This document discusses different sources of information and how to evaluate their reliability and accuracy. It identifies libraries, the internet, and mass media as key sources. Libraries are often considered highly reliable due to processes like peer review and ISBN registration. Information online can vary greatly in quality and requires validation of sources. Mass media provides speed but information may be biased. Some tips for evaluating sources include checking the author, date, citations, domain or owner, and writing style to assess reliability, and looking for facts, consistency with other sources, and objectivity to determine accuracy. Developing these evaluation skills benefits information literacy.

3. SOURCES OF INFORMATION
INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE
LIBRARY
INTERNET
MASS MEDIA

10. Libraries are often classified into 4 groups
Academic
Public
School
Special

11. Characteristics of libraries in terms of
reliability, accuracy and value:
 Libraries of published books are often
considered highly reliable, accurate, and
valuable. Books and documents from
dominant sources are often peer reviewed.
ISSN or ISBN registration ensures that
standards were followed in producing these
materials.

12. INTERNET
 Information found on the Internet
 Information found on the Internet may be quite
varied in form and content. Thus, it is more difficult
to determine its reliability and accuracy. Accessing
information on the Internet is easy, but requires
more discipline to check and validate. Factual and
fictitious data are often merged together. Sources
always have to be validated.

13. Alternative media/ Mass Media:
 Other alternative forms of communication and
distribution have become popular. These include
social media, blogs, and flash mob performances.
These alternative forms provide greater freedom
and power to ordinary individuals and are a
quicker way of distributing information. The
downside is that a lot of the information being
passed around is biased and inaccurate.

20. Skills in Determining the Reliability of Information
 Check the author. The author’s willingness to be identified is a good indication
of reliability.
 Check the date of publication or of update. While the information may be
true, it may not be reliable if it is outdated and may have lost relevance.
 Check for citations. Reliable authors have the discipline of citing sources of
their information.
 Check the domain or owner of the site or page. The domains .edu and .gov are
reserved for academic institutions and the government respectively.
Information from such sites are presented with caution and are usually well-
grounded. Site owners may have an agenda that affects the manner by which
information is presented.
 Check the site design and the writing style. Credible sources take time to
make their information accessible and easy to comprehend.

21. Skills in Determining Accurate Information
 Look for facts.
 Cross-reference with other sources to check for
consistency.
 Determine the reason for writing and publishing the
information. Check if the author is objective or
leaning heavily on a certain point of view.
 Check for advertising. Advertisers may use related
information to market their product.

24. While it may be difficult to fully
determine the reliability, accuracy,
value, and timeliness of any
information, as well as the authority of
the source, literacy in media and
information benefits from the
development of these skills.

25. Assignment:

26. • Present your output and the result next meeting.