Finding Credible Sources

Information can come from an assortment of sources and fulfill a variety of information needs. Knowing the type of information needed and where it can be found is a crucial skill for individuals to have. Libraries contain many sources of information and you have access to millions of resources both electronic and in print from the Shapiro Library. Authoritative and credible information sources also can be found through simple Google or internet searches. Interested in looking at a digital representation of your cultural work? Search to see if it is housed in a museum or an archive. Many cultural works are represented digitally on museum or archive websites. If the artist or creator happens to still be living, they may also have their own website or publish their own content about their works.

Depending on which part of the project you are working on, you may need different types of information to help your explanations and ideas. Do you not know much about your cultural work? Perhaps a tertiary source such as an encyclopedia article on the artifact, the time period it was created, on the artist/creator, or on the technique used to create the artifact would provide some needed background understanding. Maybe you are looking for interpretations or evaluations on your cultural work, on your artist/creator, or the technique used to create it? Secondary sources would be really useful here.

In this interactive lesson Types of Information This link opens in a new window below, students will examine types of publications and discover use cases for popular, professional/trade, and scholarly sources of information.