ABSTRACT
THE NEED FOR INFORMATION The rapid increase in the demand for, and use of, information has been one of the defining features of the last 20-30 years, and one which perhaps sets the present apart from the past. We live in an information age. We depend on information to guide our decisions and actions, to help monitor and evaluate the effects of the decisions and actions we take, to exchange and share
experience, and as a means of facilitating participation in the affairs of society.
