Information overload, usually characterized by an over abundance of information, is a major cause of concern for general information users, researchers and information managers. With the advent of new technological innovations, the rate of information production has accelerated rapidly. Consequently, people are suffering from an 'information glut', which makes it difficult for them to find the required information quickly and conveniently from various print, electronic and online sources. The paper analyzed the causes and causes of information overload in the 21 st century and puts forward suggestions for overcoming this problem. It stresses the importance of concerted efforts from information professionals, computer scientists and academics to devise techniques and technologies for countering the effects of information overload.

Rural library and information centres could play a significant role in the socio-economic development of rural areas by providing information and communication services to the rural people. In most parts of the world, especially in the developing countries, these centres are plagued with various problems like insufficient funds, lack of government and community support, uncertainty about sustainability, etc. The centres are trying to solve these problems in various ways, although it has proved to be a very difficult task. This article highlights the problems and prospects of rural library and information services in different parts of the world by reviewing relevant literature contributed by development practitioners, library and information professionals, academics and others. It contains valuable insights and observations for making the rural library and information initiatives successful in the long run. The field of rural library and information services is changing continuously with the advent of new techniques and technologies. This paper will help achieve a better understanding of this changing landscape and provide specific directions for making this endeavour worthwhile and sustainable in the long run.

Knowledge management has been hailed as one of the most important developments in the

Although it is generally agreed that information plays a critical role in development, no sure-success way of applying information for sustainable development has been worked out so far. This article gives an overview of the roles information could play in various socio-politico-economic sectors in the rural areas of Bangladesh. Against a backdrop of the enactment of a Right to Information Act and the government’s recent efforts towards establishing a Digital Bangladesh by the year 2021, the country has been witnessing a revival of information-focused activities in its rural and far-flung areas. Covering diverse areas including agriculture, health, human rights, education, employment, market and finance and disaster management, the article indicates how an informed and knowledge-empowered rural people could carry their way forward towards ensuring socio-economic advancement of the country and thereby recognizing the role of information for sustainable rural development.

Information ethics provides an ethical framework for the information professionals for carrying out various information related works like acquiring, storing, processing and using of information. This has become vitally important in modern times, which has been dubbed as 'information age', because of the central role played by information in the socio-economic development of world nations. This also poses unique challenges for the library and information professionals, because the emergence of an ICT-driven information society has * Associate Professor, Department of Information Science and Library Management, University of Dhaka. Email: kmghoq@yahoo.com made their job much more challenging than before. This article explores the key questions related to information ethics and, in the light of codes of ethics promoted by national and international information organizations, discusses how information professionals could discharge their duties in an ethical and morally justifiable manner.