1) The document discusses what information people need to know and why it is important to have access to information. It argues that knowing information leads to individual autonomy, better education, more effective democracy, and a better business environment. 2) However, some people oppose open access to information through censorship by states, religions, media owners, and self-censorship. Common justifications for censorship like national security, social stability, and protecting culture are examined and found potentially problematic. 3) The conclusion argues that librarians should be aware of their natural tendency towards "soft censorship" and must be careful not to accept questionable reasons for limiting access to information, as that could amount to doing

1. WHAT WE NEED TO KNOW: AND WHY WE NEED TO KNOW IT Paul Sturges Dept of Information Science Loughborough University