MEDIA AND

INFORMATION
SOURCES
Ryan S. Estolatan
 Media and Information
Sources
In searching for information, one needs help in
locating appropriate and reliable sources while
also having access to them. There are three
main sources of information: indigenous
knowledge, libraries, and the Internet. In many
instances, sources of information are also
classified as primary, secondary, and tertiary.
A. Indigenous Knowledge

Indigenous knowledge is the distinctive

knowledge kept to a specific group of
people. Local knowledge, folk knowledge,
people’s knowledge, traditional wisdom,
or traditional science are other terms
used for it (Senanayak, 2006).
A. Indigenous Knowledge

Communities generate and transmit

this knowledge in certain periods to
be able to adjust to their agricultural,
ecological, and socio-economic
environments (Fernandez, 1994).
A. Indigenous Knowledge

Meanwhile, according to Brouwers (1993),

indigenous knowledge is “generated through a
systematic process of observing local
conditions, experimenting with solutions, and
readapting previously identified solutions to
modified environmental, socio-economic and
technological situations.”
A. Indigenous Knowledge

It usually becomes the basis of a certain

community for their daily life. Indigenous
knowledge is transferred from one generation
to another, either orally (oral tradition) or
through cultural rituals. Oral traditions involve
legends, folktales, epics, myths, and folk songs
Dewalt (1994) identified certain features of indigenous
knowledge that are highly relevant in conservation and
sustainable growth:

Locally appropriate. Indigenous knowledge

signifies a way of life that has advanced with
the local conditions.
Restraint in resource exploitation.
Production is for survival needs only; only those
necessary for immediate survival are taken
from the environment.
Dewalt (1994) identified certain features of indigenous
knowledge that are highly relevant in conservation and
sustainable growth:

Diversified production systems. There is no abuse

of resources; various strategies are utilized to avoid
risks.
Respect for nature. A ‘conservation ethic’ often
exists. Here, the land is treated as sacred.
Human dependence on nature for survival. All
species are interrelated; hence, one affects the other.
Dewalt (1994) identified certain features of indigenous
knowledge that are highly relevant in conservation and
sustainable growth:

Flexibility. Indigenous knowledge means

adapting to new circumstances and being open
to outside knowledge.
Social responsibility. There are strong family
and community ties, and with them, feelings of
obligation and responsibility to preserve the
land for future generations
B. Library

As defined in Cambridge Dictionary, A library is “a

building, room, or organization that has a collection,
especially of books, music, and information that can
be accessed by computer for people to read, use, or
borrow.”
Aside from books and journals, libraries also house
advanced e-resources. Most libraries offer the
following services:
B. Library

User services function in linking people

to the information they are looking for.
Technical services function in
gathering, cataloging, and preparing
library materials.
B. Library

Computer services function in maintaining

databases, software programming, web page design,
and computer hardware maintenance in the library.
Administrative services function in managing the
library and services, conveying contracts with
sellers, supervising library employees, and preparing
budgets.
Libraries are classified as
academic, public, school, and
special.
Academic libraries serve colleges and universities.
Public libraries serve cities and towns of all types.
School libraries serve students from Kindergarten
to Grade 12.
Special libraries are located in specific
environments (e.g., hospitals, corporations,
museums, military, private business).
C. Internet

As defined in the Oxford Dictionary, the

Internet is “a global computer network
providing a variety of information and
communication facilities, consisting of
interconnected networks using
standardized communication protocols.”
C. Internet

Essays, UK (2018) describes the internet as a

“network of networks” consisting of millions of smaller
domestic, academic, business, and government
networks. Internet is also defined as the “worldwide
publicly accessible network of interconnected
computer networks that transmit data by packet
switching using the standard Internet Protocol (IP)”
(Merriam Dictionary).
C. Internet

It transmits information stored in files or documents on one

computer to another computer. It transfers together
several information and services, such as file transfer,
electronic mail, interlinked web pages, online chat, and
other documents of the World Wide Web. While it is
common to hear people saying they found the “information
on the Internet,” it is technically more correct to say one
finds information “through” or “using” the Internet.
Other Classifications of
Information Sources
A. Primary Sources of Information
B. Secondary Sources of Information
C. Tertiary Sources of Information
A. Primary Sources of
Information:
Primary sources refer to “original materials.” These are
materials from a certain period of time that have not been
filtered, modified through analysis, interpretation, or
evaluation. Also, primary sources are the bases of other
researches. They are commonly the raw products of written
texts (print or electronic format). Hence, they show original
thinking, present a discovery, or impart new information.
The following are examples of primary sources of
information:
Artifact.

It refers to something made or

created by humans, such as a tool or
a work of art, especially an object of
archaeological interest.
Diary

It is a record with distinct entries

organized by date reporting on daily
activities or other periods. It can be
personal, which may include a person's
experiences, thoughts, and/or feelings.
Patent.

This is the granting of a right to an inventor

by a sovereign authority. This grant affords
the inventor exclusive rights to the patented
process, design, or invention for a
designated period in exchange for a
comprehensive disclosure of the invention.
Audio/ video recording

Other examples of primary sources include e-mails,

interviews, journal articles, letters, minutes of
meetings, conferences and symposia, newspaper
articles, original documents (e.g., birth certificate,
marriage certificate), photographs, records of
organizations, research survey results, speeches,
works of art, literature, architecture, and music, and
websites.
A. Secondary Sources of
Information:
Compared to primary sources, secondary sources are
not easily defined. Generally, written after an original
product, they usually aim to give reflection or analysis.
In short, they are analyses, interpretations, and
evaluations of primary sources. Secondary sources are
not proof, but rather explanation on and discussion of
evidence. Secondary sources may be classified as
index type, survey type, and reference type.
Indexes

Indexes are typically found as one

or more individual volumes at the
end of a set. Examples are index,
bibliography, indexing periodicals,
and abstracting periodicals.
Survey type

Survey type involves the product

of examination or description of
someone or something. Examples
are reviews, treatises, and
monographs.
Reference type

The reference type consists of

materials collected from others’
works such as encyclopedia,
dictionary, handbook, manual and
critical tables.
C. Tertiary Sources of
information:
Tertiary sources are commonly confused with
secondary sources. Tertiary sources involve
information that collects and organizes primary
and secondary sources. Tertiary sources include
bibliographies of bibliographies, directories and
yearbooks, guides to literature, and lists of
research in progress.