INFORMATION LITERACY

What is information?  Information is knowledge derived from data  Knowledge is data that an individual recognizes as relevant (which is interpreted and stored for a purpose)  Data is recorded facts and figures  Information can consist of data, images, text and/or sound

Characteristics of information  A commodity (can be bought, sold, exchanged, stored, accumulated, patented and owned)  It is not depleted when used  Demand for information is unlimited

Good vs bad information  Good information  Relevant  Timely  Accurate  Complete  Concise  Reduces uncertainty Bad information o Irrelevant o Swamping (too much o Incomplete o Unclear o Other

Sources of information Information is derived from a variety of sources:  Primary: First-hand account (e.g. interview, letters, discovery)  Secondary: Comments on events, discoveries (textbooks, encyclopaedias, yearbooks)  Tertiary: Used to track existing information (e.g. indexes, catalogues, bibliographies)

Information Literacy  In order to use information effectively, it is important to become information literate.  An information literate person knows how to find, organize, evaluate and use information effectively  Information literacy involves knowing:  What information is available  Where the information is located  How it can be accessed, retrieved, stored  How it can be processed and presented

Value of information  It is hard to place a value on information because its value depends on the context and the user  Information is only of value if it useful to a person (or groups of persons) and if it can be accessible

Users of information  Various industries utilize information  Entertainment  Education  Business and industry  Research and development

Information packages  Information is presented in many ways to suit the type of information and needs of users:  Print (newspaper, books, journals, serials)  Non-print (videos, CD, audio tapes)

Organizing information  Cataloguing  Systematically arranging information to be found in one or more libraries and tells the location of such information  Types of catalogue:  Dictionary  Divided  Classified  Union  Formats of catalogues:  Card, book, microfilm, online, CD-ROM  Classification systems used to organize information  LCC (Library of Congress Classification)  DDC (Dewey Decimal Classification )  UDC (Universal Decimal classification)

Locating, Accessing and Retrieving information  An important skill of an information literate person is the ability to locate information that is relevant to a particular need within a specific context  If information is needed, where do you look? What are your sources of information?  Friend, search the internet, visit a library, check telephone directory Once a person has established where information is located, then he/she needs to know how to access such information

Accessing and Retrieving information  Accessing information from a library:  The information can be available from a variety of sources (e.g. the Internet) 1.Check the library catalogue 2.Check arrangement of library’s collection 3.Determine the classification scheme 4.Check library guides to identify shelf 5.Ask a library staff member for assistance

Accessing information: Using a catalogue  The catalogue is the key to finding information in the library. A person uses information that is already known e.g. author, title, subject

Activity: Examine the catalogue and then answer the questions that follow. You searched for the author: Toman Walter TITLE:Family constellation: its effects on personality AUTHOR:Toman, Walter EDITION:4 th ed. PUBLISHED:New York: Springer Pub. Co., c1993 DESCRIPT:xiii, 307 p.; 24 cm SUBJECT:Birth order BIBLIOG.:Includes bibliographical references (p ) and indexes ISBN: LOC’NCentral library CALL #:BF723.B5T STATUS:Available

questions a.What type of material? b.Who is the author? c.Who published this item? d.What is the date of publication? e.Which edition is this publication f.Does the publication include an index? g.Does the publication contain references? h.What is the publication about? i.How could you find other books on this subject? j.Which classification scheme does this library use? k.Where would you find this publication on the shelf? l.How many copies would you expect to find on the shelf?

Accessing information: Searching the Internet  To search for information on the Internet, a search tool or search engine is needed.  There are three types of search engines  A search engine embedded in a website  One that facilitates search of specific subject  Universal search engine (indexed all content on internet e.g. Google or Yahoo!)

Accessing information: searching databases  A databased is a collection of digitized information which has been organized for simplified, fast searching and retrieval. The are updated regularly and contain bibliographic citations or references for periodicals and other publications

Information sources (accessing date)  Books (also called monograph)  Reference sources  Periodicals  Multimedia

Retrieving information