Information provision environments have been with us for as long as we have had libraries and museums. Any organized store of information that people draw on when they want or need to know something is an information provision environment.
New Media
Electronic media such as magnetic tapes and optical discs have made it possible to store previously unimaginable quantities of data and display them in multimedia formats that include sound, video and text. These new media have all but supplanted print sources, and their dynamic nature makes it possible for information providers to keep pace with the stupendous rate at which new information is created.
Navigation
The information providers of today not only present information, they assist users in navigating through oceans of data. Technology such as hypermedia and filtering allows users to locate needed information with ease. This kind of non-linear information access requires thoughtful organization of data on the part of the provider.
Integration
Modern information provision environments are also characterized by increasing communication through the Internet and erasure of boundaries between different types of media, such as the Internet, broadcast media and telecommunication. You can now sit at home and access data as well as contribute information to sources across the globe.
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