레이블이 Mobile Ala Colleges인 게시물을 표시합니다. 모든 게시물 표시
레이블이 Mobile Ala Colleges인 게시물을 표시합니다. 모든 게시물 표시

2013년 11월 28일 목요일

About 'ala colleges'|...junior in college. Like, I'm way too young for college students to look at me like that...with -- exactly what she's dealing with. Ala Cougar from Top Gun after one wash-out too many...







About 'ala colleges'|...junior in college. Like, I'm way too young for college students to look at me like that...with -- exactly what she's dealing with. Ala Cougar from Top Gun after one wash-out too many...








INTRODUCTION               Information               is               the               oxygen               of               the               modern               age.

It               seeps               through               the               walls               topped               by               barbed               wire;               it               wafts               across               the               electrified               borders.


               -Ronald               Regan               1989               (Andrews)
               Through               out               the               ages,               many               people               and               organizations,               both               public               and               private               have               ceaselessly               tried               to               find               ways               to               create               and               distribute               products               that               will               bring               the               greatest               amount               of               profit.

Businesses,               organizations               and               individuals               produce,               market               and               sell               millions               of               items               each               day               in               order               to               get               more               money               in               return               than               they               spent               to               produce               the               item.

Even               past               civilizations               were               trying               to               get               the               most               for               their               seashells.

As               societies               evolved,               goods               that               were               traded               transcended               from               tangible               items               to               the               intangible.

Instead               of               simply               trading               tangible               goods               such               as               livestock               and               jewelry,               and               semi-tangible               goods               such               as               services               and               labor,               trade               have               increasingly               started               to               encompass               goods               that               do               not               have               a               physical               form               and               that               can               not               be               counted.

One               product               that               fits               the               description               of               intangible               is               information.

Information               has               become               a               key               term               that               has               united               a               diverse               number               of               technical               and               scientific               disciplines.

Some               examples               are               biology,               cognitive               sciences,               information               science,               computer               science,               the               psychology               of               the               brain,               physics,               and               economics.

Also               the               word               "information"               as               a               an               adjective               has               exploded               into               our               vocabulary               with               the               following               words:               information               age,               information               society,               information               economy,               information               superhighway,               information               millennium               and               information               revolution.

(Scholle)               At               the               present               time,               the               world               seems               to               be               undergoing               a               transition               to               a               "new               economy,"               a               term               often               applied               rather               vaguely,               but               which               basically               relates               to               the               rapid               mass               spread               of               information.

(Lopez               5)               As               so               poetically               alluded               to               by               Ronald               Reagan               in               the               aforementioned               quotation,               information               and               its               goods               have               become               a               formidable               economic               good               that               dominates               trade               in               certain               areas.

New               information               technologies               now               saturate               our               society's               public               discussion               (Scholle)               and               even               though               information               is               traded               in               today's               society,               the               thought               of               many               economists,               both               traditional               and               contemporary               has               thwarted               the               notion               that               information               could               be               considered               an               economic               good.

There               are               also               others               who               have               deemed               that               information               is               not               an               economic               good               but               a               public               good.

(Campen               27)               The               type               of               economic               discipline               that               one               follows               determines               in               which               way               that               some               economists               deny               information               entry               into               the               category               as               an               economic               good.

Gael               Campan               stated               in               "Does               Justice               Qualify               as               an               Economic               Good?:               A               Bohm-Bawerkian               Perspective"               that               one               of               the               most               dependable               ways               of               demonstrating               the               inconsistency               of               a               general               principal,               theory,               or               proposition               is               to               deduce               some               necessarily               contradictory               consequences               from               its               major               premises.

Bohm-Bawerk               stated               four               very               basic               qualities               that               an               economic               good               possesses:               
               1.

It               must               fulfill               a               human               need               
               2.

Must               have               useful               properties               
               3.

The               possessor               of               the               good               must               be               aware               of               its               useful               properties               
               4.

The               user               must               have               the               ability               to               use               the               object.


               In               the               following               analysis,               examples               of               economic               goods               are               examined               in               order               to               give               a               basis               as               to               what               is               meant               when               talking               about               an               "economic               good".

The               characteristics               and               definitions               of               information,               as               it               pertains               to               economics               and               economic               goods,               will               also               be               analyzed,               along               with               ways               that               information               and               its               goods               and               technology               are               used               in               commerce.

Through               this               careful               examination               of               the               definition               and               characteristics               of               an               economic               good               and               information,               and               comparing               their               characteristics,               including               aspects               on               possession               and               ownership               concerning               Information               and               its               goods,               it               will               be               proven               that               Information               is               in               fact               an               economic               good,               and               one               that               should               be               taken               seriously.
               WHAT               IS               AN               ECONOMIC               GOOD               
               The               question               of               what               is               an               economic               good               is               not               a               difficult               one               to               answer,               but               because               there               are               so               many               things               that               could               fall               under               the               category               as               a               "good"               (Campen               22)               and               several               different               economists               have               varying               opinions               as               to               what               an               economic               good               is               and               what               characteristics               that               it               should               possess               a               universal               definition               is               not               easy               to               locate.

The               type               of               definition               that               is               used               is               dependant               on               which               economic               theory               that               is               practiced.

Going               to               the               first               place               that               most               of               us               beginning               the               search               for               knowledge,               the               internet,               a               few               different               definitions               were               found.

A               synopsis               of               the               definitions               that               were               found               using               this               medium               consists               of               the               following:               
               •               a               physical               object               or               service               that               has               value               to               people               and               can               be               sold               for               a               non-negative               price               in               the               marketplace.

(http://www.About.com)
               Moving               on               to               more               respectable               sources,               more               reputable               definitions               are               found.

C.

E.

Ferguson               defined               an               economic               good               in               broad               terms,               quite               similar               to               those               found               by               searching               the               internet.

Ferguson               stated               that               an               economic               good               is:               
               The               ends               through               which               the               goals               of               economic               actors               are               achieved.

(Bates               380)               
               Marshal,               another               economist               did               not               stray               from               the               concept               of               generality               by               defining               an               economic               good               when               he               stated:               
               Represent               all               desirable               things,               or               things               that               satisfy               human               wants.

(Bates               380)               
               Another               definition               found               states               that               an               economic               good               are               things               that               are,               to               be               sure,               "goods"               but               not               means               to               an               end.

(Campen               22)               Apart               from               an               item               or               concept               being               defined               as               an               economic               good,               it               must               also               be               known               as               a               good.

(Campen               24)               Taking               into               account               these               definitions,               a               conclusive               definition               of               anything               that               can               be               bought,               sold,               or               exchanged               can               be               categorized               as               an               economic               good.
               DEFINITION               OF               INFORMATION               
               Information               has               been               difficult               to               define               in               and               of               itself,               let               alone               defining               it               as               an               economic               good.

The               actual               nature               of               the               information               produced               and               distributed               by               information               technology               remains               abstract               and               under-defined               (Scholle).

Instead               of               being               a               tangible               object               that               one               can               hold               in               their               hand,               information               is               more               of               a               concept,               having               similar               traits               as               that               of               a               conceptual               idea,               adding               to               the               naysayer's               argument               that               information               is               not               an               economic               good.

This               idea               that               information               does               not               hold               the               same               qualities               of               a               physical               economic               good               and               therefore,               should               be               left               out               of               the               realm               of               all               other               classes               of               economic               goods               has               been               a               prevalent               economic               concept.

To               analyze               the               way               that               information               does               not               qualify               as               an               economic               good,               one               must               first               have               a               baseline               definition               describing               what               is               meant               when               one               says               "information".

The               original               meaning               of               the               word               "information"               derives               from               the               Latin,               informare,               which               means               "to               put               into               form".

"Informing"               therefore               carries               the               sense               of               "imparting               learning               or               instruction"               or               more               generally               conveys               the               sense               "to               tell               (one)               of               something".

As               Webster               points               out,               the               semantic               definition               of               information               conveys               that               "information               is               meaningful,               it               has               a               subject,               it               is               intelligenceor               instruction               about               something               of               someone."               (Scholle)               Relying               on               the               internet,               the               following               definitions               of               information               is               found:               
               •               a               message               received               and               understood               
               •               data:               a               collection               of               facts               from               which               conclusions               may               be               drawn;               "statistical               data"               
               •               knowledge               acquired               through               study               or               experience               or               instruction               
               http://www.wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn               
               Because               of               the               nature               and               the               omnipotent               features               that               information               and               information               goods               possess,               there               are               many               different               uses               and               definitions               of               information               dependant               on               how               information               is               used.

Each               discipline               has               its               own               way               of               defining               information.

According               to               Robert               Losse,               in               his               paper               entitled,               "A               Discipline               Independent               Definition               of               Information",               he               states               that               electronic               engineer's               concern,               when               speaking               of               information,               would               be               to               create               a               product               that               could               transmit               the               most               amount               of               information               (bits               of               information)               in               the               shortest               amount               of               time.

Conversely,               those               who               work               with               communications               and               are               scholars               of               communication               are               more               concerned               about               mass               media's               overloading               of               information               (Losses               254).

Losses               goes               on               the               give               a               definition               of               information               that               can               be               used               interdisciplinary               and               which               can               be               used               in               any               facet.

His               definition               is               as               follows:               
               The               characteristics               of               the               output               of               a               process,               these               being               informative               about               a               process               and               the               input.

(Losses               254)
               Economic               institutions               that               are               instrumental               in               defining               "information",               is               one               in               which               information               is               emptied               of               any               relation               to               "meaning".

Within               the               limits               of               specific               disciplines               this               nonsemantic               use               of               the               term               "information"               is,               at               times,               applied               in               a               carefully               circumscribed               manner,               but               this               field               may               undergo               an               extension               in               which               it               applies               itself               to               processes               where               the               semantic               definition               of               information               normally               holds               sway.(Scholle)
               WHY               INFORMATION               IS               SAID               NOT               TO               BE               AN               ECONOMIC               GOOD               
               Economic               goods,               for               the               most               part,               take               on               a               tangible               quality.

In               other               words,               economic               goods               are               easily               traded               by               categorizing               their               physical               attributes.

Automobiles               are               bought               and               sold               as               in               unit(s).

Similarly,               in               Saudi               Arabia,               oil               is               sold               by               the               barrel               and               in               the               Midwestern               states;               corn               is               bought               by               the               bushel.

The               intangible               nature               of               information               has               been               a               major               argument               for               information               to               not               be               considered               an               economic               good               by               some               economists.

Thomas               Jefferson               succeeded               in               capturing               the               social               benefits               that               could               come               from               the               free               dissemination               of               ideas               (information)               in               that               they               have               properties               that               are               clearly               different               from               other               economic               goods.
               "…If               nature               has               made               any               one               thing               less               susceptible               than               all               others               of               exclusive               properties,               it               is               the               action               of               the               thinking               power               called               an               idea,               which               an               individual               may               exclusively               posses               as               long               as               he               keeps               it               to               himself,               but               the               moment               it               is               divulged,               it               forces               itself               to               the               possession               of               every               one               ,               and               the               receiver               can               not               dispossess               himself               of               it.

…That               ideas               should               freely               spread               from               one               to               another               over               the               globe,               for               the               moral               and               mutual               instruction               of               man,               and               improvement               of               his               condition,               seems               to               have               been               peculiarly               and               benevolently               designed               by               nature,               when               she               made               hem,               like               fire,               expansible               over               all               space,               without               lessening               their               density               in               any               point,               and               like               the               air               in               which               we               breathe…incapable               of               confinement               or               exclusive               appropriation"               
               (Lopez               7)
               Some               say               that               information               is               not               an               economic               good               because               information               is               not               actually               consumed               and               can               be               reproduced               and               distributed               at               almost               no               cost.

(Coiera               215)               Many               economists               have               gone               as               far               as               to               say               that               since               information               does               not               have               a               precise               definition               or               the               ability               to               be               quantified,               it               has               no               place               in               the               realm               of               economic               goods.

(Bates               380)               When               looking               at               the               dynamics               of               information               as               an               economic               good,               there               are               many               different               opinions               on               if               information               can               be               an               economic               good               or               not,               as               noted               in               the               beginning               of               this               paper.

Bates               states               that               there               are               three               reasons               why               information               should               not               be               an               economic               good.

The               fact               that               it               is               very               unclear               as               to               if               information               is               a               public               or               private               good;               the               uncertainty               of               weather               advertising               could               be               considered               information               and               that               information               fails               to               meet               conditions               of               social               efficiency               all               contribute               to               reasoning               why               information               is               not               an               economic               good.

"In               Markets               for               Information               Goods",               Hal               Varian               of               the               University               of               California,               Berkley,               also               gives               three               areas               that               information               causes               difficulties               in               market               transactions.

Varian               address               the               fact               that               one               must               experience               information               before               one               knows               what               it               really               is               because               of               its               intangible               nature,               as               opposed               to               something               that               is               tangible.

Varian               goes               on               the               relay               the               fact               that               information               has               an               extremely               high               fixed               cost               in               compilation               with               a               low               (marginal)               cost               to               reproduce               the               same               information.

Lastly,               Varian               concludes               that               information               and               its               goods               are               nonexcludable.

(Varian)
               In               addition               to               the               aforementioned               reasons,               some               think               that               information               does               not               qualify               as               an               economic               good               because               of               its               ease               of               reproduction.

While               production               costs               are               typically               high               and               fixed               for               information               products,               these               products               can               be               copied               cheaply               (and               indefinitely               if               they               are               in               a               digital               format).

The               master               copy               of               a               book,               movie,               or               soundtrack               is               expensive               to               produce               but               cheap               to               copy.

Creating               and               maintaining               the               information               content               of               a               web               site               is               expensive,               but               making               copies               of               the               information               for               consumers               who               visit               the               site               costs               almost               nothing.

In               economic               terms,               the               marginal               costs               of               reproduction               for               information               goods               are               low.

Worse,               initial               production               costs               are               "sunk."               In               that               they               are               incurred               prior               to               mass               reproduction               and               cannot               be               recovered               in               the               case               of               failure.

(Coiera               217)
               WHY               INFORMATION               SHOULD               BE               CONSIDERED               AN               ECONOMIC               GOOD
               One               reason               that               information               is               said               not               to               be               a               good               is               because               it               cannot               be               consumed.

What               information               consumes               is               rather               obvious.

It               consumes               the               attention               of               its               recipients.

Hence,               a               wealth               of               information               creates               a               poverty               of               attention.

(Coiera               221)               The               evidence               that               points               towards               information               not               being               an               economic               good,               reversely,               can               also               be               used               to               prove               that               the               characteristics               of               Information               falls               well               within               the               definition               of               being               an               economic               good.

According               to               Bates,               information               possesses               the               several               attributes               that               other               economic               goods               have               (Bates               380).

Again,               Bates               states               that               information               has               a               utility,               it               can               be               transferred               and               most               importantly,               it               has               the               capability               of               having               value               attached               to               it               (Bates               381),               which               are               all               attributes               of               other               economic               goods               such               as               computers,               livestock               or               lumber.

Varian               also               explains               how               his               three               areas               of               concerns               about               information               being               an               economic               good               can               easily               be               disputed.

Varian               spells               out               three               ways               that               the               fact               that               you               must               first               experience               information               before               one               know               what               is               really               is               can               be               thwarted               by               previewing               the               information,               obtaining               reviews               of               the               information               or               purchasing               information               simply               on               the               reputation               of               the               information.
               ELECTRONIC               DATABASES               AS               AN               ECONOMIC               GOOD               
               One               information               good               that               follows               Bates               thought               that               information               has               a               utility               and               follows               Varian's               reasoning               of               bypassing               the               three               areas               of               concerns               are               electronic               databases.

There               is               no               uniform               definition               of               what               is               meant               by               databases               from               the               legal               or               economic               point               of               view               (Lopez               9)               but               according               to               Google.com,               an               electronic               database               is               an               organized               collection               of               electronic               records               that               can               easily               be               searched               using               specific               software.

In               the               European               Directive               96/9               EC               article               1.2               it               states               that               a               database               is               "a               collection               of               independent               works,               data               or               other               materials               arranged               in               a               systematic               or               methodical               way               and               individually               accessible               by               electronic               or               other               means"               (Lopez               9)               This               would               include               telephone               directories               or               university               courses,               including               things               as               diverse               as               genetic               or               satellite               information               banks,               dictionaries,               meteorological               records,               horse               racing               results,               TV               program               guides,               collection               of               legal,               commercial               or               financial               information               newspapers,               libraries               (both               physical               and               digital),               company               brochures               medicinal               vademecums,               compilation               of               natural               or               experimental               observations               in               the               fields               of               physics,               chemistry,               biology,               etc.;               indexes               made               by               internet               search               software               agents               may               also               come               under               this               definition.

(Lopez               9)               With               developed               countries               being               the               main               producers               and               consumers               of               databases               (Lopez               3)               many               their               companies               have               categorized               information               about               their               service               or               product               and               placed               them               in               an               electronic               database               and               have               charged               patrons               a               fee               to               access               this.

A               very               popular               example               of               this               phenomenon               is               the               fact               that               most               major               metropolitan               newspapers               have               started               to               charge               a               fee               for               browsing               back-issues               of               the               newspapers.

In               addition               to               newspapers,               there               are               companies               whose               sole               purpose               is               to               collect               information,               catalog               it               and               sell               access               to               the               information.

With               the               onslaught               of               lower               quality               information               that               can               be               obtained               cheaply,               specific               areas               are               more               than               willing               to               pay               a               lot               of               money               for               good               information.

Clinicians               pay               for               subscriptions               to               journals               or               purchase               texts               to               maintain               their               skills,               knowledge               and               professional               standing.

Pharmaceutical               companies               are               happy               to               pay               physicians               for               data               about               their               prescribing               behaviors               so               that               the               data               can               be               arranged               to               reveal               prescribing               patterns               for               the               companies'               products.

(Coiera               217)               Also,               producers               may               obtain               more               revenue               for               individual               information               items               if               they               bundle               them               with               other,               disparate               items               and               then               sell               access               to               the               whole               package               to               recover               their               fixed               costs               through               creative               pricing               and               marketing.

(Coiera               220)               LexisNexis               and               EbscoHost               are               two               very               large               collections               of               information               where               thousands               of               people               and               organizations,               public               and               private,               pay               to               use.

In               "Getting               Down               to               Business",               a               review               by               Gail               Golderman               and               Bruce               Connolly               of               electronic               databases,               a               synopsis               of               the               contents               of               a               few               of               the               larger               databases               can               be               found.

The               following               are               a               few               examples.

Following               the               examples               are               a               statistics               displaying               Kansas               City,               Kansas               School               District's               database               usage               
               Database:               ABI/INFORM,               
               Company:               ProQuest               Information               and               Learning               
               A               leading               source               of               international               business               information               for               more               than               30               years,               is               considered               by               many               to               be               an               essential               resource               for               colleges,               universities,               and               business               schools.

With               a               front-end               searching               and               display               interface               produced               by               ProQuest               Information               and               Learning,               the               database               remains               at               the               top               of               the               list               for               the               study               of               business               conditions               and               industry               specific               topics               worldwide.


               Database:               Business               &               Company               Resource               Center               
               Company:               Gale               Group               
               Integrates               worldwide               coverage               for               company               profiles,               industry               profiles,               and               3650               business               periodicals,               of               which               2600               are               available               in               full               text.

Company               pro-files               are               offered               for               U.S.

and               international               public               and               private               companies.

The               database               details               4600+               worldwide               company               histories               and               chronologies,               which               are               updated               annually;               investment               reports;               financials;               rankings;               suits               and               claims;               and               product               and               industry               reviews.

It               also               offers               valuable               access               to               business               journal               news               and               analysis,               consumer               marketing               data,               emerging               technology               reports,               and               20-minute               delayed               stock               quotes.


               Database:               RDS               Business               Reference               Suite
               Company:               Gale               Group               
               A               collection               of               three               highly               complementary               business               information               databases,               originally               produced               by               Responsive               Database               Services               (now               part               of               the               Gale               Group               family).

Business               &               Industry,               Business               &               Management               Practices,               and               TableBase               are               particularly               strong               for               company               and               industry               analysis.

In               combination,               they               form               a               powerful               resource               that               provides               access               to               company               and               industry               news,               management               practices,               and               market               research               information.

Since               they               are               three               distinct               products,               institutions               may               elect               to               purchase               each               separately.

The               Business               Reference               Suite               contains               1400+               business               sources,               60               percent               of               which               are               full               text               and               nearly               half               are               international               in               scope.


               Database:               Business               Source               Premier               
               Company:               EBSCOHost               Publishing               
               Emphasis               on               research-oriented               and               scholarly               business               literature.

Of               the               3350               titles               from!

965               to               the               present,               over               80               percent               are               available               in               full               text,               and               of               these               911               are               peer-reviewed.
               
               Kansas               City,               Kansas               School               District               
               Database               Use               Statistics               2004-2005               
               Database               name               Description               Jul-04               Aug-04               Sep-04               Oct-04               Nov-04               Dec-04               Jan-05               Feb-05               Mar-05               Apr-05               May-05
               Gale               Student               Resource               Centers               General               research               database               165               257               3,132               7,411               7,503               3,946               4,304               2,402               4,008               5,592               9,480               
               Gale               Student               Health               Centers               Health               information               database               0               16               48               169               420               526               147               344               1,355               375               80               
               Gale               Junior               Refererence               Collection               Collections               from               various               Gale               print               resources               0               4               23               28               40               23               8               9               27               7               20               
               Info               Bits/K12               Infotrac               Magazines,               newspapers,               encyclopedia               (K-8)               24               47               879               2,617               1,079               216               2,520               3,654               1,527               2,367               2,203               
               SIRS               Researcher               Social               science,               government,               arts               and               humanities               69               929               4,062               4,278               3,611               857               5,896               5,637               4,664               8,014               4,415               
               SIRS               Discoverer               Research               for               elementary,               middle               schools               51               562               3,348               2,836               7,497               3,175               17,197               4,939               5,378               3,715               4,895               
               Worldbook               Online               encyclopedia               16               84               621               3,014               2,667               2,902               1,879               1,417               2,305               6,401               5,919               
               First               Search               (KS               State               Library)               Indexes,               abstracts,               and               full-text               articles               0               37               103               57               57               53               36               157               140               148               
               Infotrac               (KS               State               Library)               General               research               databases               0               52               42               253               791               779               899               376               130               255               130
               Totals               (number               of               searches               +               the               number               of               items               retrieved)               325               1,988               12,258               20,663               23,665               12,477               32,886               18,935               19,534               26,874               27,142
               
               (http://www.kckpl.lib.ks.us/KCKPL/stats/dbase0405.html).
               So,               while               some               electronic               journals               may               make               it's               contents               available               free               to               the               public,               it               may               provide               extra               services               to               its               fee               paying               subscribers,               such               as               the               ability               to               see               articles               prior               to               general               release,               advanced               search               and               current               awareness               notification               services,               higher-resolution               images,               and               access               to               links               to               related               materials.

(Coiera               221)               As               you               can               see,               the               information               that               is               contained               in               some               of               these               databases               could               be               very               valuable               to               organizations,               businesses               or               individuals.

With               millions               of               people               paying               a               fee               to               access               the               information               contained               in               each               of               these               databases,               or               a               combination               of               databases,               we               see               that               information               definitely               has               a               value               attached,               has               a               utility,               and               with               the               fact               that               people               can               print               out               information               obtained               from               these               databases,               can               be               transferred.

Additional               things               that               makes               information               an               economic               good               is               the               uncertainty               of               the               precise               outcome               of               production               or               exchange               of               information               goods,               the               infinite               reproductability               of               information               and               that               the               transfer               of               information               goods               to               another               does               not               diminish               the               stock               of               the               information               held               by               the               first               holder               and               information               is               reproducible               at               next               to               no               cost.
               INFORMATION               AND               AMERICA'S               PUBLIC               LIBRARY               
               Public               libraries               are               one               of               the               most               successful               houses               of               information               to               date.

Carnegie               had               it               right               when               he               invested               all               that               money               into               creating               a               system               where               everyday               citizens               can               obtain               information.

After               it               was               all               said               and               done,               Carnegie               funded               total               of               2,507               libraries:               1,689               in               the               United               States;               Carnegie's               libraries               played               an               important               role               in               the               education,               politics,               finance               and               social               development               of               the               United               States               as               a               house               for               information.

Carnegie's               establishment               of               many               public               libraries               is               one               of               the               most               important               events               in               the               history               of               the               American               public               library.
               The               system               of               pooling               money               from               the               public               to               sustain               this               institution               has               been               a               great               way               to               keep               it               going.

Each               public               library               has               established               it               own               way               of               collecting               money               to               fund               their               library               system.

The               Public               Library               of               Cincinnati               and               Hamilton               County               shares               a               pool               of               money               that               is               funded               by               the               State               of               Ohio               and               Kenton               County               Public               Library               is               funded               by               shares               of               property               taxes               just               in               Kenton               County.

Through               out               one               day,               thousands               of               people               visit               and               use               public               Libraries               to               check               out               books,               use               the               internet,               take               cooking               classes,               and               perform               in               depth               research.

Basically,               they               visit               the               library               to               obtain               information.

Julia               Allegrini,               Branch               Librarian               at               Kenton               County               Public               Library's               Mary               Ann               Mongan               Branch               located               in               Covington,               KY               says               that               the               attendance               at               her               library               rivals               that               of               a               small               amusement               park.

Anything               that               draws               in               that               many               people               has               economic               potential.
               In               April               2001,               two               studies               were               released               which               showed               to               what               effect               that               Americans               use               public               libraries.

"Public               Library               Use               and               Economic               Hard               Times"               was               put               out               by               the               University               of               Illinois               and               the               American               Library               Association's               "Attitudes               Towards               Public               Libraries"               were               both               commissioned               by               Chicago               based               American               Library               Association               (ALA)               as               part               of               its               five-year               Campaign               for               America's               Libraries.

The               ALA               contracted               with               the               University               Of               Illinois               Library               Research               Center               (LRC)               to               study               library               use               over               the               last               five               years               at               U.S.

public               libraries               that               serve               populations               of               1               million               or               more.

Using               data               from               just               a               few               of               those               large               libraries,               the               study               found               that               circulation               has               increased               significantly               since               March               2001,               when               the               National               Bureau               of               Economic               Research               made               clear               the               beginning               of               a               recession.

Using               statistical               analysis,               the               LRC               found               that               circulation               in               March               2001               was               8.3               percent               higher               than               would               be               expected               from               the               trend               observed               since               January               1997.

Following               the               events               of               September               11,               circulation               in               October               2001               exceeded               the               trend               by               11.3               percent.


               "This               data               confirms               what               librarians               have               seen               from               experience…               that               people               turn               to               their               libraries               and               librarians,"               said               ALA               President               John               W.

Berry.

"Libraries               are               America's               great               information               equalizers               -               the               only               place               people               of               all               ages               and               backgrounds               can               find               and               freely               use               such               a               diversity               of               resources,               along               with               the               expert               guidance               of               librarians."               
               (http://www.ala.org/ala/pressreleasesbucket/libraryusage.htm)
               WHO               OWNS               INFORMATION               
               Bohm-Bawerk               theorized               the               importance               or               establishing               ownership               of               information               and               wrote               extensively               on               how               human               beings               struggle               for               control               of               this               good.

(Campen               24)               With               most               economic               goods,               control               of               that               good               is               determined               by               possession,               which               can               be               assessed               by               physical               possession.

The               qualities               of               information               deter               it               from               being               possessed               physically               so               other               means               of               determining               ownerships               must               be               set.

Bohm-Bawerk               goes               on               to               say               that               integration               of               the               legal               right               (ownership)               to               Information               as               ownership               (Campen               25)               Also,               information               is               only               able               to               acquire               the               proper               market               price               when               some               form               of               monopoly               protects               it,               as               through               the               protection               of               a               patent               or               copyright,               which               is               the               usual               recourse               for               creating               value               and               protecting               investment.

(Coiera               217)               Debates               on               the               subject               of               intellectual               property               rights               (IPRs)               have               expanded               to               a               vast               extent,               not               only               in               the               main               developed               countries               but               also               in               the               international               negotiating               arena               so               much               that               some               say               that               the               creation               of               new               IPRs               for               databases               could               upset               the               balance               between               protection               and               dissemination,               tipping               it               dangerously               towards               the               former.

(Lopez               2)               Jeremy               Bentham               observed               some               200               years               ago               when               discussing               the               usefulness               of               patents,               IPRs               are               monopolies               that               encourage               the               production               of               things               that,               were               it               not               for               the               promise               of               exclusive               appropriability               by               virtue               of               IPRs,               would               probably               never               have               created.

(Lopez               7)               That               being               said,               its               clear               on               the               one               hand               that,               in               spite               of               the               existence               of               both               legislation               and               technological               means               that               could               protect               investment               in               the               creation               and               maintenance               of               databases,               there               are               problems               not               only               with               the               enforcement               of               relevant               contracts               and               laws,               but               also               with               the               "circumvention"               of               technological               protection               measures,               all               of               which               inflicts               monetary               losses               on               database               owners               (not               only               operating               in               the               private               sector               but               also,               in               many               cases,               being               State               bodies).

(Lopez               3)               Today,               legal               protection               for               "non               original"               databases               only               exist               in               the               European               Union               (EU),               Mexico               and               some               Nordic               counties.

In               the               USA,               various               bills               have               been               put               forward               on               the               subject               but               none               approved.

(Lopez               5)
               INFORMATION:               THE               PERFECT               ECONOMIC               GOOD               
               Economic               goods               have               many               different               meanings,               but               most               agrees               that               an               economic               good               is               a               commodity               or               service               that               can               be               utilized               to               satisfy               human               wants               and               that               has               exchange               value.

The               specific               meaning               of               an               economic               good               takes               on               different               meanings               depending               on               its               intended               use.

Similarly,               the               definition               of               information               can               slightly               change               depending               on               how               it               is               used               and               despite               its               ubiquitous               nature;               can               be               seen               as               an               economic               good.

Examples               of               information               as               an               economic               good               can               be               seen               with               the               analysis               of               the               business               of               selling               cataloged               information               via               electronic               databases               and               the               public's               use               of               public               libraries.
               Economics               may               offer               insights               into               the               dynamic               of               information.

(Coiera               216)               and               one               thing               that               many               companies               strive               for               is               to               create               a               product               that               you               can               produced               at               no               cost.

Information               is               that               product.

What               makes               information               the               perfect               economic               good               can               be               explained               by               Varian.

As               previously               stated,               Varian               reveals               the               fact               that               that               information               has               an               extremely               high               fixed               cost               in               compilation               with               a               low               (marginal)               cost               to               reproduce               the               same               information.

The               production               of               information,               say               in               the               form               of               creating               a               database,               is               characterized               by               significant               economies               of               scale,               high               entry               costs               and               a               consequent               tendency               towards               natural               monopolies,               in               which               specialists               suppliers               dominate               specific               sectors.

So               even               though               the               start               up               cost               or               the               cost               of               obtaining/producing               the               information               may               be               extremely               expensive,               the               cost               to               reproduce               the               information               is               non-existent.

Meaning               that               company               that               sells               the               information               can               continue               to               obtain               revenue               from               the               same               information               without               accruing               any               additional               marginal               cost.

Therefore,               creating               the               perfect               economic               good.









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