We all need and use information every day of our lives.  It might be research for a paper, Willie McGee's lifetime batting average, next Tuesday's weather forecast, the latest treatments for cancer, or average salaries of Alaskan school teachers.  How do we find that information?  How do we know if what we've found is right?  How do we communicate our findings to others?  How can we use software to help that communication?  Answers to these and other questions form the heart of this course.