Information and IT are central to virtually every industry in which the United States plays a leadership role—financial services, entertainment engineering, aerospace, medicine, law, agriculture, and dozens of other fields—yet colleges have failed to attract, teach, and produce a new generation of information professionals to meet the growing need.

In Information Nation, three dedicated educators ask, "Why?" They present three years of research on students and workers in the information professions, highlighting barriers to inclusion and retention of U.S. students in information-related fields. They analyze the forces that prevent high school and college students from getting the interdisciplinary skills they need to help the U.S. regain and retain leadership in the world of information—and they tell the stories of a diverse group of students who are thriving in new majors and new jobs that have the potential to revitalize our economy.