convergence of ideas that can be adapted to the various hardware and software being produced.
It is also worthy of note that the country that invest so much on information technology and has good technical knowhow will have a better economy.
This paper has room for improvement and suitable references were not cited for reference purposes.

Summary and Critics of 'The New Information Industry material'

2010-09-17T23:49:00.000-07:00

RANI SHA’ABA

MIM\EDU\5929\09-10

COURSE: LIBS 883 ONLINE INFORMATION INDUSTRY

Summary and Critics of 'The New Information Industry material'

The new information industry

The united state of America which has the strongest economic power in the world as a result of her effective utilization of information technology which goes an extra mile in then immerses contribution to every sphere of their economy

The usefulness of information industry and technology in our day to day running activities makes the disadvantages to be less important.

Too many information can be put into a single and convertible format which can be transferred by the use of a network

Criticism

Significantly the new information industry is still in an infantry stage and is of high importance to every sphere of developing sector of the global economy of the developed countries.

It will be on the high side that the countries who want to embrace this trend have to put in substantial amount to enable the country brace up with the challenges and if such cannot be met it becomes a dead dream to less developed countries.

Having seen clearly, the importance of the new information industry it is discovered that if it is fully embraced it will go an extra mile to standardize the living standard of the citizens.

Knowing that the new information industry as turned the whole world into a global village in terms of communication network on internet connectivity it is still obvious that there are some enormous challenges which are seen as a setback of this super high way information in the area of changing nature of the system because the technology of today May likely not to be useful tomorrow because the new technology.

In the final analysis the advantages of new information industry goes a long way to better the life of the people in a considerable standard but we cannot rule out the danger it has caused the whole in terms invasion of secrecy, it involves more money and the users have to be technological well equipped which is not foreseeable in the third world country. Much as we know that if one is not connected to the internet, one is cut off from the global world though it is still expensive to maintain.

Summary of 'New Information Industry material'

2010-09-16T03:37:00.001-07:00

SALISU RAMAT UMAR

MIM/EDU/9113/2009/2010

COURSE: LIBS 883 ONLINE INFORMATION INDUSTRY

Information and Communication once carried on by small enterprises which lived in an atmosphere of craft rather than industrial production is today an important industry which bulks large in the economy of any nation, in terms of plant, employment and requirements for capital. This holds true in countries with market or centrally-planned economies, and whether the economy as whole is a big or a small one.

The information industry today is in the early stages momentous transformation. Historically industry has been organized on the basis of information form; companies within the industry tended to focus on business opportunities related to a single form of information, these includes, Voice, Text, Image Audio/Video or Data.

The article also strengthens that information-intensive approaches will replace physical assets and physical actions as well some selected areas such as Education, Health Care and entertainment. The dream of a convergent information industry is straightforward and unparalleled the creation of a national eventually global electronic communications network that directly links individuals and different organizations to everyone else.

Even though, an Information industries have traditionally been defined in terms of the form of information, for two most important reasons. Firstly, the essential technologies for handling each type of information have been greatly varied in the past, and each technology could not handle other sorts of information. Secondly, the government has actively constrained many information-based companies from entering other types of information businesses. All information companies now harness essentially the same technologies; and these technologies are rapidly becoming multimedia.

Therefore, the underlying logic by which companies participate in the information industry must reflect this new reality. With the rapidity of technological change in the information industry, the importance of research and development has never been greater. Technological breakthroughs will be crucial both the basic as well as the applied levels.

In terms of competitions globally, the information industry will require access to some considerable amount of capital. Obtaining it will require tapping global capital markets as well as sources such as the World Bank and so on. Companies must invest in upgrading and maintaining their human capital, also all companies in the industry must keep a focus on the customer’s customer that is the ultimate end user. Neglecting such a discipline, product-development efforts will surely fail. Therefore, end users provide the volume and velocity needed achieved required price/performance ratios.

CRITICS

If individuals are to play their part as responsible citizens in the community at the local, national and even international level they must be adequately informed, possessing sufficient facts on which to base rational judgments and select courses of action. A full understanding of the events and issues which affect individuals can be attained only by the simultaneous supply of a variety, even controversial if necessary, of background data, information and facts through an accessible means.

The information-based businesses are becoming increasingly crucial to our commercial and social lives, insufficiencies in the information market place are becoming less tolerable and according to the article, the contemporary information industry is characterize by; significant waste of economic and ecological resources, inadequate matching of information content with the needs of the recipients, Severe Time and place constraints on information access and availability, Cumbersome and expensive physical infrastructures for information distribution and Inefficient information distribution.

The article physically encourages cost effectiveness and capitalism as well, the convergence and globalization promotes capitalism and support capitalist ideology by in information and communication industry.

Similarly, in terms of authenticity of the information sources some references are not genuine to support the points at hand; this will enhance further research and analysis.

THE NEW INFORMATION INDUSTRY

2010-09-15T10:35:00.001-07:00

THE NEW INFORMATION INDUSTRY

Today, information industry is becoming more significant in the role of individual, organization, business and the society at large. Historically, the industry has been organized on the basis of information; companies within the industry tended to focus on business opportunities related to a single form of information, such as voice, text, image, audio/video, or data. Information industries with the use of technological equipment have occasioned a major paradigm shift in the information industry as well as the communication and technological development.
The future prospect of the information industry
 Creation and collection of diverse types of information content
 Manufactured of a wide variety of information appliances
 Organizer and transporter of information.
The vision of the information industry is the creation of a national eventually global electronic communications network that connects people and organizations to everyone else.
The technologies that will help to advance information environment are hardware, software, fiber optics, and microprocessor using the computer, telecommunication and other digital equipment.

INEFFICIENT INFORMATION INDUSTRY.
Base on the proliferations of technologies such as internet for searching, accessing, processing and transmitting information industries or business are becoming increasingly crucial to our commercial and social lives, thereby making information market place insufficient and inefficient. There are significant wastes of economic and ecological resources, inadequate matching of information content with the needs of the recipients, service time and place constraints on information access and availability insufficient information distribution and cumbersome and expensive physical infrastructures for information distribution.

TRADITIONAL DEFINITION OF INFORMATION VERSUS BROADER DEFINATION OF INFORMATON
Traditionally, information industry has been viewed as consisting of three elements such as: computing, office technology and telecommunication. However, putting it in a broader way entails five basic form; such as voice, text, image, audio/video and data. The broader definition is more encompassing and more proactive in the delivery of information in a sophisticated and digital way.
INFORMATION FUNCTION
Information is the life wire of every industry. Every organization relies on information for timely and effective decision making. Information conation the following: creation (ideation of message) display, storage, processing and transporting the message ideated.
Digitization involves the process of making non-digitally created materials available in digital format with digitalization, all the media become translatable into each other computer bits migrate merrily and they escape from their traditional means of transmission.

BREAKTHROUGHS IS COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY
Communication is of paramount importance in the improvement of new information industry. When similar improvements are created in the price/performance ration of bandwidth, paralled shifts in the communications industry are inevitable. Through improvements in technology, computer speeds will raise about a hundred fold, while bandwidth increases a thousand folds or more.

THE SOCIOLOGY OF CONVERGENCE
The sociological implications of an interactive broadband communications infrastructure are not yet fully understood but will undoubtedly be profound. This interactive broadband technology will cause the most dramatic shift in behavioural patterns since the introduction of the automobile, it will affect how people shop, socialize, are entertained, conduct business and handle finances. It is obvious that sociological implication will ultimately drive the industry.
The new information industry there is a paradigm shift in every fabric with the new information industry in the information technology. With information technology moving toward electronics and digitization, the structural transformation of the information industry has become inevitable. The new information industry now harness essentially by the same technologies are rapidly becoming multimedia thereby bringing transformation. The transformation results in three major industries. They include digitized content, multimedia devices and convergent networks.
The impact of the information industry will be pervasive throughout other industries, given the extent to which electronic technologies can fuse with other technologies.

ADAPTING TO THE NEW PARADIGM
Owning to the resent technology, the new information industry is relatively digitalized for entertainment, consumer electronics, personal computer and communications industries. However, a consolidation will continue between the entertainment industries on a global basis. The agitations among users of information are “where today’s computing industry will be and what will it take to succeed” virtually, computing will be diffused with distributed memory and processing. Thus, the computer industry as we know it today will no longer exist. Rather than down streaming into products, the computer industry will go further upstream to focus on creating superior raw materials. To succeed, there is a great need for anticipatory management. This will help managers align their companies with the direction in which the industry is heading and when possible, in front of the trend. A clear vision plan and strategic game of the future is required and understanding. More emphasis on global orientation, managing geopolitical dynamics, flexibility, speed and productivity, alliances and partnering, quality obsession, mass customization, breakthrough innovation, access to capital, investment in human capital and end-user focus will help to achieve success. Adopting all orientations require that companies make specific types of investment.
In conclusion, the new information industry is of paramount importance in this contemporary trend. There is societal benefits as well as new products and services and have new jobs. Also, there will be convergence of information industries. This is because the technological and business imperative are compelling. The agitation is who will build it, when it will happen or what applications will prove the most popular.

CRITICS
First, a work like this has to be appreciated within this context. Information is seen as the life wire of this contemporary trend. The new information industry is basically the bedrock to every fabric of the society. This work has it functionally role in building information industry in any part of the country.
The research taken form various aspect for a successful new information industry added a remarkable entrance to the work.

The new information industry in criticizing this paper, there are two things to be considered. Thus the content or the message of the page and the form or packaging of the paper.
The paper critically explains the relevance of the new information industry in the digital age. Regards to the digital age as well as competitive business environment, information is of paramount significance to business environment. The writer tends to explain the basic need of the information in the information industry.
The future prospects of the industry such as the creation and collection of diverse types of information, manufactural of a wide variety of information appliances and the organization and transportation of information.
Also, the writer spelt out the vision, mission of the new information. He itemized the technologies that will help to advance software, fiber optics and micro process.

THE DEFICIENCY
Though the paper critically analysis the significant role of the new information industry, it fails to address the issue; the major appliance that will sustain the new industry for effective use. The erratic power supply in the country is of course a nightmare to the establishment of new information industries.
Also, information professionals that will help to harness the equipment or digital facilities were not mentioned.
New information industry in a bid to be substantial, effective and pivactive in the service of information delivery must need the services of information professionals. This however, includes: librarians, computer analysts, journalist or communicator, or technologist etc

THE SUMMARY OF THE NEW INFORMATION INDUSTRY

2010-09-14T00:56:00.000-07:00

Name: saidu mujitaba baure
Reg.no: MIM/Educ33603/2009-2010
Course: Online Information Industry
Course code: LIBS 883
Summary of the article: the new information industry
The new information industry is expected to make significant contribution to the economic vitality and overall well been of the nation, and the quality of life of it citizen.
The article indicate the fact that the united state information industry is in the period of transition and transformation
While it is true that encouraging trends have emerged for some years, discrepancy between development levels in Africa, and more particularly in the least developed countries and the level affirmed in the rest of the world has widened in the field of ICT.
The information industry is mostly concern with the business opportunities related to Voice, image, text, and audio. The articles sleeked to explain the need for the transformation of the information industry because today, most scholarly information are been produce in digital form.

The articles explained that the information industry has been steady for many years and we don’t see this grammatically changing anytime soon.
The information industry firms serving financial services are feeling some pain from the economy doubly, so it they are operating with absolute business or delivery models. Thus, while in new information has certain cycles, it is relatively stable as a whole because of it portfolio nature.
The paper highlights “it is not unreasonable to envisage a situation where in future all scholars, communication will be entirely in electronic format. For most scholars, journals, the transition away from the print format and to an exclusive reliance from the electronic version seems all but inevitable.
Criticism/ comment
1. the article is out dated due to the fact that the transformation in the information industry has all ready begun.
2. African countries are clearly not preparing for such eventualities of the transformation. Whilst the whole world is steering to keep ahead of the digital environment, the continent has still not moved any further in preparing for Africans knowledge resources in the digital era. Most of the higher institution of learning are still largely dependent on print resources in accessing knowledge resources, the situation based on my findings is similar in other African countries. This trend is likely to continue to the extent that countries and institutions that are not taking preparatory measures today in handling the situation will be left out in accessing knowledge resources that are in electronic form, whenever the print form is no longer available to them.

3. transformation of the information industry is supported by Noruzi (2004) where he revised the five rules of Librarianship in the context of what they will mean for information provision in today’s digital environment
web resources are for use :
every user his or her web resources.
Every web resources it user.
Save the time of the user
The web resources is a growing organism

THE NEW INFORMATION INDUSTRY

2010-09-12T10:46:00.000-07:00

Linda Kyana Maisamari
MIM/EDUC/3611/2009-2010.
Online Information Industry (Libs883) Assignment

THE NEW INFORMATION INDUSTRY.
The world continues to experience high tech devices that have brought about the use of electronic systems and computers for storing, analyzing, retrieving and utilizing information, making resources like newspapers, local phone directories, pre scheduled broadcast of television and radio programs, books, movies, videotapes and soft wares inefficient in the information industry and media.
The new information industry is basically an international network of computers connecting other networks and computers from universities, industries, using internet access and search tools like directory search tool for subject search ,search engine tool which searches information using keywords and responds with a list of references , and meta-engine searches like meta crawler to perform searches on the web which comprises of stored information called database linked to other databases at other websites.
Mergers and Alliances combine two or more organizations to form a single one allowing their differences gradually disappearing so that it is impossible to separate them. The act of joining two or more companies, organizations, businesses into one is massive and continuing to grow rapidly.
The information industry today, is basically content creation and collection, display using various devices, storage in memory devices, processing using applications and distribution using various means of transportation. This worldwide information-centered business exceeds one trillion dollars annually.
Traditionally information industry is viewed in the aspects of computing which deals with information storage and processing; office technologies dealing with task automation and information creation and display; telecommunication dealing with sending signals, images and messages over long distances by radio, telephone, television, satellite etc. Information industries exists in voice which deals with telecommunication, text which deals with publishing, images which deals with photography, audio/video deals with entertainment, and data which deals with computing.
In those days, information was created, stored, manipulated, and transformed by its form. Textual information existed mostly in hard copy or metallic templates used by printers to make copies. Audio information existed as analog waveform captured on vinyl or magnetic tape. Still and moving images were rendered in chemical form, later on moved to analog form through the development of video technology. Only computer based information existed as precise digital data.
With digitization, all of the media become translatable using a system of receiving and sending information as a series of the numbers one and zeros, showing that an electronic signal is there or is not there. As more content is digitized, the computer virtualizes it and liberates it from the shackles of it previous medium. The paradigm shift that pushed the power of computer to the desktop, advances in smaller and electronic storage which have made laptop computers more powerful than mainframes were in the early 1980’s.The key developments in computing includes processing, data storage, miniaturization of component technologies, display and software which is easier to use and versatile.
The resulting shifts from centralized to distributed processing created a paradigm shift in the computer industry. When similar improvements are created in the price or performance ratio band with, parallel shifts in the communication industry are inevitable.

The growth in internet use created the demand for more bandwidth to the residential market place. For developed countries it will foster a higher degree of cross-cultural exchange as global communications and transactions become highly facile. Developing economies will benefit greatly from the affordability that comes with volumes; deploying this technology once the costs have come down will provide great economic development benefits. The new information industry will transform to digitized content, multimedia devices and convergent networks.

CRITICISM
Information industries are considered important for several distinctive reasons. Even among the experts who think information industries are important, disagreements may exist regarding which reason to accept and which to reject. First information industries are rapidly growing part of the economy, but not fast enough to cover the declines in print advertising. To thrive, information companies need to convince advertisers to pay much higher rates to user who value their time at tens or hundreds of dollars an hour lingering on information websites for perhaps half an hour everyday and they are not just channel flicking, “they’re engaged”. People may give up newspaper habit, but their appetite for information is growing.
The report does not account for the inherently unpredictable, like some new technology coming along and opening the entire industry. It is possible to say with great prediction what the industry will look like in 2015. Yet whatever the actual numbers it’s hard to think of a scenario which technology becomes substantially more attractive than they are now. The rise of notebooks and tablets proves that for many tasks, consumers are ok with sacrificing power in favor of portability. In the future most of the power in our computer will come from the internet. You probably won’t need to store or edit your music, movies, and other files locally for long. But in Nigeria we are not getting better wireless network drives and internet based storage systems where all media will reside in a central location ‘in house or some far-off server farm’ accessible to all. The annals of technology are littered with better things that we abandon in favor of more convenient things. We dropped vinyl in favor of CDs, and then dropped CDs in favor of MP3s, even though each technology offered lower audio fidelity than the previous one. In this way, the shift to portable machines fits lager social trends. More people want to work from home and more businesses are allowing them to do so. Laptops, notebooks, and tablets fit into that life style. DESKTOPS DON’T.
At the moment our computing life is scattered. There is little continuity as you shift from laptop to a tablet to a smart phone to a desktop; each device has different applications, access to different sets of data and a different screen configuration but this paper is basically related to developed countries without considering the challenges faced by developing countries like Nigeria.

The New Information Industry

2010-09-10T11:23:00.000-07:00

:Summary of "The New Information Industry" and Review
:By Aaron Williams.
:mim/edu/2294/2009-2010

1. Executive summary

United State has risen to become the most competitive economic power in the world largely as a result of its superior exploitation and integration of information technology which impacted enormously in every significant sector of its economy Hence the justification for the huge investment in information technology which is one sixth of the country’s gross domestic product(GDP).

2. Introduction

In the near future two major forces name technological and economic forces; the later triggered by the former will transform our lives drastically and realign today’s information industry as we know.

3. The Inefficient Information Industry

Because of the relevance and impact of the information industry and technology in our lives and businesses, inefficiencies in this industry is becoming less tolerable.

4. The Vision

The different forms of information will converge into a single but convertible form which can be transported within a convergent or unified single global network.

5. An Avalanche of Mergers and Alliances

Because of the convergence of the different forms of information, the companies that earlier existed base on the forms of information will have to align and merge in other to remain relevant and support the new convergent trend in information.

6. The Information Industry Today

The definition of today’s information industry which is in terms of three elements namely Computing, Office Technology and Telecommunication will become insufficient and it limit the power of the industry as a result of the blurring of the differences between the forms of information which can sufficient be define in terms five elements namely Create and Collection of Content, Display Devices, Storage Devices, Processing and Transportation.

7. The Form- Based Information Industries of the past

The information industries in the past were base on the forms of information namely text,Images,Voice,Audio/Video, Data primary because of the technology at that time for handling the forms of information were different and not applicable to other forms other than the one they are made for and secondly because of government regulations limiting then to different form of information.

8. Information Functions

What people do with information or it functions are content creation and collection, Display, Storage, processing and distribution or transportation.

9. The Technology of Convergence and Digitazation

The reason while different forms of information can converge into a single form is because they can be converted into digital form that is in terms of 0’s and 1’s and then converted back to their original form.

10. Breakthrough in Computing Technology

The advent of microprocessor and advancement in miniaturization, storage, display and software have made today’s computer powerful than mainframes.

11. Breakthrough in Telecommunication

Reduced hardware cost and almost free unlimited bandwidth will unleash a near infinite power of processing by computers as it relates to telecommunication.

12. The Sociology of Convergent

Just as Technology that made it possible to combine different forms of information is impacting on the information industries so will the social implication of this technology that is the acceptability or otherwise of these technologies will determine it enormous impact in the information industry.

13. A Paradigm shift: The new Information Industry

Information forms will be digitalized and companies in the industry will be base on three main category namely: Information content, appliances and Transport.

14. Where Today’s computing Industry will be

Computing will be diffused into distributed memory and processing consisting of three critical ingredients namely memory, processing and software based manipulation.

15. What will it take to succeed?

It will take alliance formation, specialization, investment and integration of multiple complex technologies.

Review of the New Information Industry.

The information industry though still in it premature stage will be of great significance to every major sector of developing and developed economies of the globe. Countries that seek to develop and to remain competitive in the global economy will have to invest substantial part of its gross domestic product on information infrastructure and build a sizable human capacity to effectively and efficiently exploit and integrate information technology into every aspect of its economy.

Future economic boom and increase in standard of leaving will be triggered by advancements in information technologies managed by activities of information industries and innovations which will become more efficient and reliable.

Because information handling in the future will be digitalized there by making information accessibility and distribution efficient and effective, most of our day to day activities and business transactions will be with the use of information technologies which will solve virtually all our demands because of the enormous increase of computing power precipitated by advance micro processor and memory technology and almost free unlimited bandwidth supported by a single unified global network where what use to be an international transaction will become like every other local transactions. A global village the whole world had become.

The economies of the world will increasingly integrate with each other and mergers and alliances of companies will take place to provide and support services that will transcend boundaries. Hence the need for our nation Nigeria to increase its investment and implement laudable policies in information Technology that will guarantee us a place in the comity of nations.

2010-09-10T07:56:00.000-07:00

NAME: Nzurum, Iheanacho Okezie
REG. No: MIM/EDUC/4234/2009-2010
COURSE: LIBS 883
TITLE: The New Information Industry

SUMMARY
It is worthy of note that today’s information industry has shifted focus away single form and in the next ten to fifteen years information oriented businesses would reorganize themselves into three groups -(a) players involved in creation of information content, (b) Those involved in manufacture of information appliances and (c) Those engaged in information transport . These changes would be brought about by technological changes and economic forces which will lead to unprecedented sociological changes. Thus to succeed, companies must learn to operate on a global scale.
It is also projected that information-intensive approaches will replace physical assets and actions in diverse areas.
Today, the information industry is inefficient owing to economic/ecological resources’ waste, exclusion of a large portion of the target market, the use of cumbersome/expensive media of information distribution, inefficient information distribution as well as inadequate matching of information content with the needs of recipients. However, the future projection is one of information industry convergence, such that instant access to virtually any information from anywhere would be possible. Already, players in the industry have begun to merge with, as well as acquire others in a bid to remain relevant. The technological lines existing between the three traditional elements of the information industry (Computing, Office technologies and Telecommunications) are gradually fading away.
Currently, information exists in five basic forms which (in order of emergence) are; Text, Images, Voice, Audio/Video and Data. However, all five forms mentioned are all trending towards digitization. Their convergence has been driven by the diffusion of digital technology into information businesses. In essence, the underlying technologies and regulatory assumptions governing the separation of these industries by form have been rendered obsolete.
To date, information functions in the industry are determined by people who create, display, store, process or disseminate/transport information.
Key developments to date in computing include the following: a) Migration towards more powerful yet smaller and less expensive processors, b) Emergence of Data Storage of greater capacity which provide for easy access at lower cost (e.g. the advent of DVD-ROM as compared to older CD-ROM technology), c) The great size reduction of component technologies, d) Improvement in display technology and e) Ease of use and versatility of software (e.g. the use of Object-oriented programming languages).
It is also worthy of note that breakthroughs in communication technology have brought about significant changes like lower bandwidth costs and the marked improvement in computing speeds. Although the primary focus of convergence industries to date has been on the technologies that make it possible to combine different forms of information, sociological implications will drive the industry (like the explosion of the Internet). In all, convergence will bring about great economic development.
A look at the new information industry will show that all players harness essentially the same technologies which are rapidly becoming multimedia. It is expected that mergers and take-overs will continue as information industries try to position themselves for the future. The final result would be the reduction of the major industries from five (Voice, Text, Image, Audio/Video and Data) to three (Digital Content, Multimedia Devices and Convergent Networks). Of these three new industries, digital content is the most developed and it is expected that the entertainment and publishing industries will both dominate content delivery on a global scale.
The prediction is that when the information industry realigns itself based on functional capabilities, dominant players will be from entertainment, consumer electronic, and personal computer and communication industries. And for Information Transport (which will succeed today’s Telecommunication Industry), public telephone networks, the internet, wireless networks, cable TV, broadcast media and private networks will be consolidated whereas consumer electronics companies and PC manufacturers will converge into the Information Appliances Industry.
Critical success factors include a clear vision of the future, global orientation, flexibility/speed/productivity, investment in human capital, end-user focus, quality obsession, breakthrough innovation, mass customization, partnering and access to capital.

MY INPUT
It is an established fact that the information industry has been growing fairly constantly over the years. In recent times, information industries have stood to gain greater revenue from online delivery and this has been a major driving force for companies.
While it is evident that mergers and acquisitions will continue to shape the future of the online information industry, information producers must critically consider the propensities of their consumers (users) and how best to engage them in ways that work for them and their community. As yet, technology is yet to get many parts of the world and there is no promise that this can happen anytime soon. Information industries in these areas can be expected to take a much longer path towards embracing any form of revolution.

ONLINE INFORMATION INDUSTRY

2010-09-09T14:19:00.000-07:00

ONLINE INFORMATION INDUSTRY ASSIGNMENT(LIBS 883)
NAME:- UMAR AHMED
REG.NO:MIM/EDUC/5686/2009-2010

Introduction
To “Generate” or not to “Generate” information is not the question. The real question is how to harnest the power of Technology (ICT) to meet the challenges of the 21st century and make live relevant, responsive and effective for any one, anywhere and anytime.
Information industry refers to those industries producing information goods and services. Information industries today is in the early stages of momentous transformation. Historically, the industries has been organized on the basis of information foams, companies within the industries tended to focus on business opportunities related to a single form of information, such as voice , text, image, audio/video or data.
Traditional definition of information industries
Information industries have traditionally defined in terms of the foam of information for two important reasons. first the under lying technologies for handling each type of information have been vastly different in the past, and each technology could not handle other foams of information. Second, the government has actively constrained many information base companies from entering other types of information businesses.
A paradigm shift: the new information industry
Information technology today is moving toward electronic and digitalization. The structure transformation f the information industry has become inevitable.
Industry structure is drive by the definition and extension of certain core competencies. A critical core competence for most companies is a mastery of the enabling technologies that help them create, produce and distribute their product and services. However, digitalization transforms all content to the same base unit. Now it is no longer logical to integrate each industry vertically by the form of the content. The convergence and transformation in technologies lead to all information companies now harness essentially the same technologically for effective and efficient outcome, where we work, play and live.

Information function/information content industry . Information function relate what people do with information i.e create, display, store, process and distribute.
Content is the driver behind all the information industries. Network evolved to deliver increasingly rich content, eventually full broad band multimedia. Similarly appliance must advance to display content in color, full video and high fidelity stereo. The expense of this advancement will rationally by the content they carry and display.
The functional based companies of the future
The extra ordinary advance have occurred over the fast decade and continuing at a break neck pace in digital electronic. Coupled with the change now from narrow band information transmission to broad band communication and from manual to digital electronic technology. The information oriented business will sooner recognize themselves into the three broad groups
- Creation /collection of diverse types of information content
- Engaged in various mode of information transport
- Manufacture of wide variety of information appliances
to succeed in the new environment, companies must learn how to operate on a global scale.
Acquisition /Alliance
Mergers and acquisition can drive synergies that benefit the clients and industry standard. In which It lead to create new generation of product and services that provide superior navigation and powerful content integration , that can compite in today marketing environment.
Overview
The thirty two pages study guide on new information industry provide us with an in-depth examination of information industries which includes; form base information industry of the past, the technology of the convergence and digitalization, the sociology of convergence and the new information functionally based companies of the future etc. in order to understand the dynamics of the information industry, problem, processing and future direction.

ASSIGNMENT ON ONLINE INFORMATION INDUSTRIES SUMMARY OF THE NEW INFORMATION INDUSTRY

2010-09-09T14:07:00.000-07:00

NAME: OJI OGECHUKWU LUCY

REG NO: MIM/EDUC/6787/2009-2010

ASSIGNMENT ON ONLINE INFORMATION INDUSTRIES

SUMMARY OF THE NEW INFORMATION INDUSTRY

The information industries are in the stage of transformation. Before now, industries were organized on the basis of information form; companies tended to focus on business opportunities related to a single form of information such as voice, text, image, audio/video or data. But extra ordinary advances have occurred over the past two decades and are continuing at a break-neck pace in digital electronics.

Information based businesses are becoming increasingly crucial to commercial and social lives, as such inefficiencies in the information market place are becoming less tolerable. The vision therefore is that of a convergent information industry which will eventually create global economic communication network that links people and organizations to everyone else.

To accomplish this, there is beginning to exist an avalanche of mergers and alliances. This merger not only represents a belief by corporate titans in the virtues of scale and vertical integration. They also represent stakes on how the industry will evolve. What pushes convergence of different forms of information is technological change, primarily, the rapid flow of digital technology into an ever wider group of information technology businesses.

To add verve to the impending new information age, the advent of the micro processor introduced a paradigm shift that pushed the power of the computer to the desktop.

Further developments, in miniaturization and electric storage may have made laptop computers more powerful than mainframes, while computing power and affordability are expanding at a dramatic rate; they are doing so in a relatively steady fashion. On the other hand, advances in telecommunication promises a greater change of a sporadic nature which will in the near future see an explosion of bandwidth that will dwarf anything seen in the past.

It is important to mention the sociology of convergence as sociological implication will ultimately drive the IT industry. This is most clearly illustrated by the explosion of the internet. The sociological implications of an interactive broadband communications infrastructure are not yet fully understood but will undoubtedly be profound. This interactive broadband technology will cause the most dramatic shift in behavioral patterns, since the introduction of automobile. It will affect how people shop, socialize, are entertained, conduct business and handle finances, with information technology moving towards electronics and digitization.

It is being postulated that when the industry realigns based on functional capabilities, the dominant players world wide will very likely be from the entertainment, consumer electronics, personal computer and communication industries.

Todays computing industry will be eventually diffused with distributed memory and processing through miniaturization and electronic networks, these capabilities will get diffused to the point that traditional stand-alone computers will be unnecessary. However many new services will certainly emerge. The convergence of information will ensue because technological and business imperatives are compelling. What is not cast in stone is exactly who will lead the revolution. Interesting times are ahead of us.

COMMENTS

Some of the futuristic gigantic transformation discussed in this paper has already been deployed. The convergence in the information industries is apparent as technological and business imperatives have occasioned its birth. Back in 2009, Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC) announced the convergence era in the communication industry in Nigeria. This has seen the telecommunication operators use any compatible technology to deploy their services in the Nigerian market. The changes to be expected in the socio-economic world as a result of the paradigm shift in IT industry are highlighted in this paper.

However the paper needs to be updated to capture the present convergence technology being used in the information technology industries.

Finally, this paper does not have references to aid further reading and research on the topic in discuss.

SUMMARY OF THE NEW INFORMATION INDUSTRY

2010-09-09T12:39:00.000-07:00

NAME: IS-HAQ IBRAHIM
REG. NO : MIM/EDUC/3720/2009/2010
COURSE: LIBS883- ONLINE INFORMATION INDUSTRY
SUMMARY OF THE NEW INFORMATION INDUSTRY
The new information grows fairly consistently like a portfolio of securities because it is made up of different segments. The industry has been organized on the bases of information forms, companies within the industry tended to focus in business opportunities related to a single form of information such as, voice text, image, audios/videos or data.
The digital electronics has been the dominant technology for every existing information base business, a realignment broader information industry has become inevitable.
It is mandatory for information industries to learn how to operate on a global scale, partners with others, create break through service.
There is certainly every indication that in the next ten to fifteen years, the world will undergo one of histories greatest technological transformation as the information. “ mega- industry” undergoes a rapid and fundamental transformation.
The information industry is today characterized by significant waste of economic and ecological resources, in adequate matching of information, content with the needs of the recipient, severe time and place constraint on the information access and availability, cumbersome and expensive, physical infrastructure for information distribution and in efficient information distribution.
The writer explain s the composition of the information industry as content( creation and collection), display(devices), store(memory devices), process(applications), distribution(transport).
The structural transformation of the information industry have become inevitable in the sense a critical core competence for most companies is a mastery of the enabling technologies that help them to create, produce and distribute their product and services.
The underline principle of vertical integration of these industries around the form of the content was logical.
The impact of the information industry will be pervasive through out other industries, given the extent to which the transformation has commended evidence is the fact that Americans now spend over a trillion dollars a year on information related goods and services.
Comment
it is important to consider the overall value chain in the information industry, it is growing competitiveness between organizations has become evident.
The information industry is suppose to help organizations to recognized improved competitive advantage within the industry it resides and generate superior performance at greater value.
the information industry is increasingly entering a period of constant change, there will be a bright future for the industry once the information professionals are prepared and capable to add value to the process, but as long as information professionals keep to the attitude that “this information and communication technology (ICT) stuff is not really over thing” the future effort of information transformation is bound to fail.

Online Information Industry

2010-09-09T10:38:00.000-07:00

NAME: Zakari Andrew

REG. NO: MIM/EDUC/6517/2009-2010

SUBJECT: Online information industry

ASSIGNMENT: Read and summarize the topic: the new information industry.

A converged information industry operating within the context of an advanced information infrastructure will be a huge boost for US business. The convergence of information industries will happen because the technological and business imperatives are competing. An information highway will also entail new products and services and hence new jobs.

This technological movement is triggering a corresponding change in the economic forces underlying the new information industry. Combined, the forces will lead to unprecedented sociological change and upheaval. The primary driving force is that the technology forming the core of an expansive array of information related businesses is becoming both electronic and digital. The building blocks of this digital world-hardware, software, fiber optics, and microprocessors-will re-align the computer, telecommunications, and other information industries.

In the process, a new competitive landscape will be spawned. Overtime, that landscape will give rise to many new commercial entities, enabled through an amalgam of digital versatility and electronic affordability. The same landscape will also be littered with the remains of once dominant companies and institutions unable or unwilling to grasp the magnitude and nature of change. With digital electronic fast becoming the dominant technology for every existing information-based business, a re-alignment of the broader information industry has become inevitable. In short, information-oriented business will, over the next ten-fifteen years, re-organize themselves into the following three broad groups.

· Players involved in the creation and collection of diverse types of information content.

· Players involved in the manufacture of a wide variety of information appliances.

· Players organized to engage in various modes of information transport.

CONCLUSION AND CRITIQUE

The information industry is far from being a mature industry as evidenced by the low penetration of even basic phone service in a large part of the world. While the information industry is about a sixth of the US economy, it account for a mere fraction of that amount for the vast majority of nations. However, that proportion will surely increase, fueling unprecedented growth. Coupled with the dramatic new capabilities made possible by phenomenal and unrelenting advances in technology. It is evident that the information industry is in perhaps the most exciting period ever seen in any industry.

To succeed in the new environment, companies most learn how to operate on a global scale; partners with other, create break through service, concepts; customize theft offering to ever - smaller market fragments; increase their speed; flexibility, and efficiency; empower and develop their employees

INFORMATION INDUSTRY: The transformation

2010-09-08T05:15:00.000-07:00

NAME:- KEHINDE R. AFOLAYAN
REG. NO:- MIM/EDUC/9297/2009-2010
Department:- Library and Information Science
FACULTY:- EDUCATION
COURSE TITLE:- ONLINE INFORMATION INDUSTRIES
COURSE CODE:- LIBS 883
QUESTION:- SUMMARISE THE ARTICLE IN ONE HALF PAGE AND CRITICISE IN HALF PAGE

The information industry is metamorphosing into a vast technological change that would trigger a corresponding change in the economic forces as it has enormous impact in every sector coupled with the changes from narrow-band information transmission to broadband communication. Information related businesses are becoming electronic and digital. As a result of superior integration and exploration of information technology, America is investing trillion of dollars in information related goods and services thereby risen to becoming the most competitive economic power in the world.

Consolidation and Alignment

Reason information industries have traditionally been defined in term of form of information is because the government has actively constrained companies from entering other types of information businesses. Structural transformation is predicted to result in three major industries (content, devices and networks) instead of five in which the vision is a creation of national – eventually global electronic communication network that connects people and organization together e.g., electronic banking, education, shopping, tax paying, chatting, game playing, video conferencing via Internet connections anytime, anywhere. This will invariably transform the way we work, play and live – a paradigm shift.

Specialization

However, specialization in the information industry is paramount as core competence is needed for service delivery thus industries will develop via equity and partnership.

In the new era, convergent technologies will lead to worldwide end- to-end voice, data, fax, video and images services and a global network that is both a transparent communications service and a platform for content filled or enhanced services.

Inefficiency in information Industry

Despite the phenomenal change that is taking place in the information industry, there are records of ineffectiveness of low penetration of phone service in a large part of the world, inefficient information distribution. However, the following factors will be essential towards the future of information industry: flexibility, speed, productivity, alliances and partnering, global orientation.

My View
Information can be as important as food, water, shelter or medicine without which can be fatal. The first link in the information link is communication; the ability to disseminate, describe, deliver without physical presence is overwhelming. Information super highway has resulted in proper and timely decision making in organizations where Internet is functioning well. One does not have to waste time printing reports e.g. end of term report, all you need do is to e-mail persons concerned.

ONLINE INFORMATION INDUSTRIES

2010-09-08T01:25:00.000-07:00

NAME:- ABDULLAHI BILKISU MAHADI
REG. NO:- MIM/EDUC/5145/2009-2010
Department:- Library and Information Science
FACULTY:- EDUCATION
COURSE TITLE:- ONLINE INFORMATION INDUSTRIES
COURSE CODE:- LIBS 883
QUESTION:- SUMMARISE THE ARTICLE IN ONE HALF PAGE AND CRITIc IN HALF PAGE

SUMMARY
The mega industry will arise as a result of advancement in technology which will be aimed at satisfying the needs and desires of consumers, and also as a result of changes in the economic forces underlying the new information industry.
This is as a result of technology forming an expansive array of information related businesses is becoming electronic and digital. New commercial entities will be formed through an amalgamation of digital versality and electronic affordability.
Today information industry is characterized by significant waste or economic and ecological resources, inadequate matching of information content, with the need of the recipient severe time and place constraints on information access and availability etc
The vision is the creation of electronic communication network that connect people and everyone else, electronic baking, medical diagnosing education, shopping etc information from the network will be accessible through information handling devices such as PCs, TVs, through wireless devices such as pages, wireless phone etc
Traditionally, the informing industry is viewed as consisting of three elements; computing , office technologies and telecommunications. Information exist in five basic form; voice, text, images, audio/video and data.
The primary driver of convergence of forms of information is technological change, with digitization all of the media become translatable into each other. The digital world is characterized internally by a monotonous sameness regardless of what they represent.
The advent of microprocessor represented the beginning of distributed computing, a paradigm shift that pushed the power of the computer to the desktop. Processing, data storage, display, software and miniaturization of component technologies are key developments in computing in recent years.
Advances in telecommunications promise even greater change in discontinuous nature the sociological implications of an interactive broadband communications infrastructure are not yet fully understood but will undoubtedly be profound. Any technological interaction that users as dehumanizing will be shunned; it will be imperative, that high-tech companies pay great attention to high-touch issues.
With information technology moving towards electronics and digitization the structural transformation of the information of the information industry has become inevitable. In the information content industry, content is the deriver behind all the information industries, Networks will evolve to deliver increasingly rich content, eventually full broadband multimedia. Publishing and entrainment companies will converge into the digitized content business packaging of information and verifying it’s accuracy will be an important value-added function provided by content players. Newspapers and magazines are well positioned for the future, because they already deal in digitized information.
The content area is farthest along in moving the new model. Consumer electronics companies and PC manufacturers will converge into the information appliances industry. Devices were originally manufactured to display content in the form in which it was created. Public telephone networks, the internet, wireless networks etc will be consolidated into the information transport business. In the information-transport industry, a premium will be placed on managerial attributes such as efficient operations, timely maintenance, and outstanding customer service. Most customers will have a choice of transport suppliers in the future, and companies will have to provide the type of customers service that makes those customers feel close to their supplier.
Computing will be diffused with distributed memory and processing. Three critical ingredients of all information business will be information storage (memory), processing, and software –based manipulation. This transformation will result in three industries and will enhance operating efficiencies in the process.
Thus, the computer industry will no longer exist, the computer industry will go further upstream to focus on creating superior raw materials. The components and software will be distributed through miniaturization and electronic network. Computers will be unnecessary however many new services certainly emerge.

CRITICISM
Despite the advantages of mega industry some disadvantages will still be faced. Industries will have to develop via equity partnerships and alliances, not all corporations are adopt at dealing with change of this magnitude, companies aspiring to succeed in the information marketplace must be globally oriented and create a global brand. Also large companies must be as nimble as small ones in responding rapidly to fleeting opportunity are often geopolitical dynamics, the windows of opportunity often brief, for quality obsession outstanding quality will be a minimum requirement to be in the running for global business on access to capital, competing on a global basis in the information industry will require access to significant amounts of capital, technological breakthroughs will be crucial at both the basic as well as applied levels and finally companies must invest in upgrading and maintaining their human capital, companies must develop new knowledge and train their employees on an almost continuous basis.

SUMMARY OF INFORMATION INDUSTRIES

2010-09-08T01:08:00.000-07:00

NAME: AHMADU, BELLO

REG NO: MIM/EDUC/0365/2009-2010

COURSE: LIBS 883 – ONLINE INFORMATION INDUSTRY

SUMMARY

The writer provides an over view of information technological transformations in the information industry and it effect to the world.

It was focus that Information industry are comprising the elements of computing; dealing with information storage and processing, office automation; task automation and information creation and display; and telecommunications. While the contemporary definition of information industry as worldwide revenues of information centered businesses. The information industry was organized based on information form such as Text, voice, image, audio/video and data. Business opportunity related to a particular type of information form. The text was mostly dominated by the publishing industry, the image by the photographic industry, the voice by telecommunications, audio/video by the entertainment industry and data by the computing industry. And in each of the Information Industries, it create, displayed, stored, processed and distribute (Transportation) are its basic function.

Information Industries has played and still playing an important role in the world development, but the writer observed some of the inefficiencies of Information Industries as follows: Significant waste of economic and ecological resources; inadequate matching of information content with the needs of the recipients; Severe time and place constraints on information assess and availability; Expensive physical infrastructures for information distribution. With the above comments the bellow way forwards were made: critical success factors; global orientation; managing geo-political dynamics; flexibility, speed and productivity; allowance and partnering; quality obsession; mass customization; breakthrough

Innovation; access to capital; investment in human capital and end-use-focus.

CRITIQUE

The massage of this paper is clear; already some of the writer’s points of view are not longer dreams. With the information technology Structures are merging together. Structures are being coming more multimedia. For example’ some handsets perform all functions of other information technologies do, with the help of its service provider that expand their broadband (quality).

The value of data in an organization is more than the hardware that stores the data, technology has made it possible to store data via internet. My view is that any of the media will becomes one stop shopping.

Leaders in Africa and Nigeria in particular should follow the Trent of technologies which will go along way in reducing our poverty and corruption. In addition, we should not compromised technology with the basic of sciences.

online information industries

2010-09-08T00:55:00.000-07:00

2010-09-07T07:08:00.000-07:00

NAME: ADAMA HARUNA ABDULMALIK
REG. NO: MIM/EDUC/0831/2009-2010
COURSE: LIBS 883: ONLINE INFORMATION INDUSTRY

SUMMARY OF THE ARTICLE: THE NEW INFORMATION INDUSTRY
The article; the new information industry examines the various technological transformations that had taken place in the information industry from time immemorial to date. The article also gave a prediction of the future nature of information industry which will be necessitated by various factors or technological convergence. This technological development also comes along with its sociological and economic impacts which is most especially felt in developed countries such as untied state of America.
The information industry comprises the elements of computing which deals with storage and processing of information; office automation which deals with automation of task, information creation and display; and telecommunications.
Traditionally, information industry in the past was organized base on its forms (Text, voice, image, audio/video, and data), as players within the industry had to focus on business opportunities related to a particular type of information form. The text was being dominated by the publishing industry, the image by the photographic industry, the voice by the telecommunication industry, audio/ video by the entertainment industry, and data by the computing industry, as each of the industry mentioned decides on the function of information to engage in, which could be creation and collection of content, display, storage, processing and distribution.
As information becomes crucial in our commercial and daily lives today, despite its inefficiencies, the information advancement in technologies as a result of digitization and convergence of technologies and industries. This convergence is driven by technological change which transforms to an ever-wide arrays of information business services.
The technological advancement was coupled with changes that accompanied the move from narrow band information to broadband communication, that necessitated a paradigm shift in the information industry. We now witnessed digital electronics as the dominating technology for any information business that exist, in which the information industry today had to realign to it. This realignment results to three major information industries, instead of the previous five. The new information industry are;
1. The information industry responsible for the creation and collection of digitized content.
2. The players involved in the manufacturing of wide arrays of information appliances.
3. Information distribution industry which includes players involved in various modes of information distribution.
The convergence was necessitated because the technological and business imperatives are compelling. As this technological transformation goes on, information storage, processing and software-based manipulations becomes the three ingredient of information business. These capabilities are supplied by the computer hardware industry to these new functional environments. The critical factors needed to succeed in this new environment are; global orientation, managing geo-political dynamics, flexibility, speed and productivity, allowance and partnering, quality obsession, mass customization, breakthrough innovation, access to capital, investment in human capital and end-user-focus.
Conclusively, a convergent information industry operating within the context of an advanced information infrastructure had been a huge boost to the U.S businesses, as it spurs billions of U.S dollars annually in new sales and had increases workers productivity by 20% to 40%. Today, two-third of American jobs are information related, and will increase as the shift from manufacturing to service industries continues.
CRITICISM
Though the article is highly intellectual and educating as its examines and provides an overview of the various ramifications of technological transformations in the information industry from its traditional point of view to the present, which was presented in a tutorial formatted, and which provides questions and answers at the end of the article. References was not provided by the writer to back-up the authoritativeness of this intellectual work.
Secondly, the article only covers the technological development and impact in the Untied States of America as a developed country and did not view the impact and the rate of developing economics especially in Africa and other continents and countries.
Finally, the writer haven given some critical factors needed to succeed in the new information environment, needs to highlight some challenges to this new environment.

THE NEW INFORMATION INDUSTRY

2010-09-06T04:51:00.000-07:00

NAME: OZIOKO, STANLEY C.
REG NO.: MIM/EDUC/6670
COURSE: ONLINE INFORMATION INDUSTRIES
SUMMARY OF THE PAPER ON INFORMATION INDUSTRY
There is the prediction that in the next ten to fifteen years, the world would undergo one of the greatest technological transformations as the information ‘mega industry’ undergoes rapid and fundamental transformation. This metamorphosis would trigger a corresponding change in the economic forces underlying the information industry.
Today’s information industry characterized by significant waste of economic and ecological resources inadequate matching of information content with needs of the recipients, severe time and place constraints on information access and availability , cumbersome and expensive physical infrastructure and inefficient information distribution is becoming less tolerable.
The vision of a convergent information industry is simple and unprecedented: there would be a move from creation of national to global electronic communications network that would connect people and organizations to everyone else; there would be no barriers as electronic communication would traverse all forms of information and information handling devices.
The mergers and alliances witnessed among major players in the information industry represent not only a belief in the virtues of scale and vertical integration, but also wagers on how the industry would evolve.
Traditionally, information industry has been viewed to consist of three elements: computing, office technologies and telecommunications. This definition is unduly limited. A broader view of information industry covers the five basic forms to include: voice, text, images, audio / video, and data. Another definition based on information functions includes creation, display, storage, processing, and transport.
Technological change has contributed immensely to the convergence of different forms of information. This is primarily due to the diffusion of digital technology into the ever wider array of information businesses. With digitization, content is virtualized and liberated from most of the shackles of its previous medium. Digital information is essentially distortion free, perfectly and infinitely replicable, instantly transferable, highly translatable, inherently editable, readily amenable to various forms of processing, and compatible with other forms of digital information.
Developments in the computing industry with the advent of microprocessors brought about a paradigm shift that pushed the powers of the computers to the desk top. Further advances have made laptop computers more powerful than mainframes were in the early 80s. Some of the key developments in recent years have been in terms of processing, data storage, miniaturization of component technologies, display and software.
While computing power and affordability are expanding at a dramatic rate, they are doing so in a relatively steady fashion. Advances in telecommunications on the other hand, promises even greater change of a discontinuous nature. Due to the anticipated growth in telecommunication bandwidth, some observers predict a reversal of the recent improvements of computing power. When networks run faster than processors and buses in the PC, the computer will be relegated. The network becomes the bus, and any network of interconnected processors and memories become a computer regardless of their location. In this situation, the companies that learn to use the bandwidth in combination with computer processing and switching succeeds.
This transformation will result in only three industries (not five). The three industries will be digitized content, multimedia devices and convergent networks. Today’s computer industry will largely disappear and will primarily become the provider of processing, memory and storage capabilities to the three main industries. In order to move with the tide of technological change as predicted, companies will have to emphasize the following areas in particular: global orientation, managing geopolitical dynamics, flexibility, speed and productivity, alliance and partnering, quality obsession, mass customization, breakthrough innovation, access to capital, investment in human capital and end user focus. The expectation for a convergence in information industry is high because the technological and business imperatives are compelling.
CRITICISM
The predictions in the paper appear to me to have been overtaken by technological innovations in the information industry. From the content, one tends to believe that publications like this were catalysts to the spread of what we have today as the internet world. The prediction of a world whereby computers would become relegated and replaced with a network of interconnected processors and memories is what we encounter today. You find out that companies now lay more emphasis in the expansion of software and broadband businesses than hardware. As it is now, most contents are in digital format. Organizations now digitize their contents so they can fit into current technology, multimedia companies spring up with their new technological innovations while the internet service providers go a long way in expanding their bandwidth in order to make information available to people not withstanding their location. The internet has grown so wide that it has penetrated every facet of human endeavour, from education to research, entertainment, medicine, socialization, acculturation etc.
It can be said that in the information industry of today, any participant that is not web compliant would be left behind.

2010-09-01T07:50:00.000-07:00

Name: Obikaonu, Pauline C.
Reg.No. MIM/EDUC/6668/2009-2010
Course: Online Information Industries
Assignment: The New Information Industry
The paper examines the on-going technological transformation of the information industry and provides an overview of the industry as it stands today with a look into its future developments, the sociological factors connected to its evolution and the essential building blocks in associated institutions within it.
At one time, the industry was in its early stage of transformation, organized on the basis of information form with industries focusing on a single form and as voice, text, image audio/video or data. However extra-ordinary advances have occurred in the past two decades and are continuing at a breakneck pace in digital electronics with changes from narrow band transmission to broad band communications
The information mega- industry deals with information in the following forms: text, images voice, data, audio/video and information emanating from those forms include photography, publishing, telecommunication, computing and entertainment respectively
Digital electronics has become the dominant technology and the alignment will occur along the lines of information function or capability.
Under the functionally based companies the dominant players worldwide are very likely to be from the entertainment, consumer electronics, personal computer and communications industries.
Looking at the form-based information industry in which information industries had been defined the underlying technologies for handling each type of information have been vastly different in the past and each technology could not handle other forms of information and secondly the Government has actively constrained many information – based companies from entering other types of information businesses.
Information- oriented businesses will in future be reorganized into the following broad groups ;( 1) Players involved in the creation and collection of diverse types of information content. (2) Players involved in the manufacture of a wide variety of information appliances and (3) Players organized to engage in various modes of information transport.
Due to the fact that information-based businesses are becoming increasingly crucial to our commercial and social lives, inefficiencies in the information marketplace are becoming less tolerable.
As long as standing divisions between the major components of the information industry – computers consumer electronics, publishing, imaging telecommunications and entertainment programming – have begun to blur and fade, players within the industry have engaged in a near frenzy of deal making.
There are breakthroughs in computing (Digitization) and communication technology, Information technology is moving towards electronics and digitization. The structural transformation of information industry has become inevitable, industry structure is driven by core competencies which is a mastery of the enabling technologies that help them create, produce and distribute their products and services.
The crucial success factors include the following: Global orientation, managing geopolitical dynamics, flexibility, speed and productivity, Alliances and partnering, quality obsession, mass customization, breakthrough innovation, access to capital and investment in human capital.
While all companies must keep in focus on the end users to enable them build product development and the issue of price ratios; the vision of a convergent information industry is necessary and will take place in due course because the technological and business imperatives called for it.
Worthy of note is the fact that, nations like the United States of America, now spend trillions of dollars annually on information- based goods and services which impacts on every other sector of the economy making the U.S. the most competitive economic power in the world considering its superior integration and exploitation of information technology.
Comments
This paper is outdated as it has been overtaken by rapid development in technology. This fact is buttressed by the fact that even the internet was not in vogue at the time this paper was written.
Again I observed that it was from all this transactions that the idea of the internet vis-à-vis its discovery came about. The information industry is very dynamic, unstable in terms of development that what is new today becomes very obsolete in a very short while. This means that information companies must be at alert, with continuous innovations and be ready for stiff competition with each other in terms of creativity and upgrading of facilities and products. In summary, the information sector is the bedrock on which other sectors stand and operate.

Summary: New Online Information Industries

2010-08-13T05:13:00.001-07:00

NAME: SANI ONEKUTU JOB
REG. NO: MIM/EDUC/7531/2009-2010
COURSE: LIBS 883 – ONLINE INFORMATION INDUSTRY
SUMMARY OF THE ARTICLE: THE NEW INFORMATION INDUSTRY

The article examines and provides an over view of various ramifications of technological transformations in the information industry from the past to today and also give a prediction of what it will be in the future. It also examines its sociological and economic effect and impact to other world.

In defining the key concept, information industry was viewed as comprising the elements of computing; dealing with information storage and processing, office automation; dealing with task automation and information creation and display; and telecommunications. Historically, the information industry was organized based on information form such as Text, voice, image, audio/video and data. All players within the information industry focus on business opportunity related to a particular type of information form. The text was mostly dominated by the publishing industry, the image by the photographic industry, the voice by telecommunications, audio/video by the entertainment industry and data by the computing industry. Each of these industries decides on what function of information to engage in such as creation and collection of content, display, storage, processing and distribution.

Despite the inefficiencies in the information industry today as information based business are becoming crucial in our commercial and social lives, the information industry has witnessed extra-ordinary advancement in digital electronics as a result of convergence of different forms of information which is driven by technological changes and digitization which transform into an ever-wider array of information business. This advancement is coupled with the changes accompanying the move from narrow band information transmission to broadband communication which will occasion a major paradigm shift in the information industry. Now that digital electronics have become the dominating technology for every existing information business, the information industry have to realign to it, which results to three major industries instead of the previous five, which are as follows:
1. Digitized content which includes players involved in creation and collection of content.
2. Multimedia devices (information appliances) players involved in manufacturing wide varieties of information appliances
3. Convergent network which includes players involved in various modes of information transport.

The convergence of information industries will happen because of the technological and business imperatives are compelling.

With the ongoing transformation, information storage, processing and software-based manipulations becomes the three ingredient of information business. These capabilities are supplied by the computer hardware industry to the new functionally defined information industries. To succeed in this new environment, critical factors such as global orientation, managing geo-political dynamics, flexibility, speed and productivity, allowance and partnering, quality obsession, mass customization, breakthrough innovation, access to capital, investment in human capital and end-use-focus are very important.

CRITIQUE
This work avails to the reader of the ramification of technological transformations as information mega industry. These transformation and advancements are greatly witnessed and enjoyed by developed economy like America while developing economy like Nigeria are lagging behind and needs time to catch up with this fast technological transformation.

In the article, the world wide revenues of information centered business as stated in the intellectual summery exceeds one trillion dollars per annum. The same amount is also invested by the Americans in information based goods and services per annum. Does that means that Americans are the only investors in information based services and goods in the world, since the world wild revenues of information centered business is the same amount?

Information industry in the past was traditionally defined as form based because the government has actively constrained many information-based companies from entering other types of information business. The writer did not state what constrained and the reason for this constrain by the Government.

With the ongoing transformation in information technologies into digital electronics through convergence and alliance that resulted into three mega information industries instead of the previous five, critical factors needed to succeed in this environment were discussed. But the writer could not highlight some possible challenges that could pose a threat to these new information industries as factors were given to succeed in this new environment.

It is a fact that any authoritative intellectual work published should have some references to backup its authoritativeness. In this article, some authorities were quoted but no reference was giving at the end.

Finally, I want to comment that the article (Tutorial) is highly intellectual and educative as it reveals the transformations in the online information industries in the various technologies and how it further diversify and improve information businesses in the world.

Summary: New Online Information Industries

2010-08-13T04:56:00.002-07:00

online information industries

2010-07-14T00:18:00.000-07:00

NAME HASSAN ABBA

NUMBER MIM/EDUC/1242/2009-2010

COURSE LIBS 883 ONLINE INFORMATION INDUSTRIES.

Scholars are of the view that if there is going to be another world war, definitely that war would be war of information. That is why over a trillion dollars was spent on information related goods in United States of America. This ranges in creation and collection of information, manufacturing of information and then transportation of information to attain global scale by partnering with other similar companies. Hence a projection reveals that in the next fifteen years the world would undergo one of the history’s greatest technological transformation “mega industries”.

Even though there is inefficiency in the industry due is waste of economic and ecological resources, inadequate matching of information content with the need’s of the recipients and severs time and place constraints on information access and availability, but there would be convergent information industry. The convergence will assemble the imagined and unimagined technologies i.e. [what is feasible in the technology and what is not imagine is happened].the industry will definitely grow by merger and alliances among them selves. This will go along way in depleting the three traditional concept of information industry and substituting it with five basic forms. Namely: voice, text, images, audio/video and data. This equally changes the kind of information function in the in the industry. Thereby bringing about breakthroughs in communication technology. Thus there is a shift from centralised to distributed processing in the computer industry. This shift also results in behavioural pattern. ie how people shop , socialise, how people are entertained, how they conduct business and handle finances. This paradigm of shift of new technology also brought about changes in structural transformation in the industry.

CRITICISM

It is a general belief that the factors of production are: the capital, the land, the labour and entrepreneurship, but now the fourth is information technology. This is by the scholars down to the technocrats and the lay man. This notion is taken very serious that almost everything now is attributed to information world. The projection about the next world vis-à-vis information is so lopsided. It gives way to maximisation of profits. In order word this paper opens way for globalisation thus promoting capitalism and capitalist tendencies. Critically speaking this Information advocacy is only on the advantage of the western world. Since information flow is always one-way. i.e. from the advanced capitalist west to the South Pole [2^nd and 3^rd worldcountries]. There is this saying that “he, who has the piper, dictates the tune”. So they have the technology and this assertion about information world is technology driven.

IMPLEMENTING A NATIONAL VIRTUAL LIBRARY FOR HIGHER EDUCATION IN NIGERIA

2009-09-10T10:34:00.000-07:00

In my opinion, the National Virtual Library Initiative would have been handed over to the National Library of Nigeria from inception since they are the body mandated to serve as a national depository for all publications emanating from Nigerians within and outside the country. A policy would have been enacted for publishers to deposit a soft copy as well as a hard copy of their works so as to facilitate the easy take off of the virtual library initiative. Lack of political will on the part of government to put basic infrastructure in place is one of the greatest challenges inhibiting the National Virtual Library initiative, erratic power supply, ICT infrastructures and lack of continuity of government policies from one administration to the other.
The paper was well researched and the writer was able to touch on all topical issues.

IMPLEMENTING A VIRTUAL LIBRARY

2009-09-10T02:44:00.000-07:00

SUMMARY AND CRITIQUE OF THE PAPER TITLED:IMPLEMENTING A NATIONAL VIRTUAL LIBRARY FOR HIGHER INSTITUTIONS IN NIGERIA ACADEMIC LIBRARIES BY EZRA SHILOBA

2009-09-09T02:20:00.001-07:00

NAME: ENEMALI, Wada Celestine

Reg. No.: MIM/EDUC/10399/2008-09

Course: LIBS 883 - Online Information Industries.

Implementing a National Virtual Library for higher institutions in Nigeria is a research paper in which the researcher studied the National Library Virtual Project Initiatives in Nigeria.

The paper clears the misconceptions about what a virtual library is and differentiated it from e-library and digital library . A Virtual library is that which provides access to tools such as databases, e-journals, alerting services, e-reference and quality vetted e-resources. An e-library consist of electronic materials and services, while a digital library consist of digital services and materials that are sttored, processed and transferred via binary device and network. Virtual library consist of both digital and electonic library existing virtually. These were the distinction given by the researcher in his attempt to differentiate a virtual library from e-library and digital library. He also listed the characteristics of digital library.

The challenges of implementing a virtual library in Nigeria were discussed. Misconception of what constitute a virtual library, unavailability of the basic infrastructure, poor policy implementation and lack of web techologise skilled digital/system Librarians were identified as challenges of implementing national library virtual initiatives in Nigeria.

The roles of National Library Virtual Initiatives were listed to include improve quality of teaching and research in institution of higher learning in Nigeria, enhance access of academic libraries in the education community in Nigeria to global library and information resources amonst others.

The paper also discussed the steps in building a virtual Library. Digitization and acquisition and collection development were the steps in building a virtual library. The enabling technology for a virtual library was also highlighted. They are web-basedtechnologies, extensive markup language, cascading style sheets, PHP coding and webscripting language.

The roles of the National Information Technology, National University Commission and Academic Librarians in building a virtual library were also discussed. The issues to be handled in Nigeria before successful implementation of National Virtual library initiatives can take place were enumerated.

Finally, the researcher recommended the training of Librarians and information professionals, the use of open access software and open access electronic resources, improvement of basic infrastructure, inclusion of Librarians and information professionals in all virtual library initiatives and shift in emphasis to access rather than ownership as some of the ways forward in the imjplementation of a virtual library initiatives in Nigeria.

CRITICAL ASSESSMENT

The paper does not comment on the issues of renumerations and other allowances for the members of the National Virtual Project at the National Universities Commission; were they adequately compensated for the job?

Another issue to be tackled is the issue of lack of understanding among the members of the project. Investigations need to be done on how members were selected to know their capabilities, intersts and political inclinations to avoid repetition of any mistake that could lead to any failure at the National Library.

Lastly, the writer tends to compare what is obtainable in the developed countries, like USA, to that of Nigeria. Nigeria needs time to get to where the developed countries are today.

Posted by Enemali, Wada Celestine.

IMPLEMENTING A NATIONAL LIBRARY FOR HIGHER INSTITUTION IN NIGERIA

2009-09-03T16:11:00.000-07:00

NAME: ZAINAB MUHAMMAD SHEHU

REG NO: MIM/EDUC/11314/2008-09

Six years after implementing the project wherby eleven(11) universities were selected as pilot centers with the hub at the National Universities Commission funded by the Education Trust Fund it is still yet to be fully fuctional.

A virtual Library provides access to databases,e-journals,alerting services,reference tools and quality vetted e-resources while a digital library can exist without a virtual library the latter cannot exist without it notwithstanding the fact that the terms electronic,digital and virtual library are used synonymously.An Electronic library consist of materials and services while a digital library consist of digital services and materials are stored,processed and transferred via digital binary devices and networks and the Virtual library consist of both digital and electronic libraries existing virtually.

With the implication on learning,teaching,research development .facilitate easy accesss to relevant information and shared global archival collection arises the need for every Nigerian University to have a virtual library which are the future of Academic library made the Nigerian Government embark on this project.Digital collections are the building blocks for a virtual library and this requires traditional skills,information web technology skills.digitization,acquisition/collection development and enabling technology.

The National Information Technolgy Development Agency implemented in April 2001 with the mission to "use information technolgy for education,creation of wealth,poverty eradication,job creation and global competitiveness" failure ,lack of fund,competent personnel,telecommunication infrastructure and stable electricity also contributed to the unsuccessful implementation of the virtual library initiatives .The Government should address these issues else the advantages associated with a virtual library will continue to elude us.

Implementing a National and Virtual Library for Higher Institutions in Nigeria

2009-09-03T13:24:00.000-07:00

ASSIGNMENT
NAME: Julius A. Ogar
REG. NO: MIM/EDUC/10079/2008-09
COURSE: LIBS 883
SUMMARY OF THE ARTICLE: Implementing a National and Virtual Library for Higher Institutions in Nigeria.
The Virtual Library Project is meant to guarantee access to databases, electronic journals, alerting services, online reference tools, etc, in order to improve the quality of teaching and research. Its implementation in Nigeria has been hampered by poor policy implementation, lack of basic information technology infrastructure and the lack of skilled personnel. This is despite the effort by the Federal Government to enact relevant information and communication technology policies to facilitate easy access to learning, teaching and research.
A virtual library can address the shortage of research and learning materials in Nigerian universities through facilitating an easy interchange between Nigerian scholars and their foreign counterparts via e-books, journals and other sources. The benefits lie in the enhancement of scholarship and access to ‘shared global virtual archival collections.
But since January 2002 when the Nigeria National Virtual Library Project was initiated, it is yet to fully commence in any of the universities earmarked for the pilot phase. Also, the establishment of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) which would have made possible the take off of the virtual library project has not had any appreciable impact. This, coupled with variables such as political and economic instability, political apathy and lack of policy implementation have slowed down the growth of the national information and communications policy and with it, the virtual library project.
To reverse this, the government must:
a. Improve basic information and communications infrastructure such as electricity and telecommunications;
b. Equip librarians and information professionals with the requisite skills to build the virtual library;
c. Address the cost of information resources and ease access to them;
d. Furnish universities with enabling technologies and provide grants to libraries;
e. Shift emphasis on technological resources from ownership to access.
It is obvious that virtual libraries are the future of academic libraries. But lack of infrastructure and poor funding are curtailing access and this negatively impacts on research and development as well as on the advancement of society generally.

CRTIQUE
This work basically highlights the implications on learning, research and development of the inability of government to stock libraries in academic institutions with relevant information resources. The author approaches the issue of virtual libraries with informed analysis and experience, arguing that they are critical to the growth and efficiency of research and development. He however notes that the Nigeria National Virtual Library Project approved in January 2002 with the National Universities Commission as its hub, has been in existence.
The article also avails the reader of the distinctions between virtual, digital and electronic libraries all of which tend to be confused—one with the other. This clarification is useful for researchers and students alike.
However, in highlighting the challenges facing virtual libraries, the author does not spell out a defined role for the private sector. This is against the reality that in Nigeria, the emerging information industry is substantially private sector driven even though there are dominant public sector players besides the fact that the sector is government regulated.
It is also a fact that most Nigerian universities are public-owned, making it obligatory for the government to fund and equip them. But the role of private-public partnership (PPP), in this instance, cannot be overlooked. The author could therefore make a case for institutions like banks and oil companies to invest in the development of virtual libraries.
It is the candid opinion of this reviewer that the article is rich in intellectual content and pioneering. It is pioneering because in the typical Nigerian academic environment, researches on online and virtual libraries are relatively few and quite a lot are shallow in content.

Summary of the Paper: Provision of Online Information Services in Nigerian Academic Libraries.

2009-09-02T08:51:00.000-07:00

Name: Nwobu, O. E.
Course: Online Information Industry.
Number: MIM/EDUC/00444/2008-09.

Summary of the Paper: Provision of Online Information Services in Nigerian Academic Libraries.
By Ezra Shiloba Gbaje

The paper is about Online Information Services in the Nigerian Academic libraries. The digital age has brought about a completely different way of providing library services resulting to the development of new services. The author used qualitative research method to examine the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of online information services in Nigeria Academic library. It was find out that shortage of web technologies, skilled librarians, and poor information technology infrastructure and high cost of equipment has hindered the Nigerian Academic Libraries from providing online information services.
Librarians has tried as much as possible to mediate between the source mind and clientele mind, but with the provision of online information, it will help or enable them to have access to information they could not readily get before, this has lead many to question the mediating role of the Librarian. The question is, what is the authority and source of the information. It has once again set to play host to thousands of information professionals, information end-users and publishers from around the globe, meeting suppliers of on line content, e-publishing and library management solutions.
The paper also told us according to Aderson (1996) the emerging roles of a librarian in a digital environment which includes:
- Selecting electronic resources and evaluating their quality.
- Developing expeditions and effective locator tools to make the complex web of resources more readily accessible to both sophisticated and naïve users etc.
They use websites /portals to attain to their patrons, in that when some patrons continue to make use of internet, librarians will use websites/portals as a means to facilitate access to specific internet and other digital resources. Academic Libraries should primarily offers a high quality vetted internet search engine links, Open Access databases and journals, user guides/help sheets and Information Literacy instructions on their websites because they are know for accurate information provider.
They provide reference services to their patrons too, where an online information request forms will be on the web and through email too, this enable students to ask questions from their computers though a times it will not provide immediate reply or allow reference interview techniques to be employed easily. But, it was noticed that Librarians were not given a successful answer to their patrons, and that leads to the use of reference application like Web Contact Center Software, to provide online chat where patrons can get an instant response from the reference Librarian and enable users and librarians to look at and work with the same online source simultaneously. Digital reference services using email, web forms or video conferencing has been tested and implemented in a number of academic libraries. On line reservation and renewal of library materials is becoming part and parcel of library automation systems, especially in the new generation of Web-based system that replaced the older traditional standalone proprietary library systems. Online document delivery services requests with credit card payments are potential new services to better serve the needs of academic users.
One can say, that online information services is essential service in Nigeria Academic Libraries, but some factors has made it not to be effective or function very well. The vast majority of people seek free information on the web, but most important sources are not available for free on the web. And because searches on the web cannot be aggregated, finding useful information is difficult and time –consuming. Even the “free” information on the web actually comes at substantial cost to the patrons or those seeking for it in terms of hours spent for information. Another challenging facing academic library in the networked online environment is to exploit all forms of digital and telecommunication technologies and find new ways and means to provide feasible forms of collections, services and access to library materials.
As said earlier, Lack of web technology skilled staff, Lack of funds, Lack of basic Information Infrastructure (Internet Access, Electricity, and Web server), Limits of Network Bandwidth and Slow Transmission are most of the things hindering on line information services in Nigerian Academic Library. According to the author, even when some of these problems were there, it was also observed that some of the Library websites were designed, developed and maintained by people outside the library and by non-professional as well.
The author, has done a thorough research because all most all the Academic libraries in our country is suffering the same plight except in the developed countries where we have constant power supply and all the infrastructure to make the online information services effectively. Already, many Academic libraries provide internet access, and some have uploaded their websites on the internet. How ever, they are yet to move their services online and provide remote access to digital resources.
All the factors mentioned before that militate against libraries providing online services should be addressed, Library schools must review their curriculum to reflect the need in the work field and also Heads of libraries must invest in the retraining of their staff, by providing sponsorships to attend workshops and conferences organized by their professionals. The use of open source, open access databases, journals, and free web based resources should not be neglected as it will go a long way to solve the problems.

Summary of the Paper: Implementing a National Virtual Library for Higher Institutions in Nigeria.

2009-09-02T08:48:00.000-07:00

Name: Nwobu, O. E.
Course: LIBS 883 - Online Information Industry
Number: MIM/EDUC/00444/2008-09

Summary of the Paper: Implementing a National Virtual Library for Higher Institutions in Nigeria.
By Ezra Shiloba Gbaje

The purpose of a Virtual Library is to support learning and acquisition of Knowledge, to provide a more solid basis for education and to enhance quality of life by drawing on digitally available (preferably on-line) books, materials and journals via ICT –based tools. A virtual Library provides remote (on-line or CD- Rom based) access to a variety of national and international content (e.g. curricula, learning materials, books, journals, magazines, newspapers) services traditionally offered by libraries and other information source. Virtual Library thus, combine on- site collections of materials in electronic format with an electronic network which ensure access to and delivery of those materials. Virtual Library then, is an interactive environment where people can access information and share information with one another.
Following a request by the President of Nigeria during the 31st General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in October 2001, the organization agreed to refocus its Special Plan Action programme for Nigeria towards establishing a Virtual Library for higher education institutions. The idea was that given the low capacity of the higher institutions to stock their libraries with relevant books and literature, it was imperative to exploit information and communication technologies (ICTs) to provide solution to this problem. This change was also necessitated by the report of the earlier mission of the Special Plan of Action, which identified the need for virtual library test bed as urgent and important in addressing the crisis of quality of education in the country.
The virtual library is an opportunity to address the paucity of teaching and research materials in the libraries of institutions of higher education in the country. It would also allow the institutions and local researchers to share their own research outputs with the global community. It would also ensure the preservation of our cultural heritages in a more durable form. To kick start the effort at establishing the virtual library, UNESCO and Nigeria got a funding from the Japanese Fund in Trust to conduct a Feasibility Study for the virtual library in Nigeria. This Feasibility Study commenced with a study mission from UNESCO Headquarters to the country in September 2002. The mission held discussion with various organizations in the country and established a firm commitment on the need for the virtual library. It also recruited a National Professional Officer (NPO) who is to coordinate the Feasibility Study in the country. To its credit, rather than commissioned consultants to undertake the Feasibility Study, UNESCO decided to involve the various stakeholders and professionals in a participatory approach to develop the content of the study. Thus, it brought together the various stakeholders in a workshop to deliberate and write the content of the feasibility report. The workshop, which held from the 25th to 29th August at the Conference Hall of the NIT, Kaduna was attended by representatives from all the sectors of the tertiary institutions, libraries and IT professionals, educational administrators as well as IT companies that are operating in the electronic library sector. There were also representatives of donor organizations such as the Mac Arthur Foundation, which has been funding support on IT capacity in four universities in the country, the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA), which has electronic database subscriptions for many libraries in the country and the US Public Information System.
Working through eight syndicate groups, the workshop produced an eight-chapter document covering various aspects of the virtual library. These include infrastructure and connectivity, content management, capacity building and funding and sustainability and growth. Others were administration and management, legal, copyright and payment issues, implementation plan and costing as well as funding sources.
But unfortunately, years after the National Virtual Library Project was initiated and despite all the achievement enumerated by NUC and the series of training, workshops, none of the University pilot centers for the first phase of this project has begun its operation which is now funded by the Education Trust Fund (ETF) with researcher sought to view some of the problems that had hindered the development of the national virtual library. It identify that some of the problems are from members of the team in the project, they cited lack of Funds, Lack of competent personnel with the technical knowhow of virtual library and lack of local resources for digitization.
For a way forward, Librarians with web technology skills will be required to facilitate skilled information retrieval, and to intervene between the user and the information to help users evaluate what they retrieve. The selection of materials for the virtual Library is the sole responsibility of the Librarian. The government must make a deliberate effort to provide funds for policy implementation, provide necessary technology training for Librarians, and develop national information infrastructure or else the advantages associated with virtual library will continue to elude us.

Critique of the implementation a Natinal Virtual library for Higher Institution in Nigeria

2009-08-26T03:35:00.005-07:00

The writer (Gbaje,E.S) has a good knowledge of what a virtual library is and what makes up a virtual library.The fact that we are in the information age and creating an environment for accessing these information is a good idea ,does not mean we (Nigerians and the Government) should rush into creating a virtual library without enabling necessary policy and providing enabling infrastructure to support its successful implementation. The paper highlighted the limitation of implementing a virtual library , steps and issues that has to be corrected for proper implementation of virtual libraries in Nigerian Higher Institutions.

CHALLENGES OF IMPLEMENTING VIRTUAL LIBRARY IN NIGERIA

2009-08-18T08:05:00.000-07:00

The virtual library concept which was conceptualized to ease the access of learning and teaching of digitalized databases, encyclopedia, historical and current events has been a success in many countries. But in Nigeria where the National Universities Commission (NUC) has been championing the course the initiative still remains a mirage and this is due to:
1. Funds
2. Lack of planning
3. Government attitude to education

But before we go further let us look at the various means/technologies that will be needed to implement this virtual library concept.
The technology to get a virtual library going is already here available (i.e. languages like HTML, XML) databases that include Oracle, My SQL. Networking protocols like IP (versions 4 & 6), UDP. The challenge here is getting these technologies together, which is not a problem in developed countries, but in developing countries like Nigeria this posses quite a challenge.
which brings us back to the problems and why the virtual library project may take time before it comes on board or may never take off at all even with the efforts of the National Universities Commission (NUC)/ Nigerian Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) in organizing workshops, sensitization and implementation of new technologies.
Funds: over the year Government has refused to implement the United Nations recommendation that Education has take at least 20% of the nation’s annual budget. These funds are needed to put in place the infrastructure and train personnel.
Lack of Planning: even the little funds that the government budgets for education yearly is poorly planned for, for instance there is no need to start building new physical structures when the ones in place have not even been renovated or buying furniture when there are no classroom to put them in.
Government attitude to education: over the years strikes in the academia has been a common phenomenon because the government has shown time and time again that it cannot be trusted to fulfill agreements signed by its representatives, this is added to the fact that even when the government budgets monies for the education sector not all of the funds are realized to the sector. so this causes the sector to only pay personnel costs only and not being able to undertake any research work, physical development, training & re-training etc.

The way forward is simply; government in Nigerian must show more serious in the virtual library project, commit resources, train the right personnel, put in place the infrastructure and give the National Universities Commission the necessary legal backing in order for it to carry out its functions

Shehu Mohammed
MIM/EDUC/03844/2008-09

inplementing a national library for higher institutions in nigeria

2009-08-15T07:56:00.000-07:00

NAME: - SUZANAH DOUGLAS ZAKI
NO: - MIM/EDUC/05890/2008-09
COURSE: - LIBS 883/ONLINE INFORMATION INDUSTRIES

IMPLEMENTATING A NATIONAL LIBRARY FOR HIGHER INSTITUTIONS IN NIGERIA
A virtual library is defined as a library that provides access to tools such as databases, electronic journals, alerting services, electronic references and quality- vetted e- resources. It is considered as a library that consists of both digital and electronic library, it cannot function as a digital library.
The inability of Nigerian government to stock libraries in the academic institutions with relevant information resources has great implications for learning, teaching, research and development. Realising this, the Nigerian government has been making efforts through the National Universities Commission to implement the National Virtual Library Initiatives, which will enhance access to locally – available resources and international library collections for sharing with university libraries all over Nigeria using digital technology. However, six years after the project was initiated, the virtual library is yet to be functional.
To facilitate the development and implementation of the national virtual library, the NUC convened a stakeholder work in Abuja in July 2001 where the blue print for the project was developed and subsequently approved by the federal executives’ council in January 2002. Eleven universities were selected as pilot centers for the first phase of the project unfortunately, six years after the national virtual library was initiated and despite all the achievements enumerated by the NUC and series of training workshops, none of the eleven universities pilot centers has began operations and National Virtual Library which is now funded by Educational Trust Fund (ETF) is yet to be fully functional. The Nigerian government approved a national information technology policy in March 2001.
Numerous recommendations were made far away forward to actualizing the National Virtual Library project in Nigeria.

mim class

2009-08-14T09:29:00.000-07:00

The Inefficient Information Industry
Because information-based businesses are becoming increasingly crucial to our commercial and social lives, inefficiencies in the information marketplace are becoming less tolerable. For example, today's information industry is characterized by the following:

2009-08-11T13:42:00.000-07:00

IMPLEMENTATION OF NATIONAL VIRTUAL LIBRARY FOR HIGHER INSTITUTION IN NIGERIA
The importance of virtual library in Nigeria cannot be overemphasized due to the fact that there is a massive advancement in technology leading to a change in the way the information profession is carried out.
A virtual library can be defined as a library that provides remote access to tools such as databases, electronic journals, alerting services, online reference tools, and quality selected web resources, that improves the quality of teaching, learning and researches. It is an interactive environment where people can access and share information in a remote way.
The emergence of a virtual library in Nigeria came up, due to the inability of the Nigerian government to stock the academic libraries with relevant information resources, which perhaps has a great implications for learning, teaching, and researches for overall development.
Therefore in order to solve this problem, the Nigeria government decided to implement the National virtual library through the National Universities Commission (NUC), to provide all the necessary information both locally and internationally which is required for teaching, learning, and researches in all the Nigerian universities.
However, six years after the virtual library was initiated, it has only been able to achieve little in some areas like, the recruitment of technical staff and consultants, carried out rapid NEEDS assessment in eleven Universities, developed and host virtual library websites, digitization and uploading journals published in Nigerian universities and among others.
The virtual library project is yet to be functional due to some reasons which includes lack of funds, competent personnel with know how, computer phobia, and lack of local resources for digitization.
The virtual library can be successful if the government can provide the necessary funds, necessary technology, training for librarians, and also develop national information infrastructures and among others.

CRITICISM FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF NATIONAL VIRTUAL LIBRARY IN NIGERIA
Though the virtual library is very important in the academic environment, the technology attached to it creates a limitation to the network bandwith and slow speed in transmission thereby leading to instances of either no network or slow network thereby hindering the ability to make access to the information resources.
Unlike in the traditional library’s settings the users can only get access to the resources in the virtual library through the use of a password before the proxy server can attend to him. This to some extent hinders the ability to get information resources in the library.
The national library team should try and understand what constitute a virtual library and how to build it, for it to come in to reality.
Workshops, and training will have to be organized for institutions and individuals concerned with particular specification to key areas like web technology, content management, access management, database administration, network administration and security.
In conclusion, there should be a proper information technology policy for virtual libraries to be successful.

MURJANATU ABDULKARIM

MIM/EDUC/00051/2008-09

2009-08-11T13:27:00.000-07:00

SUMMARY OF THE ECONOMIC VALUE OF INFORMATION BY DAVID BELIN

The article seeks to measure the economic value of information. Informational values may vary relative to one’s profession but it is said to be an expression of impacts or how it is need.

The value of information were examined under three themes and these themes are:

1. INFORMATION VALUE AS “USE’:
Here the value of information denotes an expression of how useful a piece of information is to the recipient. Informational value is frequently expressed as a derivation from communicational utility which also takes into consideration availability of data within an organization, its flow to members of that organization as well as impact of those data to the structural organization of the firm.

2. INFORMATION AS “TRAFFIC”:
This tries evaluate the material or monetary worth of information as in traffic or sales. Porat (Porat 1977) in his study in 1977 discovered that the portion of U.S. National Economy involved with information was large and rapidly growing taking up 49% of Gross National Product (GNP) and earning 53% of labour income. A recent survey shows increase in revenue recorded with the online database industry as well as increased rate of electronic dissemination of information.

3. INFORMATION VALUE AS “COMMODITY”:
Information here is seen as a unique commodity the is not consumed in its use but could be exchange as well as used many times. Exchange value and use value of a commodity (information) were distinguished with commodity acting as the unifying factor between the two.

Pricing was deduced as an acceptable measure of value and a reliable indicator of exchange when taken over time.

In conclusion, the article won given preference to valuing information in its commodity form since market price serves as a good indicator or measure for value.

NAME: AJAYI OLUGBENGA S.

MIM/EDUC/07812/2008-09

SUMMARY AND CRITQUE OF THE CHALLENGES OF IMPLEMENTING A NATIONAL VIRTUAL LIBRARY

2009-08-09T10:35:00.000-07:00

SUMMARY
The idea behind the establishment of the national virtual library is to establish an online network among Nigeria universities where access to tools such as database, electronic journals, alerting services, online reference and quality selected web resources that improves the quality of teaching and research can be obtain. Unfortunately this initiate has become a mirage.
The virtual library is expected to provide value-added solution for all higher education institution and facilitate online access to an enormous current volume of academic information.
Amongst other things, the virtual library is expected to
(i) Improve the quality of teaching and research in institution of higher leaning in Nigeria through the provision of current books, journals and other library resources.
(ii) Enhance scholarship, research and lifelong learning through the establishment of permanent access to shared digital archival collections etc
Digitization, acquisition and collection development and enabling technology all form the bedrock of a successful virtual library. Unavailability of basic information infrastructure, poor policy implementation, lack of web technologies skilled digital system librarians, information technology policy and technological challenges are the hindrance to the implementation of a National virtual Library in the institution of our higher learning. Aside from these, there is need for a librarian with web technology skill who will be able to facilitate skilled information retrieval and to intervene between user and the information, to help user evaluate what they retrieved.
It is not totally a lost hope for the actualization of the virtual Library if only the following steps can be taken:
(i) An improvement in the basic national infrastructure
(ii) Librarian and information professionals to be trained in information and web technology skills.
(iii) The virtual library should provide access to electronic resources free web based resources, heavily digitized resources and open access resources.
(iv) They should seek more grants and other source of funding to upgrade, etc.

In conclusion, since the aim of the virtual library is to provide networking amongst universities for the purpose of sharing resources online, the government should try as much as possible to make available every necessary materials that will make this a reality.

CRITIQUE
This work cannot be condemned as the write has help in identifying the challenges the implementation of the National virtual library is presently facing and the way out of it.
A very good work I must say.

NAME: OLUGBENGA S. AJAYI
REG NO: MIM/EDUC/07812/2008-2009

PROVISION OF ONLINE INFORMATION SERVICES IN NIGERIAN ACADEMIC LIBRARIES

2009-08-08T14:59:00.000-07:00

According to some publications, increasing number of people are turning to the internet as their preferred source of information. Transporting library services to the online environment is therefore essentially necessary as it assists online library patrons/researchers to obtain reliable information on the internet.

This study therefore seeks to determine the extent to which academic libraries in Nigeria provide online services to its patrons, highlighting the need for online information services and identifying the factors hindering provision of effective online services.

Sample data were consequently obtained from the library websites of ten Nigerian Universities through an online questionnaire designed using ‘survey monkey” – an intelligent survey software.

Having eulogized Nigeria’s improvement in the telecommunications industry within the past few years, the study however revealed that online information literacy instructions, online reference services, remote access to online catalogue, webblog and online document delivery were never provided by the sampling academic libraries.

Similarly, lack of web technological skilled librarian, lack of funds and lack of basic information infrastructure were identified as some of the factors militating against provision of online information services by these academic libraries

In conclusion, solutions such as retraining of library staff through workshops and conferences, the use of open source, open access databases and journals and free web based resources were suggested as ways to address some of the challenges enumerated above.

NAME: UKAH TOCHI .U
REG NO: MIM/EDUC/09791/2008-09

IMPLEMENTING A NATIONAL VIRTUAL LIBRARY FOR HIGHER INSTITUTIONS IN NIGERIA

2009-08-08T14:50:00.000-07:00

A virtual library facilities access to tools such as databases, electronic journals, alerting services, electronic reference and quality vetted e-resources. Building a virtual library entails processes such as digitalization, acquisition of resources and proper implementation of defined collection development policies. Virtual library services and digital resources are delivered over the internet. Therefore the enabling technologies deployed are web-based technologies.

However, various initiatives to setup a virtual library in Nigeria have suffered setbacks owing to some challenges as:

• Unavailability of the basic information infrastructure.
• Unstable/ Erratic power supply within the country.
• Lack of funds and high cot of deployment of VSATs especially to higher institutions.
• Poor information technology policy implementation.
• Lack of competent personal and
• Lack of understanding of what constitutes a virtual library.

The study thereafter suggested the way forward towards a successful implementation of a national virtual library in Nigeria. The ways are but not exclusive to provision of stable poor supply, provision of the basic information infrastructure and recruitment/engagement of high skilled professionals.

It is therefore expected that the National Virtual Library will soon be a reality especially with the February 2007 mandate transferring the project to the Nigeria National Library.

NAME: UKAH TOCHI .U
REG NO: MIM/EDUC/09791/2008-09

THE ECONOMIC VALUE OF INFORMATION (SUMMARY)

2009-08-08T14:39:00.000-07:00

The article seeks to measure the economic value of information. Informational values may vary relative to one’s profession but it is said to be an expression of impacts or how it used.
Scholarly attempts to measure the value of information were examined under three themes using the three primary meanings of the word ‘Value’ as given by American College Dictionary (1968). These themes are:

1. INFORMATION VALUE AS “USE”: Here the value of information denotes solely an expression of how useful a piece of information is to the recipient. Informational value is frequently expressed as a derivation from communicational utility which also takes into consideration availability of data within an organisation, its flow to members of that organisation as well as impacts of those data to the structural organisation of the firm.

However, the article flawed this theme considering inaccurate findings of informational use using mathematical formulas.

2. INFORMATION AS “TRAFFIC”: This theme tries to evaluate the material or monetary worth of information as in traffic or sales. Porat (Porat 1977) in his study in 1977 discovered that the portion of U.S national economy involved with information was large and rapidly growing taking up 46% of Gross National Product (GNP) and earning 53% of labour income. A recent survey also shows a constant increase of revenue recorded with the online database industry as well as increased rate of electronic dissemination of information.

3. INFORMATION VALUE AS “COMMODITY”: Here information is seen as a unique commodity that is not consumed in its use but could be exchanged as well as used many times. Exchange value and use value of a commodity (information) were distinguished with commodity acting as the unifying factor between the two.

Pricing was deduced as an acceptable measure of value and a reliable indicator of exchange value when taken over time.

The article was concluded by given preference to valuing information in its commodity form since market price serves as a good indicator or measure for value.

NAME: UKAH TOCHI. U
REG NOS: MIM/EDUC/09791/2008-2009

QUESTION: SUMARIZE ARTICLE ON IMPLEMENTATION OF VIRTUAL LIBRARY FOR HIGH INSTITUTIONS IN NIGERIA.

2009-08-03T04:40:00.001-07:00

NAME: IDRIS ISAH GULU REG. NO. MIM/EDUC/11370/2008-09

LIBS 883: ONLINE INFORMATION INDUSTRIES

The paper highlights on how virtual library facilitates access to information resources as database, electronics, journals, alerting services, online references tools, and quality selected web resources that improve of teaching and research.

The paper differentiated between electronic libraries, digital library and virtual library as electronic library consist of electronic materials and services like video tapes and CD-ROM. While digital library consist f digital services and materials are stored, process and transferred via digital devices and network. The virtual
Library consists of both digital and electronic libraries existing virtually. And stress the important of virtual library in high institutions in Nigeria, which among them is improving quality of teaching and research through the provision of current e-book, journals and other resources, also enhance scholarship, research and lifelong learning through the establishment of access to shared global virtual archival collections.

The article in addition examines the process of building virtual libraries as the thus digitalization, acquisitions, and collection development

Digitalization involve the process of making non-digital materials in digital format and acquisition and collection development involves acquiring and securing ownership of electronic resources such as databases, e-books, and journal trough license. Subscribed electronic resources are stored on a remote server hosted by the vendor and made accessible to a target user, while digital collections of information resources involve selection and organization based on an explicit collection development policy that address need of particular community.

The paper finally, identifies the challenges of its implementation which includes misconceptions of what constitute virtual libraries, unavailability of he basic information infrastructures, poor policy implementation and lack of web technologies skill digital/systems librarians have been identifies.

And the way-forward was suggested in form of recommendation as thus; Improvement of infrastructures, web technological skills, access to resources and availability of fund was emphasized.

Welcome 2008/2009 MIM Students

2009-07-17T00:45:00.000-07:00

I welcome you to the 2008/2009 Session of the Masters in Information Management (MIM) Class.

This blog is setup for the Online Information Industries class. This will allow students of the class to exploit and have a practical experience of one of the web 2.0. We shall review two main articles available at http://www.sharondelight.net/publications.html

Gbaje E.S (2007). Implementing a National Virtual Library for Higher Institutions in Nigeria. LIBRES Library and Information Science Research Electronic Journal Volume 17, Issue 2, September

Gbaje E.S. (2007). Provision of Online Information Services in Nigerian Academic Libraries.Nigerian Libraries: Journal of Nigerian Library Association. Vol. 40. [PDF 56KB]

Ezra Shiloba Gbaje

CRITTIQUE

2009-01-23T23:40:00.000-08:00

CRITTIQUE

If proficiency in the identification, selection and use of internet resources is a primary information literacy goal, then for the libraries to claim gateway to information they must be able to provide adequate instructional tutorials on how to access, use and evaluate the internet resources.
Their web page and home page design must suggest that they are dedicated to helping students achieve their desired goals through provision of navigation tools, use of clear and defined terms, drop-down menus and annotations.

Posted by Ophelia Ezetoha
MIM/EDUC/19113/2007-2008

The academic libraries as a gateway to internet

2009-01-23T21:25:00.000-08:00

THE ACADEMIC LIBRARY AS A GATEWAY TO THE INTERNET: AN ANALYSIS OF THE EXTENT AND NATURE OF SEARCH ENGINE ACCESS FROM ACADEMIC LIBRARY HOME PAGES

Academic libraries had been regarded as gateways to information for the University communities; the undergraduates, postgraduates, researchers and lecturers inclusive. In this regards, the library has a responsibility for information literacy instruction, selection, use and evaluation of multiple information resources including internet resources.
It is sad then to find out that most libraries do not provide these services. Their websites and homepages are not relevant to users’ needs thus bringing about search, frustration, waste of time and click lost. Recent studies have shown that students especially the undergraduates regard the internet as a primary source of information resource whether or not they are able to evaluate the information gotten thereby sacrificing quality for convenience. Some of these students are not even aware of the less easily accessible but qualitative “deep web”.
Some factors have hindered the profitable use of the internet; the inability to choose the right search engine, poor navigation pathway design, lack of guide and tutorials, use of library jargons, use of vague and non informative terms, lack of annotations and drop-down menu and links.
The challenges posed by the new information environment are great and libraries should show that they are able to meet these challenges in order to make internet searches a gainful exercise.

Submitted by EZETOHA OPHELIA N.
MIM/EDUC/19113/2007-2008

free, feebased and value-added online services

2008-10-04T06:06:00.000-07:00

the free websites are not really free as a searcher has to pay by cash and time.Online services are still being threathened by so many setbacks.Among are erratic power, lack of IT facilities, low-level info literacy, poverty and Govt unpatriotic attitude.The way forward is that Govt must provide free online services thru the public and academic libraries.

free, fee based and value added information

2008-09-24T11:27:00.000-07:00

These kinds of services are not working in Nigeria, not really because of the poor situation of the country but to the value placed on information. Once high value has been placed on information, them there will be always ways to access such services.
Some fee based information are not actually information that are scarce or difficult to find but the brokers do have means of getting such information and collating them together for the user to access, thereby saving the user valuable time that may be spent if such information are to be sought for by themselves.
I am of the opinion that certain information need not be made available for free, because do not value information they get for free, once some value in form of cash or otherwise has been placed on information, there is a higher possibility that such information will be valued, however in some environmental locations some information need to be made available for the progress and benefit of the users. A piece of information that is of value to one user may not be actually valuable to another.
Value can also be added to some information, so as to make the user make proper use of them and also as a way of sourcing for a means of lively hood by the person selling such information.
In Nigeria value has not been placed on information as compared to other countries, there is the need to have proper legislation that will make selling information very viable and laws that will protect the suppliers of such information. Some information that can be made available can expose some wrongdoing taking place somewhere and those concerned may tend to sabotage such efforts.
Finally there should be infrastructure put in place such as availability of power, research and ICT centers in various parts of the country as information service providers for revenue generation.

Gwary E.B
MIM/EDUC/12102/08-09

2008-09-12T07:43:00.001-07:00

THE ECONOMIC VALUE OF INFORMATION

There are no standardized ways to value information generally.
But information may be valued by its utility which varies from individual to individual, and from organization to organization. Because information may be valued for its use, the user may be willing to pay for it thereby making it a commodity which can be measured by price as all other economic products in the market place.

However, information is not critically considered as valuable due to our low level of software development (ignorance and illiteracy). If the Nigerian government begins to utilize available information for developmental purposes, then an awareness of the economic value of information will be created. The bottom- line is that information may be regarded as a public and economic product.

Name: Ojadonor, U. Jimmy.

Reg. No: MIM/EDUC/11944/2007-08

The economic value of information

2008-09-09T10:38:00.001-07:00

THE ECONOMIC VALUE OF INFORMATION

How are we to value information? A common view is that “to accountant, information is considered as worthless. On the balance sheet, information is such a hidden asset. It is totally invisible (Tate, 1986,86) such may be the case of accountant creating an annual report. But to those who must enter, collate, sort, store, transmit, format, analyse and utilize it, information certainly has value.
What kind of ‘value’’ might we consider. Calculation of the value of commodities in general is an established problem addressed by economists. Value in this general sense has also been addressed by information theorists in communications, library and information science (Black and Marchant, 1982). In order words the value of information is an expression of impact or how it is used (Griffiths, 1982). The American college dictionary (1968) lists three primary meanings for the word value.
1. That property of a thing because of which it is esteemed, desirable or useful.
2. Material or money worth as in traffic or sale.
3. The worth of a thing as measured by the amount of other things for which it can be exchanged, or as estimated in terms of a medium of exchange.

Information value as ‘’Use’’
The economic value of information depends on the utility it is placed. Indeed a prevailing view speaks of the ‘’value of information’’ with this same connotation, which information value denotes solely an expression of how ’’useful’’ it is to the recipient. Information value is frequently expressed as a derivation from communicational utility, following from the engineering work of Shannon and Weaver (1949).

Information as ‘’traffic’’
Indeed, in formation is available in many forms, not just computerized, and there have been many attempts to map its societal usage, flow and value. Machlup (1962) is justly credited with farthering this field of study with his book The production and Distribution of Knowledge in the United States. This was the first detailed attempt to classify knowledge production in society, including education, research and development (R&D) activity and the communication media.

Information value as ‘’commodity’’
Utility by itself, without economic factors is of little help in analyzing information as commodity, because what we seek to measure is economic value which assumes use value.
Many (although not all) forms of electronic information are commodities. This means they are available for purchase in the market place. The lists of example is long including purchased software packages (e.g. Word Perfect, rBase) leased Software (VSAM, IMS), bibliographic retrieval services e.g. (Dialog, D&B), Scientific data retrieval services, Governmental data services, data networking services (e.g. Telenet, Tymenet) and computer network services (e.g. CompuServe.
However it is interesting to note that the issue of the economic value of information is an academic exercise. It is rather not easy to define. But it is clear to look at it from the point of view of utility at which information have been placed. On the general note, information is most valued on the point of tactical, operational and strategy purpose.

Free, Fee-Based and Value-Added Information Services

2008-09-09T10:32:00.000-07:00

Information the foundation of business decisions.
Every business manager, in every industry, has the same important job responsibility of making decisions. The key to making good decisions that further the goals and objectives of the organization is good information.
In today’s global village the information required to make decision resides not only within the organization itself, but beyond its boundaries. When there is any need for decision making as regards to competitive, regulatory or product development, for instance, what the manager needs most are facts about other companies and institutions. To find that external information, today’s managers and knowledge workers go online.
The online world is a very big place. Netcraft found in excess of three million active websites. Looking for a particular bit of information among all these websites will not be easy. There is therefore the need for most sophisticated tool to approach the task.

The $107 billion search
Super information about information managers (super 1 – AIM) study conducted by outsells, inc., which was commissioned by Factiva, Dialog and KPMG. said that American Companies spent $107 billions a year paying their employees to search for external information.
Researchers interviewed more than 6,000 American knowledge workers from the Vice president to individual contributors. They were employed at companies selected from twenty (20) different industries, all with annual sales above $10 million. The study finds that knowledge workers spend about four hours per week looking for and gathering information. They spend an additional four hours per week reviewing and applying external information. The average salary for these workers, the study finds, equates to $30 per hour, so searching for and reviewing external information at $240 per person per week is a hefty investment of employee time and corporate resources.

Here are three questions enterprise managers need to ask about this $107 billion information search.

1. Are the organization’s resources being spent wisely?
2. Is the right information being collected?
3. Is the information collected leading to good decision?

The answers depend on the quality of the research tools being used.

Free, Fee and value – added

Three general types of business information providers are available online.

a) Free web sites – Sites that do not charge for information available on them
b) Free – based sites – Sites that offer copyrighted material such as articles or analysis, charging for access
c) Value – added information Services – Web – based providers that offer a wide range of business information – much of it unavailable on the free Web or through fee based Web site – and charge for access

Head – to – head comparison of information sources
Free Web sites, fee-based Web sites, and value-added information services offer varying access to information and different search capabilities. Does it matter?

To find out, Bates conducted a head-to-head comparison of the three types if information providers (Bates, selecting Business intelligence sources). She sought answers to typical business questions on free Web sites, Fee-based Web sites and a value-added information service-Dow Jones interactive, a Factiva product

The result – value – added is faster and better.

The result of the study show significant differences among the three approaches. “In almost every case, complete answers were only available through the value-added service – Dow Jones interactive in this test” Bates report Dow Jones interactive also yielded the answers much more quickly than either free or fee – based services in all but the simplest request.

Bates concludes that the majority of business questions are most effectively answered with a professional online service. The information resources are more comprehensive, deeper and can be searched in a fraction of the time required to search the web. Most of the highest companies in the world make Factiva’s value-added information services available to their employees of all Global Fortune 500 companies 84% have Factiva accounts.

CRITICAL ASSESSMENT OF THE ABOVE SUMMARY.

No information online is actually free when we consider the actual cost for information plus the cost of business professional’s time. In business, time is money. The developed nations of the world have mastered this. They can actually spend in billions to search for value-added information because this is what has given them an edge over the rest of the world. America is superior today because of her information network. They are far ahead in terms of Technology and financial development. They can sponsor any kind of research with end result.

It will be almost impossible for a typical Nigerian business manager to spend huge amount of money as $107bn to search for information on the Web sites. The exposure, commitment and sincerity of purpose may be a mere thought, as against America who may harbour a long time plan strictly based on the quality of online global information.
Power generation i.e. electricity and Information Technology (IT) are not working hand by hand in Nigeria’s quest for development. Power generation and supply is very low which is a total stampid on Information Communication Technology Development. The unstable nature of Nigeria economic and political environment, government apathy towards information service is a great hindrance.
It is important to note that among the three Internet Service providers, i.e. Free Web sites, Free-based web sites and the Value added Information Services, Value-added is faster and better. The result of the study show significant differences among the three approaches. In almost every case complete answers were only available through the Value-added service. Dow Jones Interactive also yielded the answers much more quickly than either free or fee-based services.
Bates went further to calculate the actual total cost of each search – the actual cost of the Information plus the cost of the business professional’s time. “In almost every case” Bates says the true cost of research was lowest when using Dow Jones Interactive and higher when relying on the fee-based sources.

Lawyers in Nigeria for now may be able to afford value-added information services-Web based providers that offer a wide range of business information because of the nature of their work. They are ready to spend to get information in order to defend and win their cases. Finally, it is to note that every Webmaster is free to do what he or she wants. They therefore sometimes give one difficulty or the other. Every body wants freedom because it is a wonderful thing. But on the web, it certainly makes finding a particular fact difficult. How many Nigerian information seekers can afford and endure this?

The economic Value of Information

2008-08-27T04:55:00.000-07:00

This paper highlights attempts at different levels to find the economic value of information as it relates to its use, traffic and as commodities. Information value is relative to utility to decision maker, interest to a user and often expressed as a derivation from communicational utility. Above all, the value of information is an expression of impacts or how it is used.

On the information value as traffic, a more recent attempt has arisen with the online database industry. This showed that the rate of growth in electronic dissemination had exceeded the rate of consumption, thereby resulting in information overload. Noticed also was a decrease in informational flows in print media.

In terms of information value as commodities, some theorists agreed that many forms of electronic information are commodities which are available for purchase in the market place. While this may be true to some extent, the use and exchange value of this commodity still remains difficult to determine. As a matter of fact, the only the market price will serve as a good indicator of the value of information commodities.

Criticism

In general, it is believed that the value of information is hard to determine. This is because what is of value to one person may not be to another. It is diffcult or impossible to have a common ground in the definition of the value of information.

On the other hand, if information value is seen as a commodity, what determines the quantity to be bought and sold? And again how many people because of their economic conditions will be able to afford it? This means that many people may not be able to use information.

In my view, this has serious implication for all organizations as well as those who use such commodities at various levels.

Noah Omagbogu

MIM/Educ/11726/2007-08

27/8/2008

1.20 pm

The economic Value of Information

2008-08-27T02:50:00.000-07:00

Information is very vital in decision making; however its “value” has been a topic of debate. Different scholars have divergent views about what value information has.

Considering the value of information on the basis of its usefulness may be limited as what is useful today may not be as useful the next day.

The recent attempt to value information with the online database industry is to consider information as a traffic or channel for achieving desired purposes. Because information is available in many forms and different purposes, its value can be considered in terms of classification or categorization. This is where data obtained can be interpreted on the basis of certain designed attributes. In another way to value information is to consider it as a commodity such that the worth of its exchange can be determined. In this aspect value may be difficult to ascertain as the owner may view differently from expected users of such information. Although, it may be difficult to determine what value an information has, the author opined that it may be better to value information in commodity form.

Critique

It is on the basis of the above submission that one wish to challenge information seekers to always provide adequately for any information as this is very important in decision making.

Budgetary allocation for information should be given top priority if adequate decisions are to be taken.

Any nation or organization that pays lip service to information is heading for doom as the highest bidder would always obtain the best information.

Manpower development in information technology (IT) is a very wise investment and this should be encouraged by any organization or nation.

Information should not be seen as a commodity, it should allowed to be accessible to those in need of it.

Princess Bridget Terfa Ikyembe (Mrs.)

MIM/Educ/12702/2007-08

27/8/08

11.14 am

The Economic Value of Information

2008-08-27T02:15:00.000-07:00

Many scholars have expressed their views on the economic value of information form various perspectives: information value as use, information value as traffic and information value as commodity.

Value of information is seen as an expression of how useful the information is to its recipients. Information value is relative to utility to decision makers. Information value is frequently expressed as a derivation from communicational utility. This view as value information is the transmission of messages from the superior to the sub-ordinates in the managerial hierarchy of an organization.

Indeed, information is available in many forms, not just computerized, there have been attempts to map its societal usage, flow and value. The rate of growth in electronic dissemination of information had exceeded the rate of its consumption, this difference justifies the concept of information of overload.

Information has economic value if its ability to be exchanged for another commodity or money.

Critique

The economic factors are often viewed as impediment to and constraints upon information value by its use. This is not withstanding, information should be seen as a commodity, we must learn how to pay for information, for any good plan you need accurate information. Market price serves as a good indicator of the value of information commodity.

Elameyi Susan Unobe

MIM/Educ/11975/2007-08

27/8/2008

10.43 am

The economic Value of Information

2008-08-27T01:39:00.000-07:00

There are two schools of thought, one views economic value of information on the basis of its utility that accrue to the recipient and the others value information on the basis of what it can be exchanged for money.

Therefore, the economic value of information is an expression of impacts or how it is used.

The economic value of information is relative to utility to decision policy makers.

The economic value of information in general terms is the transmission of messages from the superior down to the sub-ordinates in the managerial hierarchy in the organization.

The information in this 21^st century appears in different formats, but attempts have been made to map out its societal usage, flow and value.

The overall growth in electronic dissemination of information had overwhelm the rate of its consumption.

Critique

The economic factors are often viewed as impediments and constraints to the value of information use.

The value of information in economic terms is absolutely hard to determine.

Do you subscribe to information as a commodity? Information should not be valued as a commodity so that every body can have access to it for the public good.

There were different views among scholars as to the economic value of information as they opined that market price serves a good indicator of the value of information commodities.

Ogala, Raphael A.

MIM/Educ/11154/2007-08

27/8/08

10.04 am

The Economic Value of Information

2008-08-24T15:37:00.000-07:00

The value of information is viewed in various ways by the information theorists.
1. As use to which it can be put
2. As traffic or sale in education or Research and Development
3. As a commodity
But an information theorist, Bell (1983) view information as a unique commodity in that information is not consumed in its use, and thus can be exchanged as well as used many times.
It is also realized that some information lose their exchange value through its use while others may increase their potential exchange value through their use.
In the Nigerian context, many pieces of information could be exchanged and used many times such as Students (undergraduates) information book whether digitalized or in print form. In such a case, students can be made to pay for such information as a way of generating revenue for the institution.

Free, Fee-Based and Value-Added Information Services

2008-08-24T15:07:00.000-07:00

The situation in Nigeria
There is no doubt that sound information is the bedrock of good decision. In this information age, many factors could hamper the availability and sustainability of the internet services whether they are free, fee-based or value-added.
These factors include the national information infrastructure, politics, corruption and finance.
In this country, the national information infrastructure such as the electrical power supply, optic fiber cable distribution, satellite, information centers and skilled manpower is not robust and as such many problems are being encountered with the internet services.
The politicking game and corruption has not helped matters in any way.
The budgetary allocation assigned to technology has been far from being adequate for basic infrastructures.
I am of the opinion that valuable information should be paid for. Although many of my fellow contributors believe that this will be a far cry judging poverty level of the populace. But I feel that removing corruption and fund misappropriation the populace will have no business with poverty.
Posted by Ophelia Ezetoha
MIM/EDUC/19113/2007-2008

Free,Fee-based and Value-added informatiom Services

2008-08-24T13:43:00.000-07:00

Free, Fee-based and value added information services

2008-08-21T07:29:00.000-07:00

Online service providers and Nigeria situation?

For adequate decisions to be taken by business managers information is necessary and there are different sources by which this could be obtained.

The internet and its facilities are now available and can be accessed given the right atmosphere.

In Nigeria, online service is exist, though at a very limited level due to different factors, some of these services include free websites where information is available free of charge, fee-base websites where specific fees are charged as well as value added information services where fees are paid within organizational or company's purchasing process.

The Nigerian situation however does not favour free web based sites as government cannot actually provide for the subsidy required by providers to make their services free.

For the fee as well as value added websites majority of Nigerian citizens are not usually able to pay for the desired information as the country’s economic situation is not favourable. Only few individuals or organizations have the capacity to pay.

The above situation can be considered as a result of wrong foresight as the nation priorities are usually wrongly placed by those at the helm of affairs. Adequate attention is not given to technological advancement due to corruption and desire to acquire unnecessary wealth. In adequate power supply has contributed greatly to the underdevelopment infrastructure.

SOLUTIONS:

(1) The solution to these problems, government should Endeavour to provide the facilities of online services from urban to rural areas. Awareness should be created, and also develop its manpower.
(2) Government should ensure that financial support budget is meant for the maintenances of the facilities to aid people constant in search of information.
(3) Government should ensure power supply is constantly available to reduce the cost of fueling generators and charges should be minimized.

Princess Bridget Terfa Ikyembe (Mrs.)
MIM/Educ/12702/2007-08
4.00 pm.

Free, Fee-based added value information services

2008-08-21T07:05:00.001-07:00

How effective are these services in Nigeria?

The functionality of these websites is seriously in doubt.

This is partly because of poor economic condition of the people in which they pre-ocuppied with feeding themselves adequately.

Again inadequate supply of electricty poses another danger to online service development.

Until these problems are minized or reduced, the efficiency and effectiveness of online services in Nigeria remain a mirage.

Elameyi Susan Unobe
MIM/Educ/11975/2007-08
3.15 pm.

Free, Fee-based added value information services

2008-08-21T07:05:00.000-07:00

2008-08-14T10:21:00.001-07:00

Free, Fee based and Value added Information services

2008-08-14T09:23:00.000-07:00

Are these services real in Nigeria? My opinion is that these websites may not seem to be functional in this country despite the fact that online services are all over the place.

Nigerian nation is bedeviled with this monster called corruption and so online development is greatly handicapped. The eractic and epileptic power supply is a serious set back. The economic hardship has put alot of Nigerians below poverty line as they struggle to make ends meet or keep the body and soul together as a result. seeking for value added information services has been seriously relegated to the background.

Free, Fee-based and Value-added Information services/

2008-08-14T09:05:00.001-07:00

FREE, FEE-BASED WEBSITES AND VALUE-ADDED INFORMATION SERVICES, ARE THEY WORKING IN NIGERIA?

2008-08-13T00:40:00.000-07:00

These websites are not working properly in Nigeria even though online services are dotted here and there in the country.

Poor internet infrastructure is another problem affecting online services in Nigeria.

The supply of electricity in our country is very erratic and this has raised the cost of online searches.

The majority of cyber cafes in the country don't provide 24 hours service.

The computer and internet literacy is still very low in the country especially in the rural areas.

The povery in the country has not helped matter, people are basically concerned with how they feed themselves and family and not online searches.

Ogala,Raphael A.
MIM/EDUC/11154/2007-08
13/08/2008
10.OO AM

Welcome Online

2008-08-08T13:41:00.000-07:00

Welcome to MIM Online Information Industries Class.
This blog will enable us appreciate ICT and server as a platform to explore one aspect of web 2.0. Please let us keep our discussion focus on the topics and assignment given.