Information Management Process

Definition:

The Information Management Process is Prince William County Public Schools’ proprietary term for information literacy - a sequence of cognitive and physical tasks designed to lead students through the process of becoming information literate, with the ability to acquire and evaluate whatever information is needed at any given moment.

Steps:

• Clarify the Information Needed
• Use prior knowledge to define the need for information
• Broaden or narrow a search
• Formulate the search question
• Create a search plan
• Evaluate – Do I really understand what it is that I’m seeking?
• Access and Retrieve Resources
• Identify potential resources, print, electronic, or personal
• Use general information sources for background information
• Locate specific resources, according to the information need
• Evaluate – Do I expect to need any other resources?
• Evaluate Resources
• Examine structures/access points within each resource (e.g., copyright date, guide words, table of contents, index, menu, etc.)
• Apply knowledge of how to work within a resource
• Select the most useful resources for further exploration, based on external and structural factors (e.g. date of publication, reading level, etc.)
• Evaluate – Does this source appear to have the information I need?
• Analyze information
• Use reading and/or listening skills to collect and interpret data from within a resource
• Record and organize data effectively to suit information need
• Credit an information source appropriately
• Evaluate – Have I found information that will answer my question?
• Synthesize information
• Create a new understanding and/or a new product from collected information
• Draw conclusions from the collected information
• Determine an appropriate method to communicate the new knowledge or product
• Evaluate – Have I answered my question to my satisfaction?

When to Use: The IMP is used for solving problems and making decisions.

Resources:

Big 6 Skills Approach to Information Problem-Solving

http://www.awrsd.org/oms/big_6_search.htm

P.S. Breivik and J.A. Senn, Information Literacy: Education Children For the 21^st Century (New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc., 1994).

D. Johnson, Implementing an Information Literacy Curriculum: One District's Story http://www.doug-johnson.com/dougwri/ImpLit.html

Information Management Process: A Resource Manual for Librarians, Teachers and Administrators (Manassas, VA: Prince William County Schools, n.d.).

Examples:

1. Which days this week should I buy or bring my lunch?
2. What are the pros and cons of smoking?
3. Which model car should I purchase?
4. How do I create a science fair project?
5. Which investments should I consider in preparation for retirement?