M2L1: Overview of Information Sources

NIOS Senior Secondary 12th Library and Information Science (339) Module 2 Information Sources Lesson 1 Chapter 5

collins english dictionary definition of information (definition of information)

(definition of information)

• knowledge acquired through experience or study

• knowledge of specific timely events or situations - such as news

• the act of informing or condition of being information - by an office, an agency, etc

• a collection of facts or data - such as statistical information 

• processed, stored, and transmitted data - such as in computer science

info is closely related to knowledge, instruction, data, and communication (definition of information)

(definition of information)

• in communication context - info is message received and understood

• in data context - info is a collection of facts that can be used to arrive at a conclusion

• in knowledge context - info is something acquired individually through education and experience, to be used practically

summary of info (definition of information)

(definition of information)

• facts, conclusions, ideas and creative works of human intellect and imagination that are communicated formally or informally

• can be transported, stored or shared easily - can be accessed easily

information sources

• where we get info

  • eg. documents, humans, institutions, mass media (radio & television)

personal communication (information sources)

(information sources)

• most important informal info sharing

• done through talking, writing, letters, phone calls, internet etc

• share views, ideas, observations, experimental search results, etc

formal sources of info (information sources)

(information sources)

• news, study, research, entertainment, etc

recorded info sources (information sources)

(information sources)

• newspapers, books, magazines, CDs, DVDs, radio, television, internet, etc

info from institutions (information sources)

(information sources)

• universities, schools, government (gov) organisation, health institutions, R&D organisations, S&T institutions, industries, etc

types of information sources

• documentary sources

  • by content

  • by form

• non documentary sources

documentary sources (types of information sources)

(types of information sources)

• all recorded sources of info are documentary sources

• can be published or unpublished 

• can be in print or electronic 

• can be books, periodicals, magazines, reference books, etc

• organised by

  • by content

  • by form

documentary sources organised by content (types of information sources)

(types of information sources)

• all documentary sources are organised into categories based on their informational content / organisation level

  • primary 

  • secondary

  • tertiary

primary sources of info (documentary sources organised by content)

(documentary sources organised by content)

• contains original info that has been published, reported, or recorded for the first time 

• include raw data, new interpretation of facts, new observations or experiments, etc 

• in the form of a periodical article, monograph, research report, patent, dissertation, reprint of an article, etc

• eg. periodicals, newspapers, technical reports, dissertations, conference papers, patents, standards

problems of primary sources (documentary sources organised by content)

(documentary sources organised by content)

• tend to be very scattered and difficult to navigate / locate info

• widely scattered and available in large number - difficult to track what is published even in a single subject / topic 

• solved by categorising and organising into secondary sources

secondary sources of info (documentary sources organised by content)

(documentary sources organised by content)

• present the contents of primary sources in condensed form or list them for easy access

• grouped into four broad types

  • index / abstract type

  • survey type

  • reference books

  • technical translations

index / abstract type (secondary sources of info)

(secondary sources of info)

• index - derived from latin ‘indicare’ meaning ‘point out’ or ‘to show’

• select relevant items and arrange them into a helpful sequence for quick retrieval

• includes indexes, bibliographies, indexing and abstracting periodicals, current awareness services, etc

• indexing and abstracting periodicals are generally based on a certain subject for easy location and identification 

  • can be brought out at regular intervals to keep users aware of current literature (lit) / be important guides

• without these secondary sources, lots of primary lit would be unknown and unused

survey type (secondary sources of info)

(secondary sources of info)

• survey selected portion of primary lit and provide

  • an overview of the subject 

  • highlight significant lit on the subject (treatises)

  • depict the progress of a particular field of study (annual reviews, advances, etc)

  • present the contents of primary lit in easy and understandable form (textbooks)

reference books (secondary sources of info)

(secondary sources of info)

• provide answers to factual queries, statistical info, and background info, on a specific or general subject

• eg. dictionaries, encyclopaedias, directories, yearbooks, almanacs, maps, atlases, etc

• to find out facts on a topic 

• use subject headings in alphabetic order to find info quickly

• used for consultation not continuous reading 

• not available for loan in the library

technical translations (secondary sources of info)

(secondary sources of info)

• when primary lit is translated into another language for new users it becomes a secondary source

• primary research periodicals in russian, chinese, japanese, etc have been translated cover-to-cover in english for english readers

tertiary sources of info (documentary sources organised by content)

(documentary sources organised by content)

• usually a compilation of primary and secondary sources of info 

• helps the searcher select the required source relevant to their purpose 

• don’t carry subject info but guide the users to source where the info is available

• eg. guide to the literature, guides to the reference sources, bibliography of bibliographies, etc

• guide for both secondary and primary sources of info

documentary sources organised by physical form (types of information sources)

(types of information sources)

• based on the physical form, sources can be categorised into 

  • paper based documentary sources

  • documentary sources on other media

paper based documentary sources (documentary sources organised by physical form)

(documentary sources organised by physical form)

• includes published and unpublished sources

• published sources are published in large number of copies by publishers

  • generally priced and meant for public use

• unpublished sources aren’t printed

  • few copies are produced for restricted circulation 

  • eg. dissertations, technical reports, manuscripts, etc

documentary sources on other media (documentary sources organised by physical form)

(documentary sources organised by physical form)

• available in a wide range of categories → audio, audio-visual, electronic media, optical media, or microforms

• different formats have different purposes, some are

  • supporting tools for teaching 

  • for archiving

  • storing devices 

• different audio-visual aids can enhance learning 

• it’s been observed that you retain 10% of what you read, 30% of what you hear, and 50% of what you hea, and 90% of what you do

sound or audio recording (documentary sources on other media)

(documentary sources on other media)

• publishers offer their books on audio cassettes, CD, MP3-CD, and cassettes in addition to print

• some websites offer free audio books which can be downloaded on iPod, MP3 player, and smartphone such as Loyal Books

artefacts and realia (documentary sources on other media)

(documentary sources on other media)

• artefacts → handmade objects made by human skill or works that are historically / archaeologically interesting 

• realia → refers to certain real life objects

  • eg. different types of woods, fabrics, coins, etc that can help understanding / be educational 

electronic media (documentary sources on other media)

(documentary sources on other media)

• mediums that require electronics or electromechanical energy to access content 

• include video & audio recordings, multimedia presentations, CD-ROM, online presentations, etc

• doesn’t have to be stored on a device, such as live broadcasting or online networking 

• any equipment used to communicate electronically is also included

  • eg. radio, phone, tv, desktop, video games, handheld devices, etc

magnetic storage media (documentary sources on other media)

(documentary sources on other media)

• devices store data on a surface coated with magnetic substance 

• covers analog and digital magnetic storage media

• includes reel-to-reel tapes, audio cassette tapes, video tapes which magnetically store sound and pictures

• common magnetic storage devices include tapes, discs, hard drives

• tapes were the first type of magnetic storage device

  • either reel-to-reel or cartridge form 

  • inexpensive but slow 

  • have to rewind or advance the tape to access the data 

  • limited role due to their superiority of magnetic disc 

  • can only access sequentially, unlike magnetic disc (can access directly)

• discs like floppy discs transfer small amount of data between computers and / or to backup discs 

  • nearly all computers used to have floppy drive, but it has been replaced by CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray Disc

• hard drives can store a lot of data and are called random access device - don’t have to search through it to find data, can just retrieve it 

optical storage media (documentary sources on other media)

(documentary sources on other media)

• storage devices that hold info in digital form and the content is written and read by LASER

• includes CD-ROM, DVD, Blu-ray Disc and its variations 

  • CD-R (Read only) and CD-RW (Re-writable)

    • CD-ROM → Compact Disc Read Only Memory (12cm diameter) - can store 325, 000 pages of info

  • DVD-R and DVD-RW

  • DVD has more data storage capacity - can store 4.5 GB

  • CD can only store 700 MB

  • CD-R and DVD-R can only record once where CD-RW and DVD-RW are re-recordable 

  • Blu-ray Disc is a high density optical storage that can store 25GB (single layer) to 50 GB (double later) on a single disc

    • used as a recording medium for videos such as feature films

microforms (documentary sources on other media)

(documentary sources on other media)

• contain reduced images of books, newspapers, maps, photographs, etc for storing and preserving 

• texts or images are photographically reduced 

• microfilm → a roll film 

• microfiche → a flat card size sheet (4x6 inches)

• since they’re reduced they can store a lot of data 

• is read by microfilm reader - the machine enlarges the photo on film and then projects it onto a built-in screen

• in libraries old, valuable, and fragile documents are often microfilmed to provide access without damaging the originals 

non documentary sources (types of information sources)

(types of information sources)

• sources that aren’t recorded in any form such as

  • humans

  • organisations 

  • mass media other than print media 

  • internet

humans (non documentary sources)

(non documentary sources)

• useful source of latest info 

• can range from experts to common people 

  • eg. people who witness an accident are sources of info on the accident 

  • eg. an expert’s opinion to a researcher who needs an immediate solution

organisations (non documentary sources)

(non documentary sources)

• important 

• can include 

  • academic institutions

  • R&D institutions 

  • museums 

  • archives

  • publishing houses

  • gov establishments

• provide authentic, timely, and reliable info in their specific area of study

• typically that info isn’t available anywhere else

mass media - other than print media (non documentary sources)

(non documentary sources)

• mass media - the medium through which news and info is communicated to general masses

• includes newspapers, magazines, radio, and television 

  • radio and television are the most effective 

• television 

  • main advantage - brings sight, sound and action to users in their homes

  • most popular mass media

  • hundreds of channels with special channels dedicated exclusively to news, sports, movies, wildlife, history, science, etc 

• radio

  • broadcast news at local, regional, national, and international level

  • have different programmes for news, entertainment, music, sports, education, etc

  • suitable for all ages, genders, and professions

internet (non documentary sources)

(non documentary sources)

• interactive digital media different from print and television

• web is a collection of websites on the internet - offers info on any topic

• provides latest news from any part of the world 

• info available before other media can broadcast it

• source of info on companies, businesses, educational institutes, gov departments, etc

  • educational institutes put info on their sites like activities, courses, fee, etc

• individuals can interact, exchange ideas, share info, provide support, conduct business

• can be used to shop, operate bank accounts, transact business, purchase tickets, play games, watch stuff, listen to stuff, etc

development of information sources - historical overview

• early books

• development of printed books and other sources'

• emergence of periodicals

• emergence of electronic sources

• emergence of mass media

• emergence of internet and world wide web

early books (development of information sources - historical overview)

(development of information sources - historical overview)

• before paper, there were cave walls, stones, clay tablets, metals (lead, copper, brass, bronze), linen, wooden boards, wax coated wooden tablets, papyrus, parchment, and vellum

• in india palm leaves were used - the vedas were originally written on palm leaves 

• paper was invented in 105 AD in China 

  • papermaking spread around the world 

• earlier books were written by hand and professionals were called scribes 

• most books written then (400 AD to 1400 AD) were decorated with colourful drawn pictures

  • since they were time-consuming and expensive to make they weren’t common 

• only religious leaders, rulers, and other privileged people had access to books

development of printed books and other sources (development of information sources - historical overview)

(development of information sources - historical overview)

• the first printed book (Diamond Sutra - 868 AD) was made in China using block printing 

• today’s book comes from the invention of movable type printing press

• developed by Johannes Gutenberg and his associates in 1450 AD in Europe

• books then became accessible to the public - became important for mass communication

• brought many changes to libraries and replaced handwritten manuscripts - were put on open shelves and not locked in chests like manuscripts 

• 1600 AD - libraries started resembling modern libraries and printing was also used in business

• printed news sheets appeared in the Netherlands and other trading nations

  • mostly reported on business news like ‘which ships landed’ and ‘what goods they had’

  • also had ads 

  • soon added non-business news and became the first true newspapers

emergence of periodicals (development of information sources - historical overview)

(development of information sources - historical overview)

• early 1600s - scholars and scientists published their research findings in books 

• this wasn’t convenient for disseminating research results - they had to work for years 

• the only other form of communication between scientists was writing letters and meeting at conferences - informal communication 

• needed a quicker medium to communicate to avoid duplicate research - led to the publication of periodicals 

• the first periodical was ‘Le Journal des scavans’ (Journal of Learned Men) - published in January, 1665 (french)

• the Royal Society of London published a monthly scientific periodical - ‘Philosophical Transactions’

  •  March, 1665

• they were the models for subsequent scientific periodicals

emergence of electronic sources (development of information sources - historical overview)

(development of information sources - historical overview)

• 1800s → inventions like typewriter, telegraph, and telephone helped info disseminate quicker

  • long distances messages could be sent instantly 

• 1895 → scientists invented electronics branch of science to send signals through space

  • electromagnetic waves are used to carry signals which travel at the speed of light  

  • led to invention of radio (1906), tv (1936), computers (1950s) and others

emergence of mass media (development of information sources - historical overview)

(development of information sources - historical overview)

• mass medium (singular version of mass media) includes press, tv, radio, motion pictures, etc

• 1811 - German printer Friedrich Koenig used steam engine to power the printing press 

  • allowed newspapers to be printed in large numbers cheaply - led to mass circulation 

  • 1814 - ‘The Times’ newspaper in London was the first to use Koenig’s press 

• radio, tv, films, etc are the most powerful mass media in India

emergence of internet and world wide web (development of information sources - historical overview)

(development of information sources - historical overview)

• advances in computers and telecommunication tech in the 1900s led to emergence of digital and electronic libraries, internet, world wide web, etc 

• internet → a global system of interconnected computer networks that serves billions 

  • origin dates back to 1960, when the United States Department of Defence tried to build a self-maintaining computer network - ARPANET 

  • 1970s - computer power, speed, memory, improved 

  • remote computers could communicate over telephone lines on the internet

  • dial-up online searches were very expensive 

  • 1990s - advent of world wide web increased internet usage 

  • world wide web and the emerging of internet service providers offered internet to the masses 

  • allows millions of people all over the world to communicate and share info