1. Nature and Uses of Information

2. Information gathering and transmitting is almost as old as civilization itself.

3. What is information?
is organized data that has been processed or manipulated in some way to convey meaning.

4. What is information?
Information is the result of analysis, synthesis and evaluation based on available data. In other words, the data has been organized, structured, considered and communicated.

6. Characteristics of Information
Information is often described as a commodity.
Information is considered to be a personal, organizational and national resource of great value.

7. Why seek Information? to gain knowledge to collect data
to solve problems

8. What is good Information?
Relevant:
Information must relate to the business at hand, and fulfill the needs of the user.

9. What is good Information?
Timely:
Information must be available when needed, within the timeframe desired by the user.

10. What is good Information?
Accurate and Complete:
All available information should be accessible, with emphasis on the right information. This often depends on the context.

11. What is good Information?
Concise:
Information must be understandable to those who use it, and must be able to absorb quickly for action.

12. What is good Information?
Reduces uncertainty:
A statement about the structure of an entity reduces the unknown about the entity; therefore good information should meet a user’s requirements completely.

13. The informed decision is the best decision.

14. For information to be useful for decision-making, it must be:
the right information
available at the right time
available to the right person
at the right cost
presented in the right format to facilitate a decision.

15. What is Poor Information?
Irrelevant:
Information is of little value when it is too old or out-of-date to be relevant to the user’s need.

16. What is Poor Information?
Swamping:
It is not helpful when information is too voluminous to allow any sense to be made of it. It is the quality of information that is important, not the quantity.

17. What is Poor Information?
Unclear:
Information is poor when it is not presented in a way that will facilitate a decision.

18. What is Poor Information?
Not all there:
If information is incomplete, it may fail to provide a clear sense of the entirety of the problem.

19. Format of Information Printed
Materials referenced and collected from print resources

20. Format of Information Digital
Information materials that are stored in an electronic format on a hard drive, CD- ROM, or remote server.

21. Format of Information Audio/Video
Materials collected using video (television, video recordings), audio (radio, audio recordings) tools presented in recorded tapes, CDs, audio-cassettes, etc.

22. Format of Information Multimedia
Materials created by the use of several different media to convey information (text, audio, graphics, animation, video, and interactivity).

23. Format of Information Microform:
Materials that have been photographed and their images developed in reduced size onto 35mm or 16mm film rolls or 4”x 6” fiche cards, which are viewed on machines equipped with magnifying lenses.

24. Format of Information Human
Information collected from face–to-face or telephone communication and conversation or other personal communication (such as letters and s).

25. Categories of Information
Popular
inform and entertain the general public

26. Categories of Information
Scholarly
disseminate research and academic discussion among professionals within disciplines.

27. Categories of Information
Trade
publications which are neither scholarly nor popular sources, though sometimes are a combination of both, allow practitioners in specific industries to share market and production information that improves their businesses.

28. Sources of Information
Primary:
Primary sources are original, uninterpreted information.
Unedited, firsthand access to words, images, or objects created by persons directly involved in an activity or event or speaking directly for a group.

29. Sources of Information
Secondary
Secondary sources interpret, analyze, or summarize.
Commentary upon, or analysis of, events, ideas, or primary sources.

30. Sources of Information
Tertiary
Tertiary sources compile, index, or organize sources.
Sources which analyzed, compiled and digest secondary sources included mostly in abstracts, bibliographies, handbooks, encyclopedias