The Information Cycle

…how today’s events are tomorrow’s information.

Bichel, Rebecca, Debora Cheney, Sylvia M. DeSantis, and Jiyeon Ryu. “The Information Lifecycle.” Pennsylvania State University. PowerPoint. 2004. 9 August 2010. <http://www.libraries.psu.edu/instruction/infocycle/infocycle.html>.

The Information Cycle• The Information Cycle is a visual model of how information

is developed and distributed.

• Can be applied to an event, era, social movement,

discovery…

• Will go over how the documentation of events is distributed

& how researchers can find this documentation

Hurricane KatrinaAugust 29-September 1, 2005

A Story Unfolds…

Using Hurricane Katrina as a example…We can track the development of information through the sources…from television reports & newspapers to scholarly journals & books simply by focusing on a specific event.

Event Timeline Using this timeframe as our base, we can track the creation of information sources

Same Day Day After

Weeks

Months

Years

Information Timeline Tracking timeline through information output

Facebook, blogs…Newspapers

Popular Magazines

Scholarly Journals

Books…Documentaries…

TV, Radio

Trade Magazines

Blogs, Facebook…

Personal website: http://wilddogdigital.com

•Timeframe: Immediate• Images from Facebook, personal website• Access through Google, etc.

"The only [Katrina victims] we're seeing on television are the scumbags." –"The Glenn Beck Program," Sept. 9, 2005

TV & Radio •Timeframe: As early as the SAME DAY• Images taken from television (including news programs), radio• Access through Google, television, radio (NOTE: took above TV screenshots from Vanderbilt Archive)

Newspapers •Starting day after event

• Components to look for: Authors (staff writers, syndicated columnists), images, text, etc.

• Access: print copies of newspapers, Google (to an extent), databases like Lexis Nexis (with time delay)

Popular Magazines

• Time: week/weeks

• Noteworthy: Authors, images, text, subjects covered, etc.

• Access to information:

**Research Database (like Academic Search Complete & Proquest Research Library)

**Google (ONLY to an extent)

Trade Magazines

•Time frame: 6 months+• Note: Subjects covered, text, images, ads, etc.• Access to information: Research Databases (examples), limited access through Google•ENR: Engineering News Record as example

• Time frame: 6 months+ • Note: Author, abstract, original research, images, references, etc.• Access to information: Research Databases (interdisciplinary & subject specific)

Scholarly Journals

Books

20102007

2008

Time frame: 2+ years Note:• Publication timeframe• Topics, content, etc.• Parts of the book: Table of Contents, Index, etc.Access to information: Library Catalog

2010

Keep this timeline in mind when you…

• Look for background information on class readings (ex:

Rosa Parks & the Bus Boycotts)

• Research your chosen paper topic for this class

• Write research papers for other classes

• Analyze the “information overload” for current events (ex:

Oil Spill off the Gulf Coast)

*This is NOT a strict timeline…Scholarly research can lead to

popular magazine and newspaper articles…It’s ALL

connected!

Taking this Timeline to the Library Website…

http://library.gmu.edu

CYCLE OF INFORMATION: Putting It

All Together

• From the occurrence of an event,

era, social movement, discovery

to the documentation of the event,

era, etc.

• How the evidence is disseminated

and how researchers (and term

paper writers) can find this

documentation

1. Go to library homepage

2. Note links for catalog for finding books, etc

3. Note links to research database

4. Check out Ask-a-Librarian (IM, desk, phone, InfoGuides, etc.)

Library Website