Information and Knowledge Society in Latin America

Abstract

As a consequence of the information explosion produced in recent years, the idea has emerged that we have moved to a new kind of society: information/knowledge society. In this vein, it is necessary to consider the meaning of the terms information and knowledge and the difference between them, since, not necessarily, more information derives in greater knowledge. Thus it is essential that Latin American countries reflect on the scientific and scholarly information that is produced and consumed, since many of our institutions are buying from international commercial providers large packages of specialized information that are produced in the more developed countries, and that not always meet our information needs and, instead, strengthen our economic dependence on them. So it is essential to value, support and promote the efforts being made in Latin America to organize and disseminate specialized information being generated in our countries, if we really want to become a part of a new type of society that gives theoretical knowledge a privileged role.