Usage in the Context of Library and Information Services:

In library and information science, there is, however, no need for making such distinction between data and information, because many users would consider data and facts as information. For example, data on national income (i.e., national income statistics) presented in a tabular form would enable an economist to make an assessment of the health of the national economy. To him/her, it is '''statistical information". He/She may like to interpret the data and publish a paper on the topic. A reader who is not adequately conversant with national income statistics or who is interested in getting a quick grasp of the national economy would find this paper more useful. This paper, rather than the statistical tables, provides him/her the necessary "information". However, a conscious awareness of the distinction between the two is helpful in providing information services to different types of users having different kinds of information needs.