Page 27 - DLIS105_REFERENCE_SOURCES_AND_SERVICES

Reference Sources and Services

Notes

Differentiate primary, secondary and tertiary sources.

Self Assessment

State whether the following statements are true or false:
10. An Autobiography is an example of secondary source of information.
11. Patents may be categorised as primary source of information.
12. History categorised as primary source of information.
13. Newspaper and popular magazine articles are tertiary source of information.
14. Dictionaries are primary source of information.
15. Textbooks are primary source of information.
16. Scientific journal articles are primary source of information.

1.6 Summary

• Information science is an interdisciplinary science primarily concerned with the analysis,
collection, classification, manipulation, storage, retrieval and dissemination of information.
• Secondary sources are less easily defined than primary sources.
• Information science focuses on understanding problems from the perspective of the
stakeholders involved and then applying information and other technologies as needed. In
other words, it tackles systemic problems first rather than individual pieces of technology
within that system. In this respect, information science can be seen as a response to technological
determinism, the belief that technology “develops by its own laws, that it realizes its own
potential, limited only by the material resources available, and must therefore be regarded as
an autonomous system controlling and ultimately permeating all other subsystems of society”.

1.7 Keywords

Dissemination : Broadcasting
Obscure : Difficult to understand
Abstract : Conceptual
Contingent : Dependent

1.8 Review Questions

1. Define documentary sources of information.

2. Explain document description.
3. What is print and non-print media, explain with examples?
4. Define the term categories of source of information.
5. Write some examples of primary sources.

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