Information has Value refers to the idea that information has value as a commodity that is bought and sold, as well as a means to an education, to influence others, and to understand the world. The value of information reflects legal, social, political and economic interests.

Students should be able to:

• Understand that not everyone has equal access to information, whether for financial, political, ideological or cultural reasons.
• Recognize that privacy of information matters. We produce significant quantities of information about ourselves daily in our online lives and that information can be commodified and exploited.
• Respect the original ideas (creations) of others. Information created by others needs to be credited, even if some information is in the public domain or open access.
• See themselves not just as consumers of information, but also as producers.
• Understand that the information pipeline is political and some voices are marginalized.

Big Questions:

• Why is it important to cite sources in research? What does it mean to use others' ideas and give them credit?
• What might some of the consequences be of not having access to information?
• Why are some voices silenced?
• What is the impact of Open Access Resources on the value of information?
• Why does protecting one's privacy online matter?