Library/Educational Media, Part 1

Question 1: List four criteria for determining whether a Web site is an objective or subjective information source.

Answer 1: To assess the objectivity or bias of a Web site, the information-literate student should consider the following questions and/or statements:Does the site offer a single opinion or point of view? Does it offer a variety of opinions on the same subject? Does it present the ‘other side’ of an issue? This is of particular importance in assessing the bias of a news organization, advocacy group, or a ‘blog.’Does the site finance itself through advertising, by subscription, or by contributions? Who are the financiers behind the Web site? Is it supported by a single person with out-of-pocket expenditures? All of these things will impact the objectivity of information provided on a Web site.Does the stated objective or mission correspond with the type of business engaged in by the company which sponsors it? Is there a parent corporation responsible for content?Being able to assess the objectivity of information is of vital concern in an era of political controversy, change, and upheaval.

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Question 2: Define the following terms: full text; OPAC; PDF file.

Answer 2: The definitions of the terms ‘full text’, OPAC, and *.PDF file are as follows:A ‘full text’ document contains the entire text in a document or article. Thousands of full-text articles have been digitized and can be accessed on computers, though they commonly lose graphics which may exist in the originals.OPAC is the acronym for Online Public Access Catalog. It is the digital equivalent of the old card catalogue system used in libraries before computers, and contains location and other information about most of the materials the library may hold or lend.PDF files are converted from their original form, usually in one of the many word processing applications on the market, to a common form which is available to all. The protocol was developed by Adobe, which allows free download of the PDF file reader. PDF files eliminate the conflicts caused by materials written with different word processing applications.

Question 3: Define the following terms: field searching; dynamic Web page; Boolean operator.

Answer 3: A field is one of the categories of division in a menu of information. Typical fields in a library catalogue may include author, date of publication, type of material (book, film, CD-ROM), and title. A field search allows the user to access the information by means of a chosen field.A dynamic Web page is one that allows the user to interact by generating information which flows from the user’s request for information. Its opposite is a static Web page, wherein information can only be obtained by following a link to subsequent (and different) Web pages.A Boolean operator refers to the use of words like AND, OR, and NOT to narrow or limit an online search to certain conditions. Boolean operators sometimes consist of putting parentheses (…) around search words to control the order of the search.

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