Lester and Koehler explore the history of information technology, its effect on communication, and the current status of societal institutions that create, distribute, and manage information. Individual chapters cover the impact of information in society, fundamental concepts of information, information technology, information institutions and professions, the impact of information on cultures and societies, the economics of information, information policy, information ethics, and information futures. This is the first book geared towards undergraduate information studies programs to approach the field from a multidisciplinary perspective. The authors emphasize technological development, people's access to and use of information, and the effect the interplay between those two components has on society's structure and operation.