Media and Information Sources

• The presentation focuses on media and information sources
• The objectives are to distinguish different sources of information, realize the value of each source, and evaluate information from each source.
• The guiding question is: How did legends, myths, folk tales, epics, and folk songs come into writing?

Classification of Information Sources

• Indigenous Knowledge
• Libraries
• Internet

Indigenous Knowledge

• This is a distinctive knowledge kept to a specific group of people.
• Local knowledge, folk knowledge, people’s knowledge, traditional wisdom, or traditional science are other terms used for it.
• Its topographies include:
• Local appropriateness - a way of life advanced to local conditions.
• Restraint in resource exploitation - production is for survival needs only and what is taken from the environment should only be what is necessary for immediate survival.
• Diversified production systems - there is no abuse of resources and various strategies are used to avoid risks.
• Respect for nature - Treating the land as sacred and having a conservation ethic,
• Humans are dependent on nature for survival and all species are interrelated.
• Indigenous knowledge adapts to new circumstances and is open to outside knowledge.
• There are strong family and community ties and feelings of obligation and responsibility to preserve the land for future generations,

Libraries

• A library is a building, room, or organization that has a collection, especially of books, music, and information.
• Information in a library can be accessed by computer for people to read, use, or borrow.
• Types of services provided include:
• User services - link people to the information they seek.
• Technical services - gather, catalog, and prepare library materials.
• Computer services - maintain databases, software programming, and web page design.
• Administrative services - manage the library, convey contracts, supervise employees and prepare budgets.
• Types of libraries:
• Academic Libraries - Attend colleges and Universities
• Public Libraries - Attend to cities and towns of all types
• School Libraries - Attend to students from Kindergarten - Grade 12
• Special Libraries - Located in specific environments(ie hospitals, corporations, museums, military, private business)

Internet

• This is a global computer network providing a variety of information and communication facilities.
• It consists of interconnected networks using standardized communication protocols.

Other Classification of Information Sources

• Primary Sources encompass materials from a certain period which have not been filtered or modified through analysis or interpretation.
• Examples of primary sources:
• Artifacts - Things made or created by humans (tools, works of art, archaeological objects)
• Patents - granting of right to invention by a sovereign authority
• Diaries - records with distinct entries organized by date reporting on daily activities or other periods.
• Audio/video recordings. In addition, emails, interviews, journal articles, letters, minutes of meetings, conferences and symposia, newspaper articles, original documents (birth certificates, marriage certificates), photographs, and records of organizations, research survey results, speeches, works of art, literature, architecture, music and websites

Secondary Sources

• These are written after an original product and aim to give reflection or analysis.
• Indexes are typically in one or more individual volumes near the end of a set. E.g. index, bibliography, indexing periodicals, and abstracting periodicals.
• Survey type involves examination or description. E.g. reviews, treatises, and monographs.
• Reference type encompasses materials collected using other's works.
• Examples: encyclopedia, dictionary, handbook, manual and critical tables.

Tertiary Sources

• Involve information which collects and organizes primary and secondary sources.
• Bibliography of bibliographies, directories and yearbooks.
• Guides to literature.
• Lists of research in progress.

Ways to Evaluate Information

• Relevancy - Is the information relevant to the question?
• Appropriateness - Is the information suitable to my age and core values?
• Detail - Is the depth of coverage adequate?
• Currency - When was the information last updated?
• Authority - Who is the author of the information and what are their qualifications?
• Bias - Was it written to inform, persuade, entertain, or sell?

Presentation on media and information sources. Objectives include distinguishing different sources of information, understanding the value of each source, and evaluating information from each source. It also explores how legends, myths, folk tales, epics, and folk songs came into writing.