Information Life Cycle | UGC NET Library and Information Science 2021|

Introduction

cycle means a series of events that are regularly repeated in the same order. Transfer of information from its generation to its end-user becomes possible through many processes. These processes are also regularly repeated in the same order. These processes complete a cycle, which is called Information Transfer Cycle (ITC). The ITC comprises generation, collection, storage, communication, and retrieval.

(a) Information Creation/Generation. 

Information is created with the happening of incidents and activities of humans. If an activity or an incident does not happen, no information is created. Information is mostly created by research and development programs, government activities, surveys and census of population, business and industrial organizations, etc., and presented in format by author, scientist, researcher, editor, writer, poets, novelists, dramatists, etc. Over the web, information is produced by the general people irrespective of their background and is not restricted only to academics such as scholars, scientists, etc.

(b) Information Production and Dissemination. 

It is the mass production of knowledge through publishing companies or others that will help the mass distribution of knowledge in some physical or electronic form. Previously the information had been disseminated in the form of a book. Many conventional and nonconventional, printed and nonprinted sources of information are nowadays available which are different in shape, size, type, and format. Over the web, the production is accelerated by posting the information electronically over some kind of website. It speeds up the transfer of information globally at a rapid rate instead of taking months or years to get published on paper. 

(c) Information Storage, Organization, Retrieval and Communication. 

Storage is the process by which the information described and presented in the documents are stored. Information is collected and stored by libraries, documentation centers, information analysis centers, data banks, data centres, etc. Computer has been accepted as a boon for storing of information. It can store a huge amount of information in the form of database. Besides, the computer, disks and CDROMs are the newly developed and very significant tools of storing information. 

(i) Organization is how that representation of knowledge is found among others of its kind. In the library environment, the classification and catalogue, shelf list, various kinds of guides, etc. facilitate the retrieval function. All these tools are equipped with controlled vocabulary. In the computer environment, organization is facilitated by databases, search engines, etc. Knowledge is individual and the users determine its usefulness; so keyword and natural language searching in computer environment is more attractive. 

(ii) Retrieval is a process of getting information from the collection of a library, for providing answer to the queries of the users, etc. 

(iii) Communication is the process of transmission of information from one place to another, from the creator of information to its users. It is necessary for the best use of the same. It is the process of social exchange. In the library environment, communication of information can be made through telephone, CAS services, SDI services, teleconferencing, e-mail, etc. Sometimes the publisher also brings different kinds of information sources to the notice of the user community. 

(d) Information Diffusion and Utilization. 

Diffusion is viewed as a more targeted flow of information to a particular segment of society. The diffusion of information should find its way to people who actually need it instead of targeting the people who will use it for their own benefit. Utilization is the adoption and implementation of the knowledge by the user. Information is needed by each and every person of modern society for some purpose or the other. When information is consumed by one person it gives a new dimension to his knowledge. This knowledge when applied to some other purposes it gives birth to new information. Thus the information cycle is a continuum in nature. 

(e) Information Preservation and Destruction. 

The different kinds of libraries, archives are trying to preserve information in different formats. Over the web, the Internet Archive and the cached page of search engines are serving some purpose in this regard. The information that is less frequently accessed or has met its assigned retention periods may be considered for relocation to an archive. Then from the archive, it needs to be weeded at some time or other by means of the appropriate procedure for the content.

The meaning of the information cycle relates to that unit of knowledge from where the information is generated and then transmitted to the users with the state of various processes. The whole process of information from its creation to its use is called the information cycle.