Economics of Information Goods: An Interdisciplinary Subject for the LIS and MBA Curricula

Economics of information goods is an area of research that studies the unusual nature of information as a good in markets and in the public domain, as well as the value assigned to information. This study explores the attitudes of Israeli library and information science (LIS) and business/management students, lecturers, and practitioners regarding incorporating a course on the economics of information goods into the curricula. The study shows that a deep learning strategy, which reflects high personal commitment, characterized master's students from both schools. The strategy was associated with high overall attitude scores, as well as high attitude scores for information economics: students were willing to include this topic in the curriculum. The overall attitude scores for various information-related subjects were high in both information science and business/management communities and among all stakeholders in the study. Both LIS and business/management master's programs should include economics of information goods in the curriculum. Doing so will help students to adjust to the ever-changing LIS environment.