MEDIA AND INFORMATION SOURCES

WHAT IS A MEDIA?
Media is the plural form of medium, which (broadly speaking) describes any channel of
communication. This can include anything from printed paper to digital data, and encompasses
art, news, educational content and numerous other forms of information.
Digital media, which makes up an increasingly vast portion of modern communications, is
comprised of intricately encoded signals that are transmitted over various forms of physical and
virtual media, such as fiber optic cable and computer networks.
MEDIA AND INFORMATION SOURCES
Information is available to us in many different formats – published books, articles, and
newspapers, web pages, videos, photographs, and more. In order to effectively locate, evaluate,
and incorporate a wide variety of information into our knowledge base we must understand what
media literacy is and why it is such a critical 21st century skill.
INDIGENOUS

 INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE
“Knowledge that is unique to a given culture or society.” – Warren (1991)
Traditional knowledge, indigenous knowledge and local knowledge generally refer to knowledge
systems embedded in the cultural traditions of regional, indigenous, or local communities.
In many cases, traditional knowledge has been orally passed for generations from person to
person. Some forms of traditional knowledge find expression in stories, legends, folklore, rituals,
songs, and laws. Other forms of traditional knowledge are expressed through other means.

 INDIGENOUS MEDIA
May be defined as forms of media expression conceptualized, produced, and circulated by
indigenous peoples around the globe as vehicles for communication. Indigenous communities
are known to adhere to oral traditional communication.
Indigenous Media as Tool for Expression and Participation
Info offered by indigenous media is primarily to “open up other spaces for the discussion of
indigenous peoples’ issues and conditions". In the ASEAN region, there are indigenous
organization that have initiated the promotion of freedom of expression and have increased
access to information among indigenous people.
Indigenous knowledge enhances one’s sense of national identity.
  FORMS OF INDIGENOUS MEDIA
1. Folk or Traditional Media
2. Gatherings and Social Organizations
3. Direct Observation
4. Records (Written, Carved, Oral)
5. Oral Instruction
LIBRARY
Formative Questions:
1. What is a library?
2. Is it important for a school to have its own library? Why or why not?
3. What is a modern library for you?

A place in which literary, musical, artistic, or reference materials (such as books, manuscripts,
recordings, or films) are kept for use but not for sale. Expected to select and provide you
content that are easy to access.
No longer static of limited to purely collecting physical materials for archiving, but has extended
to acquiring new modes of providing information such as the use of digital sources and facilities
that utilize media.

 4 MAJOR TYPES OF LIBRARIES

1. Academic Library
An academic library is a library that is attached to a higher education institution
and serves two complementary purposes: to support the curriculum, and to
support the research of the university faculty and students.
2. Public Library
A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded
from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library
paraprofessionals, who are also civil servants.
There are five fundamental characteristics shared by public libraries: they are
generally supported by taxes (usually local, though any level of government can
and may contribute); they are governed by a board to serve the public interest;
they are open to all, and every community member can access the collection; they
are entirely voluntary in that no one is ever forced to use the services provided;
and they provide basic services without charge.
 3. School Library
A school library (or a school library media center) is a library within a school where
students, staff, and often, parents of a public or private school have access to a
variety of resources. The goal of the school library media center is to ensure that
all members of the school community have equitable access "to books and reading,
to information, and to information technology."
4. Special Library
A special library is a library that provides specialized information resources on a
particular subject, serves a specialized and limited clientele, and delivers
specialized services to that clientele. Special libraries include corporate libraries,
government libraries, law libraries, medical libraries, museum libraries, news
libraries, and nonprofit libraries. Special libraries also exist within academic
institutions, including law school libraries and medical school libraries. These
libraries are included as special libraries because they are often funded separately
from the rest of the university and they serve a targeted group of users.
INTERNET
The Internet (portmanteau of interconnected network) is the global system of interconnected
computer networks that use the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to link devices worldwide. It is a
network of networks that consists of private, public, academic, business, and government
networks of local to global scope, linked by a broad array of electronic, wireless, and optical
networking technologies.

 EVALUATING INFORMATION FOUND ON THE INTERNET

Unlike similar information found in newspapers or television broadcasts, information
available on the Internet is not regulated for quality or accuracy; therefore, it is
particularly important for the individual Internet user to evaluate the resource or
information. Keep in mind that almost anyone can publish anything they wish on the Web.
It is often difficult to determine authorship of Web sources, and even if the author is listed,
he or she may not always represent him or herself honestly, or he or she may represent
opinions as fact. The responsibility is on the user to evaluate resources effectively.
Remember to evaluate Wikipedia articles too.
Ask yourself these questions before using resources from the World Wide Web:
o Author
 Is the name of the author/creator on the page?
 Are his/her credentials listed (occupation, years of experience, position or
education)?
 Is the author qualified to write on the given topic? Why?
 Is there contact information, such as an email address, somewhere on the
page?
  Is there a link to a homepage?
 If there is a link to a homepage, is it for an individual or for an organization?
 If the author is with an organization, does it appear to support or sponsor
the page?
 What does the domain name/URL reveal about the source of the
information, if anything?
 If the owner is not identified, what can you tell about the origin of the site
from the address?
Note: To find relevant information about the author, check personal homepages on the
Web, campus directory entries and information retrieved through search engines. Also check
print sources in the Library Reference area; Who's Who in America, Biography Index, and other
biographical sources can be used to determine the author's credentials.
o Purpose
 Knowing the motive behind the page's creation can help you judge its
content.
 Who is the intended audience?
 Scholarly audience or experts?
 General public or novices?
 If not stated, what do you think is the purpose of the site? Is the purpose
to:
 Inform or Teach?
 Explain or Enlighten?
 Persuade?
 Sell a Product?
o Objectivity
 Is the information covered fact, opinion, or propaganda?
 Is the author's point-of-view objective and impartial?
 Is the language free of emotion-rousing words and bias?
 Is the author affiliated with an organization?
 Does the author's affiliation with an institution or organization appear to
bias the information?
 Does the content of the page have the official approval of the institution,
organization, or company?
o Accuracy
 Are the sources for factual information clearly listed so that the
information can be verified?
 Is it clear who has the ultimate responsibility for the accuracy of the
content of the material?
 Can you verify any of the information in independent sources or from your
own knowledge?
  Has the information been reviewed or refereed?
 Is the information free of grammatical, spelling, or typographical errors?
o Reliability and Credibility
 Why should anyone believe information from this site?
 Does the information appear to be valid and well-researched, or is it
unsupported by evidence?
 Are quotes and other strong assertions backed by sources that you could
check through other means?
 What institution (company, government, university, etc.) supports this
information?
 If it is an institution, have you heard of it before? Can you find more
information about it?
 Is there a non-Web equivalent of this material that would provide a way of
verifying its legitimacy?
o Currency
 If timeliness of the information is important, is it kept up-to-date?
 Is there an indication of when the site was last updated?
o Links
 Are links related to the topic and useful to the purpose of the site?
 Are links still current, or have they become dead ends?
 What kinds of sources are linked?
 Are the links evaluated or annotated in any way?
Note: The quality of Web pages linked to the original Web page may vary; therefore,
you must always evaluate each Web site independently.
Conclusion
Be very critical of any information you find on the Web and carefully examine each site.
Web pages are susceptible to both accidental and deliberate alteration, and may move or
disappear with no notice.
Print out or download all pages you plan to use in your research so that your bibliography will be
complete and accurate.
Are you sure the Web is where you want to be? It may take an hour to find the answer to a
question on the Web that would take a Reference Librarian two minutes to find. When in
doubt, ask a Librarian!
 THINGS TO CONSIDER IN EVALUATING INFORMATION
o Reliability
Reliability of Information is said to be reliable if it can be verified and evaluated.
Others refer to the trustworthiness of the source in evaluating the reliability of
information.
o Accuracy
Accuracy of Information Accuracy refers to the closeness of the report to the
actual data. Measurement of accuracy varies, depending on the type of
information being evaluated.
Forecasts - similar to the actual data.
Financial - values are correct.
o Value
Value of Information is said to be of value if it aids the user in making or improving
decisions.
o Authority
Authority of the Source
- Who authored or published the information?
- Is the source credible?
o Timeliness
Reliability, accuracy, and value of information may vary based on the time it was
produced or acquired. It may become irrelevant and inaccurate with the passing
of time (thus making it less valuable). Timeliness Other information may be
timeless, proven to be the same in reliability, accuracy, and value throughout
history.
 SKILLS IN DETERMINING THE RELIABILITY OF INFORMATION
o Check the Author
o Check the Date of Publication or of update
o Check for Citations
o Check the Domain or owner of the site/page.
.com – commercial
.edu – educational
.mil – military
.gov – government
.org - nonprofit organization
 SKILLS IN DETERMINING ACCURATE INFORMATION
o Look for facts.
o Cross-reference with other source for consistency.
o Determine the reason for writing and publishing the information.