Module1

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1 Information Literacy Program Module 1 Resources available @ the Library

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2 to explain the concept of information literacy to inform students about the Library’s resources Learning Objectives

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3 By working through this section you will learn... Why it is important to select appropriate types of information How different types of information are generated: The flow of information How to evaluate which types of information might be useful based on your information needs What types of information you can find using the library

Learn: The benefits of selecting appropriate types of information. : 

4 Learn: The benefits of selecting appropriate types of information. Information comes in many different forms and it is important that you consider what types of information you need before you even visit the library or turn on your computer. Do you need a book? A journal? If so, which type of journal would best suit your information need? What about a newspaper? An Act of Parliament? Or how about another academic's dissertation or thesis? And hang on... aren't these available online? And of course, there is always filmed footage, email correspondence and more... All of these different sources of information are available for you to use, and this is just a small selection of the types of information you can choose from. So why is it important to identify and select appropriate information sources?

Learn: How different types of information are generated and how understanding this can help you identify which sources to use. : 

5 Learn: How different types of information are generated and how understanding this can help you identify which sources to use. Before you begin your search for information, it is useful to know when and how different types of information are made available. This can help you to decide what types of information you may need.

Primary, secondary and tertiary sources of information : 

6 Primary, secondary and tertiary sources of information Primary and secondary sources, when used together, help us to understand people, ideas and events from the past. Tertiary sources can also be useful in providing a starting point for locating other sources or identifying key, basic pieces of information. Primary Sources ... are an original, first-hand account of an event, or the first recorded evidence of something happening, or something being thought or said.They are very valuable sources for assessing the first reactions to an event before it has been coloured by later opinions or evidence.

Secondary Sources : 

7 Secondary Sources Secondary Sources are a ‘second-hand’ source of information. They are created (eg written, filmed, recorded, constructed or drawn) some time after an event has occurred.These sources will often draw their information from several first-hand sources of information (or other second-hand sources of information), and so may give a broader description of an event. They may also include some analysis, discussion or review of first-hand evidence, but be aware that because they are ‘commentaries’ on events they might not have witnessed themselves, they can often be subject to bias (such as when an author decides to emphasise one primary source over another).

Tertiary Sources : 

8 Tertiary Sources Tertiary Sources ... may consist of a mixture of information from both other types of source. This type of source is often created (eg written, filmed, recorded, constructed or drawn) after a significant period of time has lapsed since the event has occurred or research it discusses has become established. An almanac or encyclopaedia might be a good example of this type of source.

Information Literacy : 

9 Information Literacy “An information literate person is a person who is able to recognise when information is needed, and have the ability to locate, evaluate and use effectively the needed information.” American Library Association, 1989.

Information Literacy-What does it mean : 

10 Information Literacy-What does it mean

Why you need to be Information Literate : 

11 better equipped for college life information communications technology is continuously evolving libraries continue to change in order to keep up with the changing information environment being information literate is fundamental to life-long learning Why you need to be Information Literate

Finding Information @ the Library : 

12 Finding Information @ the Library

Formats of Information : 

13 Print - uses paper e.g. books, journals newspapers, magazines Official publications Dissertations and Theses, Statistics Special Reference Material Conference papers Lecture Notes Formats of Information

Formats of Information @ the Library (2) : 

14 Formats of Information @ the Library (2) Electronic - uses a computer e.g. CD-ROM internet electronic journals e-books online indexes

BOOKS & E-BOOKS : 

15 BOOKS & E-BOOKS Books & E-Books Books are a key source of information and vary considerably in subject, extent and the level of the information they contain. You will have to use your judgment in most cases, but you could also look at a book review if you are unsure of the quality of a particular book or author. Advantages Provide in-depth and lengthy coverage. The information is often well-established (but not always!) Books will often incorporate comprehensive indexes and contents pages to help you find the information you are looking for. Text books may include case studies, fact boxes and other additional information. They will often include a bibliography or reference list which can direct you to other useful resources on a similar topic. Disadvantages Due to the time it takes to research, write and publish the information is not normally up-to-the minute. Text books on a specific subject can become out-of-date relatively quickly.

Newspapers & online newspapers : 

16 Newspapers & online newspapers Newspapers and their online counterparts can provide a lot of very up-to-the-minute information on recent events and current affairs. Internet based news services will often be the first place to report some of the basic skeleton facts about an event. Advantages A good source for up-to-date information on current events. Online newspapers and news services will often be the first to break a news story. Often information is accessible as it is aimed at a broad, rather than a specialised, audience. Articles will often be accompanied by illustrations, diagrams or fact boxes Newspapers are an excellent source of information to gauge popular opinion and feeling at a point in time. Disadvantages Many newspapers do demonstrate significant bias in their reporting and often have a political or social allegiance which may influence what information they contain and how it is portrayed. Early reports on an event are more likely to be short on facts or possibly have inaccurate information. It is always wise to try and corroborate any information you find in a newspaper. Many newspapers follow their own style guide with regards to spellings and terminology - be aware this may not always match that which you are expected to use for your coursework.

MAGAZINES : 

17 MAGAZINES Magazines differ slightly to journals in that their intended audience is more broad, and so the information they contain is often written for anyone to understand and more general in scope. As with trade journals, they may include a lot of advertisements. Their main purpose is to report and entertain on current or recent affairs, but they can often have useful information or opinions expressed in them.

Official publications : 

18 Official publications Official publications are documents published by local, regional or national governments and inter-governmental organisations. Information published by governments and official bodies can include information on any aspects of national life, on a local, country-wide or international scale. Advantages They are very useful sources of officially collected, researched and published information Certain government or inter-governmental bodies will be associated with publishing information related to a specific industry or area of knowledge (eg Hansard publishes verbatim reports of all debates within the Houses of Parliament, whilst the Building Research Establishment is an essential publisher of construction engineering information). Disadvantages The information an official document contains may have a very narrow focus. You need to be aware of bias, especially political bias. Official documents may tend to reflect the 'orthodox' view on an issue.

Dissertations and Theses : 

19 Dissertations and Theses Theses are the published reports of examined research, typically at Masters or PhD level. They are often quite focused in their subject coverage, but can help you by:- Identifying the type and volume of work that is required of you at the level of study in question. Providing in-depth research of the given topic, refereed by other academics. Providing an idea of how to structure your own thesis and how to present your materials. Including an extensive bibliography and reference list that can help point you on to further resources.

Statistics : 

20 Statistics Published statistics and statistical tables are exactly that. Collected regionally, nationally or internationally, they are the published results of surveys, censuses and other means of data collection. Advantages Provides clearly presented data. Useful for identifying trends and patterns or providing clear facts to back up an argument. Normally provide details of how the data has been collected. Disadvantages Not normally accompanied by any interpretive data.

Specialist reference materials : 

21 Specialist reference materials In addition to dictionaries and encyclopaedias there are other specialist reference materials you may find useful once you have identified your information needs. Directories may be general or subject specific. They normally provide a list of names or organisations giving contact details, web site addresses and other general information about the person or organisation in question. A handbook is a compact reference source that provides factual and/or product information. It will also usually include guidance on a specific subject or area of professional practice. Yearbooks are published annually and contain information for that year. This is usually relating to a specific subject area (eg The Education Yearbook) or current affairs over that year. A bibliography provides information on people, both living and dead (eg Who's Who, Who Was Who. A digest is an abridged or condensed piece of work, usually prepared by someone other than the author of the main work. You may find a digest useful to locate information reported across various different resources, or to find the information you need within one large resource.

Conference papers : 

22 Conference papers The reports of conference proceedings will normally be composed of a series of research papers given by professionals from their relevant fields of experience. Papers read out verbally at conferences are often the preliminary findings of research that may eventually be published in full as a journal article or book. Advantages Often more up-to-date than journal articles as are simply reports and do not undergo a strict editing process which could delay publication. Disadvantages Older conference papers are often superceded by later research or the publishing of completed research in journal articles or books. Some conference papers are not peer reviewed.

Lecture notes : 

23 Lecture notes You will not be able to find any lecture notes in the library itself, but some of your lecturers may make some of their lecture notes (either as word documents or power point slides) available at the lecture or via Blackboard. Advantages Lecture notes often provide a useful starting point for your research, highlighting key topic areas for you to look at in greater detail in your own time. They may include references to recommended further reading or sources of information Some lecture notes may include images and diagrams. Disadvantages Lecture notes available via Blackboard or from your lecturer are often skeleton versions of the lecture itself, and do not include all of the information the lecturer may have provided. You can find lecture notes available on the internet, but be wary of where these have come from, who has written them and if they are accurate if you are going to use these!

Reference Resources in the Library (2) : 

24 Reference Resources in the Library (2)

Journal articlesWhy are journals useful sources of information? : 

25 Journal articlesWhy are journals useful sources of information? Learn: about journals and the advantages of using them. Journals are also known as serials or periodicals. Journals are published by academic institutions, organisations and commercial publishers on a regular basis. Some are published weekly, most are published monthly or bi-monthly, others quarterly or even just once a year. Increasingly the journals that we buy are available as “electronic journals” which means they are accessible on the Internet.

Difference between a magazine & Journal : 

26 Difference between a magazine & Journal Scholarly: for subject specialists complex vocabulary (discipline specific) may contain abstracts contains references / bibliographic citations e.g.; Review of English Studies; Resonance, PC Quest, pearls Popular: for general readers glossy, colourful no abstracts no references e.g. Time; Readers Digest; National Geographic.

How Information is organized @ the Library : 

27 How Information is organized @ the Library The Library uses the Dewey Decimal numbering system to arrange its stock. This numbering system groups together items (e.g. books, pamphlets) according to their content or subject area. Arranging the stock in this way allows library users to browse the shelves to find similar items – so if you locate one item that seems relevant to you on the Catalogue, the items next to it on the shelf could be of use to you too.

DDC Classification System : 

28 DDC Classification System 1st line shows classification number 2nd line shows author code 3rd line shows accession number

Information is power … : 

29 Information is power … Only if you know how to find the best information