Introduction

In the previous chapters of the book we discussed traditional resources that are commonly found in a library. In this chapter we will discuss the Internet - one of the most influential technologies developed in the past few decades. Even if you do not own a computer the Internet will affect many areas of your life, such as ATMs for banking. But from our point of view the most important aspect of the Internet is our ability to access a wide range of information and information sources and to communicate with people in a variety of ways all over the world. In this chapter we will discuss the Internet, and various things you can do on the Internet such as e-mail, share files, Facebook and so on. The various ways of accessing information via the Internet will be discussed in Chapter 7.

What is the Internet?

The Internet is a worldwide network of networks, a networking infrastructure. It connects millions of computers together globally, forming a network whereby any computer can communicate with any other computer as long as they are both connected to the Internet. Information that travels over the

Internet does so via a variety of languages and protocols. Protocols are the technical standards that are required for the computers to communicate.

Data travels across ordinary telecommunication lines (such as cable, telephone, radio, or television lines) and so it is very easy for individuals and organisations to connect to the Internet. It is impossible to say how many computers are hooked up to the Internet as the number is constantly growing.

What is the World Wide Web?

The World Wide Web or WWW or Web (we will use the WWW in this book but all are acceptable) is a way of accessing information through the Internet. It is an information-sharing model that is built on top of the Internet. The WWW uses the HTTP protocol and is used to transmit data over the Internet. The WWW also utilises browsers (software which you use to connect to and view WWW pages), such as Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox, to access web documents called web pages that are linked to each other via hyperlinks. Web documents can contain graphics, sounds, text and video.

Introduction

In this chapter we will discuss different types of reference sources. The best known types of reference sources are dictionaries, encyclopaedias, directories, almanacs, yearbooks and atlases. These sources are arranged so that you can access them easily and find factual information quickly. Bibliographies, indexing and abstract journals are also reference sources but as these serve a different purpose (they refer one to information sources) we discuss them separately in Chapter 5.

As pointed out in the previous chapter, when you go to a library you will usually find that the reference sources are housed in a separate collection. They may sometimes be shelved with the other information sources, but the prefix REF, or perhaps just R, is usually included in the call numbers of reference sources so that you can clearly distinguish them from other information sources. If you look up a subject in the library catalogue and some of the sources you find have call numbers which include the letters REF or R before the classification notation, you will know that these are probably arranged separately in the reference section of the library and can only be consulted in the library.

Reference sources used to be available only in book or printed form but many of these reference sources are now also available in electronic form (for example CD-ROM or online on the Internet). Some of these are available to you free on the Internet but for most reputable reference works you need to be a subscriber in order to consult them.

You can consult different types of reference sources to find different kinds of information. We will look at some of these types of reference sources so that you have a better idea of where to find the information you need.

Dictionaries

We are all familiar with language dictionaries, but there are various other kinds of dictionaries. There are, for example, subject dictionaries and biographical dictionaries too. Language dictionaries and subject dictionaries are good sources to consult when you start an information task such as an assignment. You can ensure that you understand the terminology used in the assignment topic and in the books that you consult. Dictionaries may also be consulted to check the spelling and pronunciation of difficult words. Let's look at some of the types of dictionary in more detail.

Introduction

This book deals with information skills. Before we can start learning these information skills we need to understand why we need them and what they are. In this chapter we will discuss the particular changes that have taken place in the last fifty to sixty years that have made it necessary for us to learn these particular skills and also what these skills consist of. In this chapter you will learn about the information society and information literacy. You will also learn why it is important to have information skills and more about the particular skills which you need in order to utilise information effectively.

Development of the information society

The information phenomenon is one of the defining features of the modem world. The creation, packaging and use of information have accelerated so much over recent years that it is often referred to as an information explosion. According to some writers this exponential increase in information combined with technological developments resulted in a new type of social system - the information society. This is also referred to as the post-industrial era or the networked society. In this book we will refer to it as the information society.

Changes in society can be described and shown in many ways. A common way of marking these changes is to divide history into several eras or time spans. Each of these eras covers a chronological time period, and relates to the particular aspects of society during that period in history. The way you choose to divide the time period will depend on which characteristics of society you focus on. However, it is important to remember that these divisions are artificial and can vary depending on one's perspective and the purpose of the division. From the point of view of production of goods, history can be divided into three eras: the agricultural era, the industrial era and the information era, as shown in Figure 1.1.

It is important to remember that these divisions are artificial and that characteristics or aspects of the previous eras will be found in a society as it moves from one era to the next.

Introduction

In the previous chapter we discussed the Internet and the various things you can do on the Internet. In this chapter we will discuss other electronic sources and resources. There is some overlap between this chapter and Chapter 4 as some of the sources, such as journals, can be in either paper or electronic format. However, in this chapter we focus on those sources that are primarily available in electronic format.

Portals and gateways

Some sources differentiate between the two terms ‘portal’ and ‘gateway’ but in practice the two terms are often used interchangeably. In this book we will use the term ‘portal’. A web portal or gateway refers to a site that provides a single point of access to collections of information and resources on the web. Portals present information from diverse sources in a unified way. There are various kinds of portals such as government portals, regional portals and enterprise portals. Some of these will be discussed below.

A portal can also offer employees or users facilities to share information with each other, for example, through e-mail, blogs and chat rooms. Portals are created for a specific purpose and are usually either directed at a specific audience, deal with a specific topic or bring together information on a specific region or discipline.

Regional portals and gateways

A regional portal is set up to serve specific needs in a geographic region. Regional portals may contain local information such as weather forecasts, street maps and local business information. Examples of regional gateways are:

These sites offer tourist and business information, currency, sights and activities and other information. They offer a single entry point to information one may need either as a citizen or a tourist. Figure 6.2 shows the Johannesburg official site.

Government portals and gateways

Government portals offer information on a particular country for its citizens and other interested parties. The South African Government website is found at http://www.gov.za/. You can search this website. For example, if you go to the option Speeches and Statements you can search according to the date, name of the speaker, words included in the speech, date the speech was given and so on. In the United States the main portal is http://www.usa.gov in English and http://www.gobiemousa.gov in Spanish.

Introduction

In this chapter we will be discussing both published sources such as books, journals and newspapers, and unpublished sources such as grey literature. You will be familiar with many of these sources but we will also introduce you to some that you may not have encountered previously, such as grey literature which may be useful to you in your studies and your work.

Books

We have all used books and know what they are. A book is defined in Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary (2005) as: a set of written, printed, or blank sheets bound together into a volume. There are also electronic books or e-books as they are termed. An e-book can be defined as a book that is available in electronic format, for example, as a CD or on the web. Books may deal with any subject and most of us read and consult many different types of books such as textbooks, handbooks and novels. Some of the types of books you may encounter during your studies are:

• • Textbooks are used at school and university and are generally of an introductory nature. They do not contain original research but are factual books aimed at teaching students the basics of a particular discipline or aspect of the discipline.

• • Manuals are books of rules and procedures relating to a specific field, such as a manual on how to use an appliance such as a cell phone or washing machine.

• • Reference books, such as subject dictionaries, as discussed in the previous chapter.

• • Academic books are books written by a subject specialist for other specialists. These books are usually based on original research and may be peer reviewed before publication. Peer review means that other experts (usually two but maybe more) in the particular discipline will have evaluated the book before publication. Certain publishers, such as Oxford University Press, have established reputations for publishing reputable academic books. One can therefore usually trust the information found in these books as being accurate.

Some tips on how to use books for your studies

• • Begin by looking at the table of contents to get an overview of what is covered in the book.

Introduction

In Chapter 10 we spoke about the ethical use of information and the need to avoid plagiarism by citing our source of information. We also discussed taking notes and mentioned how important it is to note the source from where we obtain information so that we can acknowledge our source of information when we write an assignment. In this chapter we will discuss the correct way to acknowledge or cite the sources we have consulted or quoted in the text. You will also learn how to compile a list of all the sources you have cited (that is referred to) in your written text. This list is called a Reference list. Other names for this list are References, List of references, List of sources cited or even Bibliography. The list is also sometimes called a List of sources consulted if you include sources you have consulted but not necessarily cited in your text.

As you locate and access relevant information sources for an assignment, you need to record certain details of these sources. It is important to record this information while collecting and organising the information because by the time you actually write your assignment, you may no longer have the sources with you.

There are different techniques or methods of compiling citations but all the methods focus on the same elements to be included in a citation. In this chapter you will be looking at only one way of doing this but once you are familiar with the elements of a citation it will be relatively easy to apply other referencing methods. Whatever method you use, the important thing is to be consistent.

Purpose and function of references in an ssignment

The reason you make references (to the sources you have cited) in the text of your assignments is to acknowledge that you have used viewpoints, information, arguments or research findings of specific authors and to indicate who these authors are. In other words, you are using the arguments and research of other authors to support YOUR ideas. References give strength to your arguments and provide evidence for what you say.

Introduction

In the last chapter we discussed finding information that you needed for our assignment. In this chapter we are going to look at reading for writing. We are going to discuss different types of reading that you need for study purposes because you do not need to read everything in the same way. The types of reading we discuss are skimming, scanning, speed reading and study reading. We are also going to look at note taking and different ways of text mapping. This is very important because if you do not read and take notes effectively, you will be unable to write effectively. We will also learn about the ethical use of information and plagiarism.

Reading skills for studying

One of the most important things about reading for studying is that it is not a passive activity - it is active. You have to get involved with the text by making predictions, identifying the main ideas, agreeing or disagreeing with what is stated, and coming to conclusions. When we read, we bring our own knowledge of the world and of the subject to our reading. This helps us decide on the meaning of the text and to decide whether or not we accept what is said in the text.

What reading skills do you need for studying?

When you read for study purposes, such as for an assignment or exam, you will need to read a number of different items such as chapters in a textbook, articles, or your study notes. Also in order to answer assignment questions you will need to find information on a particular topic and link information from different sources. Your awareness of information and where to find it will play an important role here. In order to do this as speedily and effectively as possible, it is important to have a number of different reading techniques that you use as required.

You use different reading techniques according to the material you are reading and your purpose in reading it. We are going to talk about the following reading techniques which will help when reading large sections of text:

• • speed reading

• • skimming

• • scanning

• • study reading

Introduction

In the previous chapter we discussed reading for the purpose of writing up information. We discussed different types of reading and focused in particular on study reading. When you study read, you read actively - you make predictions, and think whether you agree or disagree with what the writer is saying. We also talked about note taking and various types of text mapping, such as flow charts, mind maps and tables. When you take notes or use text mapping techniques, you are interacting with the text and mastering it. These skills are an important aspect of being information literate, since they help you when you are handling information.

In this chapter we discuss evaluating information. Evaluating information covers a wide range of activities but because this book is limited in its scope we are only going to discuss certain aspects. The aspects we cover are definitions, assumptions, the difference between fact and opinion, inferences, evaluation of different arguments, deductive and inductive reasoning and critical thinking and evaluating information for relevance. These activities are critical for information literacy as they are essential for evaluating information. You need to evaluate your information for accuracy and relevance to the topic. Also you need to ensure that you have covered all the aspects you need to cover in order to answer your assignment question.

If you look at the first statement you can see that this is an opinion and is not correct or incorrect but a personal viewpoint. The second statement is incorrect. Women may cover their hair for a number of reasons - one of these may be religious beliefs - but it does not mean they are fundamentalists. The third argument is more convincing.

Introduction

Information is found in many different sources. Sources of information may be people, objects in the environment, books, newspapers, magazines, sound recordings, video recordings, DVDs, CD-ROMs and the Internet. When we need information to make a decision or solve a problem we often have several options with regard to the information sources we consult. For example, if you need to know whether there is a bus from the centre of town to your neighbourhood between 16h00 and 17h00 on weekdays you could either ask a family member who regularly uses the bus service, or if you have a bus timetable in the house, you could consult it for the information you need, or you could check on the Internet.

Most of us have some information sources in our homes such as a telephone directory, the yellow pages, a dictionary, and a university yearbook or calendar. You may also have a computer with an Internet connection at home or at work or live near a library. Libraries and the Internet give you access to a vast number of information sources of all kinds.

Because of all the information which is available these days through the Internet, its widespread use and the speed with which computers can process and retrieve information, people often refer to the present time as the information age. However, although the Internet can satisfy many of our needs it is also important to be aware of the broader information environment including reference works (such as dictionaries, encyclopaedias, directories, handbooks, yearbooks, almanacs, atlases); printed sources and multimedia (books, periodicals, newspapers, grey literature, government documents, conference proceedings, reports, audio-recordings, DVDs, videos, CDs); and electronic sources and resources (such as portals, electronic journals, databases, e-books). These sources are available to us all through libraries and we can consult them quickly.

If we understand how these sources are arranged and indexed in a resource centre such as a library, we will find it easier to locate information in both electronic and other formats.

Finding information in a resource collection

When you want access to a wide range of information sources for an information task such as an assignment, you will need to use a resource collection such as a library. In this chapter we will discuss how you find information in a library or information agency because many people become anxious when they enter a large library.

Introduction

In the last chapter we discussed the first part of the writing process. We covered prewriting activities, organisation of notes and writing the first draft. For many students the first draft is the last draft - it is the copy of their assignment that they submit which is why they often receive poor marks. In this chapter we continue discussing the writing process. We discuss rewriting the first draft so that it is in the required form for an academic essay. We also look at the structure of a coherent paragraph, logical order and finally editing and proofreading. These are all the different processes we need to go through if we want to write well.

Many of us think that writing should come easily and naturally. This is not correct. Even the most experienced writers often struggle to put their thoughts down on paper and organise them logically. In order to achieve the final product, they will write and rewrite a number of times. The first draft is never the last draft. The first draft is the one we write for ourselves – the one that helps us find out what it is we want to say, to get our ideas on paper so that we can react to them. This draft will be written without thoughts of grammar, spelling or even logical organisation. It is almost a form of talking to ourselves. The final draft, the one we submit, is one in which we have written for the reader. We will have taken into account how to organise it the best possible way so that our readers will understand what we are trying to communicate, and we will have checked layout, spelling and grammar so that the text flows smoothly.

Rewriting

All good writers revise what they have written. Rewriting involves cutting, sifting, rearranging and polishing in order to make our writing more effective. As part of the process of rewriting we need to analyse our draft by looking at broad features such as the standard form of the academic essay, paragraph structure and logical order. We are going to examine each of these features with the aim of helping you to rewrite effectively.

Introduction

In this chapter we will discuss searching electronic sources and the Internet for information. Electronic sources, databases and the Internet make an enormous amount of information available, but unless you know how to find the information you need, it might as well not be there. To use electronic sources effectively you need to know how to search sources such as bibliographic databases to find the information you need. Each bibliographic database is constructed individually with sources specifically selected for the particular database and this leads to differences among them. Seemingly simple details can have a profound impact when you are trying to conduct a search. In this section, we will be discussing the most common techniques to search both databases and the Internet. However, you will need to read the online help or experiment on your own to discover which methods work for a particular database or for a particular search engine.

The Internet also differs from databases. There is no controlling body that checks information placed on the Internet. Anyone can place information on the Internet and people put information there for a variety of reasons - some to inform or share information with others, some to sell something and some to deliberately misinform. We have to be more wary when using information from the Internet than information from a library or database. It is therefore important to be able to evaluate information found on the Internet and some of the criteria for doing this will be discussed in this chapter.

We will first discuss searching databases and then searching the Internet. We will conclude with criteria for evaluating information from the Internet.

Formulating your query

When looking for information on a database or the Internet the challenge is to ask your question the right way, so that you don't end up either with too many or too few search results, or simply unable to locate the material that you need. As with most skills, practice makes perfect!

The purpose of a successful search is to find information to match your information need and the clearer you have identified and defined that need, the more likely it is that you will find information on it.

BPR (2006), The Municipal Personal Records Database, www.bprbzk.nl/ content.jsp? objectid = 4011, Ministerie van Binnenlandse Zaken en Koninkrijksrelaties.

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