How does the passage of time affect the format of information?

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How does the passage of time affect the format of information?

Answered By: Jen Saulnier Lange

Last Updated: Apr 07, 2023 Views: 198

1. The Past

Historical Context = long before the event or development

Well before an event occurs, or a movement or trend develops, the foundations of its existence may be in place. Researchers may be able to understand a great deal about an event or development by making connections to its historical roots. At WSU, one can search for historical information through the Search It and the collections of MASC.

Recent History = shortly before the event or development

Some events or developments happen with little warning while others seem to come from long and clear strings of causes. There may be key information one can access that was generated directly before the event or development. Often times this information takes the form of personal communications from those involved in the event.

2. The Present and the Future

	Day of Event	Day/Days After	Week/Weeks After	Months After	1-3 Years After	More Than Three Years After
Information Sources	TV/Radio/News Blog, Wikis	Newspapers Blog, Wikis	Popular Magazines	Journals	Books	Reference Books
How to find information at WSU Libraries	look at the WSU Libraries listing of news and current events links, use the resources found in the Current Journals/ Newspapers Reading Room	look for newspaper titles in the Search It; search for events, topics, and authors within newspapers by using article indexes and databases; browse the resources found in the Current Journals/ Newspapers Reading Room	look for magazine titles in Search It; search for events, topics, and authors within magazines by using article indexes and databases; browse the resources found in the Current Journals/ Newspapers Reading Room	look for journal titles in Search It; search for events, topics, and authors within journals by using the subject listings of selected electronic article indexes and databases; browse the resources found in the Current Journals/ Newspapers Reading Room	look for book titles, authors, and subjects in Search It	look for reference book titles, authors, and subjects in Search It
Audience	General Public	General Public	Knowledgeable Layperson	Scholars, Specialists, Students	General Public to Scholars	General Public to Scholars
Kind of Information	General (who, what, when, where, not why yet)	Varies (some article analysis, statistics, photographs, editorial opinions)	Combination of Day of Event and Day/Day(s) After Information	Research results, detailed and theoretical discussions, bibliographies available for the first time	comprehensive coverage, in-depth analysis	every information type from this row available, best resources lists available

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