Information privilege refers to the idea that access to information is based on status, finances, technology, location, and other factors. While the internet has made it easier to share and access information, there is still a lot of knowledge that is only available to people who have permission to access it or have the resources and knowledge to obtain information through other means.
Accessing, using, and sharing information can impact our ability to complete projects and tasks, make decisions, strengthen our knowledge, and participate in other activities in which information access and sharing is vital.
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Examples of Information Privilege
In Scholarly Publishing
While academic institutions value the creation and distribution of knowledge, the process by which knowledge is generated hinders the dissemination of scholarly information beyond colleges, universities, and other research institutions. Under traditional publishing models, scholarly articles are published in journals and other sources of academic information that are mostly accessible by educational and research institutions, libraries, and other organizations with the ability to pay. Information privilege is also embedded in the concepts, terminology, procedures, and organization of scholarly research. For example, someone with little or no background in an academic discipline may have trouble understanding the information being shared in journals and other scholarly literature.
In Academic Libraries
Information privilege affects academic libraries. Libraries subscribe to database packages that require authorized users to provide their credentials in order to view and download materials. Database access is typically limited to students, faculty, and staff of a college or university; this ends once the user leaves the institution. Database subscriptions cost thousands of dollars per year and librarians periodically review database usage to determine whether the subscription should be renewed or cancelled. If a database subscription is cancelled, library users lose direct access to scholarly articles and other research materials available through the database. While interlibrary loan (ILL) services provide access to materials unavailable in the library's collections, this may be limited based on a user's status, the library's budget, or other factors.
Persons unaffiliated with an educational or research organization experience challenges involving information access. As independent researchers, they may access scholarly research by relying on public libraries, academic libraries that allow community users, and open web sources. Even then, individuals face additional barriers such as databases being restricted to on-site users, limited subscriptions to academic databases at the public library, and publisher websites that charge a fee for viewing and downloading scholarly articles.
Types of Access to Research Material
You may find websites that provide different levels of access to scholarly research depending on how the research is allowed to be distributed.
How to Access Research Material
There are several ways to access scholarly material.
| Members of the Harrisburg University community (student, faculty, staff) | The Harrisburg University Library provides access to over 100 general and subject-specific databases. |
| Graduates/Alumni of Harrisburg University | The Harrisburg University Library cannot provide alumni access to library databases due to vendor restrictions. However, there are open access resources that provide full text copies or links to scholarly articles. See this FAQ for more information. |
| In the United States | Use the WorldCat to see if your local public library subscribes to the materials you need. Some libraries may have a subscription to multidisciplinary academic databases such as Academic Search Premier or ProQuest Research Library. Some academic libraries grant limited privileges to community members. If you live near a college or university, contact their library staff to see how you can access scholarly materials. |
| Outside the United States | Use WorldCat to find a library near you and search their collections. Check with the individual library for their borrowing and lending policies. Some libraries may offer interlibrary loan for materials not available in their collections. |
For more help finding scholarly materials, visit the Get Help page . You can browse a list of frequently asked questions, email a librarian, or schedule a research appointment. If you are new to research or need a refresher, visit the Getting Started with Your Research guide.