Information outsiders of the 21 st Century: Access and implications for information behavior research

Equity of access is an imperative in the global information world of the 21 st Century. For the information outsider however, or those who are disenfranchised by social constructions, or economic, educational, or political circumstances, information poverty is a disheartening reality (Chatman, 1992 ; 1996 ; 2000 ; Burnett, Bessant, & Chatman, 2001 ). The functions of this panel are to explore the information worlds of select marginalized populations and the resulting implications for information behavior. It is intended to begin providing a framework for understanding the interactions between information, information access, and information behavior. The presentations and ensuing discussion offer insight into physical and virtual or digital information access for information outsiders and implications for Library and Information Science (LIS) education and practice.