BLI-222: INFORMATION SOURCES AND SERVICES

TUTOR MARKED ASSIGNMENT

Coverage:

Course Code: BLI-222

Course: Information Sources and Services Assignment Code: AST/TMA/Jul.15-Jan.16

Blocks:1 to 4
Units: 1 to 14 Total Marks:

70

Answer all questions.

I) Answer the following questions in not more than 1000 words each.
1) What do you understand by primary, secondary and tertiary sources of information?
Describe any one category with the help of suitable examples.
(10)
2) Define the concept of user education. Explain the role of information technology in
imparting user education in a university library.
(10)
II) Answer the following questions in not more than 500 words each.
1) Explain with examples how Grogan has categorised information sources.

(5)

2) Describe the characteristics of trade literature and its usefulness as a primary source of
information.
(5)
3) Discuss the positive and negative influences of mass media as sources of information. (5)
4) Define reference service. Explain how Internet acts as a reference tool.

(5)

5) What do you understand by the term aggregators? List some of the aggregators who are
providing e-journal services.
(5)
6) Define the term user and explain its characteristics.

(5)

III) Answer the following questions in not more than 200 words each.
1) Name any five sources which belong to the category of unpublished sources.

(2)

2) What do you understand by a festschrift document?

(2)

3) Define the term informetrician.

(2)

4) Differentiate between referral service and reference service.

(2)

Answers
I) Answer the following questions in not more than 1000 words each.
1) What do you understand by primary, secondary and tertiary sources of information?
Describe any one category with the help of suitable examples.
(10)
Ans.: Suppose you were beginning research on a wholly unknown topic. Your first step
would be to consult general references such as Wikipedia, the Encyclopedia Britannica, etc.
These are examples of "Tertiary" sources general explanations condensed from 'common
knowledge' on the topic intended for a broad public audience. Tertiary sources are usually not
credited to a particular author. They are intended only to provide a superficial overview of
what the topic includes, its basic terminology, and often references for further reading (which
would usually be Secondary sources, produced by established 'experts' on the topic). You
might use other tertiary sources, such as dictionaries, to get a fuller sense of definitions and
meanings of the field's terminology.
With a general concept of the topic now in mind, you would next consult as many different
secondary sources as possible to see what has already been written on the topic, at different
times and from different points of view, by other scholars ('experts' on the topic).
"Secondary" sources are thus works written on the topic in question by other researchers,
whose work has been based on Primary sources after consultation with the Secondary sources
on the topic which had existed at the time. The "Review of the Literature" component of full
research papers is precisely this wide-ranging review of what all known secondary sources
currently say about a given topic, as the foundation for the "new" information you plan to
provide in your research.
For your own "new" view of the topic, guided by your review of what existing Secondary
sources already say, you would also consult Primary sources. Some of these may be the same
as other scholars have already consulted, some may be new that others had not consulted.
Your "new" research will usually identify new aspects of the topic which have emerged from
your study of primary sources that other scholars had either (a) not known to consult; or (b)
consulted but drew 'false' or 'incomplete' conclusions from (at least in your opinion).
In short, academic research is based primarily on the analysis of primary sources, guided by
perspectives on the topic which already exist via secondary sources. As tertiary sources only
provide general, simplified background on a topic, they would seldom be used in universitylevel research or writing (unless, for example, what is normally a "tertiary" source is used in
the capacity of a "primary" source, as described below with the example of language students
comparing changing definitions over a series of dictionaries).
Academic research is based on primary sources: original 'material' from the field one is
studying, including books, articles and letters written by the people or in the field one is
studying, interviews with persons involved in the field, speeches and lectures which they
delivered, diaries they kept, etc. Scholars consult primary sources in search of new material
and/or insights that have not previously been reported by other scholars, or have been
2

reported differently or perhaps even 'mis-reported' by other scholars. (The reporting by other
scholars would usually be a "secondary" source for that topic or field.)
For research in the Humanities, primary sources are usually original "records" which were
created at the time an historical event occurred (an "historical event" is any phenomenon or
procedure which has taken place [or is still taking place] in a particular time and place). Such
sources are the "raw material," "firsthand information" or "original thinking" relevant to an
event. They include relevant records of the event, for example letters, photographs, diaries, or
speeches. Eyewitness accounts, contemporaneous journalistic reports, or even memoirs and
oral histories which are created well after the actual event can also be considered primary
sources.
We often think of primary sources as being written, but they may also be in other forms,
including interviews, recordings, paintings, or even computer software, e-mail
correspondence and web pages. Examples of primary sources include:

Personal papers
Letters (both personal and business)
Diaries and journals (both personal and business)
Photographs & paintings, sketches, original maps, etc.
Advertisements, posters, and banners
Memoirs
Genealogy records, both personal/family and from public records
News footage (newsreels, videotapes or audiotapes, etc.)
Newspaper articles written at time of the event
Speeches which are contemporaneous with the event
Vital records (birth and death records, census records, court records, tax records,
property records, church registers, or other public and private records).
Material artifacts (physical objects or evidence related to the event, including articles
of clothing, furnishings, coins, stamps, buildings, tools, weapons,etc.)
Creative works, such as novels, essays, poetry, music, art, and audio or video
recordings

Primary sources also include the legal status in which an event occurred, or which prevented
it from occurring, including relevant municipal, regional, national and international laws,
treaties, agreements and other regulatory protocols. The system of law valid in a particular
country at a particular time, in other words, is a "primary source" for analyzing what
happened in that country during that period.
Data created through original research is also a primary source. Such data includes
questionnaires, surveys (e.g. research "instruments") or statistical data relevant to an event
which are produced by a researcher.
Secondary sources are accounts of events which were created well after the event occurred.
Secondary sources are based on primary sources they are usually studies which analyze,
evaluate, interpret, or criticize primary sources. By assessing, repackaging and distributing
information, secondary sources make the information more accessible.
Scholars consult secondary sources to determine what others have already reported about a
particular research topic. In one's own research, secondary sources are often compared with
3

one another, for example, to show how many others agreed (or disagreed) on a particular
point, such as your own line of thinking from your work with primary sources.
Secondary sources can be articles in newspapers or popular magazines, book or movie
reviews, or articles found in scholarly journals that address someone else's original research.
Secondary sources are "second-hand information," analogous to human conversation. If I tell
you something, I am your primary source. If you tell someone else what I told you, you are a
secondary source.
The distinction between primary and secondary sources is not always clear; depending on
how or why it is being used, a secondary source may also be a primary source. For example
Juhani Suomi's biographies of Urho Kekkonen could be considered either secondary or
primary sources. The distinction depends on how the material is used. If you are researching
Urho Kekkonen, Suomi's books would be secondary sources because they include his
opinions about Kekkonen's presidency. On the other hand, if you are evaluating Suomi's
historical methodology, his books would be primary sources for the way in which Suomi has
interpreted the Kekkonen era.
Thus, one cannot always determine if a record is primary or secondary just by its source. It is
more how a source is used, rather than its type, which determines to which category it
belongs. For example, articles in newspapers and magazines are usually considered
secondary sources. However, if a story about the Winter War in a Finnish newspaper in 1939
was a firsthand, eyewitness account, the story would be a primary source. On the other hand,
if the reporter included additional material which was gathered through interviews or other
investigations, the article would be a secondary source. An interview in Suosikki with Juice
Leskinen would be a primary source, but a review in Suosikki of Juice's latest album would
be a secondary source. Further, professional or scholarly journals may include research
articles which are primary materials, and also review articles, which are not.
In addition to primary and secondary sources, there are also tertiary sources. These are
sources that compile or digest other sources. Some reference materials and textbooks are
considered tertiary sources when their chief purpose is to list, summarize or simply repackage
ideas or other information. Tertiary sources include dictionaries and encyclopedias,
Wikipedia and similar user-contributed online 'encyclopedias' and reference material, as well
as various digests (including the Reader's Digest and similar) and schoolbooks.
Generally, tertiary sources are not considered to be acceptable material on which to base
academic research. However, this depends on the topic being covered and the reason the
source is used. If a language scholar is comparing different definitions of terms in a selection
of contemporary dictionaries, or describing different shades of meaning of the translation into
Finnish of a term from English on the basis of available dictionaries, the use of these
dictionaries as sources would not only be entirely appropriate and essential to the research,
but also take on the status of primary sources.
Likewise, guidebooks, manuals, cookbooks and the like may be primary sources for the types
of instructions given for certain tasks, as well as for comparisons of these over time (e.g.

comparing older to newer cookbook versions as insights into changing food culture,
language, etc.
Such categories as statistics and population registers, census data, are all 'tertiary' in the sense
that they have been compiled by [usually unknown] others, as opposed to you having
researched your own figures for the population of a given entity at a specific time, but
Finnish census statistics are certainly legitimate sources for any Finland-based academic
research paper.
Likewise, if one were comparing the frequency of change in certain entries in Wikipedia, or
how information presented in Wikipedia varied from other contemporary resources, then the
entries would all be used as primary sources, as they are the focus and main point of the
comparative research itself. However, the main value of Wikipedia (or general encyclopedias,
abstracts, etc.) for academic work is to get a quick overview of the background and possible
issues related to a certain topic, to know how to focus one's research in primary and
secondary sources on one's specific interest with that topic
2) Define the concept of user education. Explain the role of information technology in
imparting user education in a university library.
(10)
Ans.: Education is a long life process, there is no end. As far as library activities are
concerns, the users are illiterates. They need some sought of user education on how to use
library resources and services. Because the collection libraries are very complicated. To know
how to use and what the service available is etc., they must need assistance and guidance
(Instructions, Initiation and education). It has its own objectives. Broadly it means to bring
the awareness about or to guide the users, about library facilities, collection, services etc, for
new users this type of guidance is necessary.
According to Shahi It is a process of activities involved in making the users of the library
conscious about tremendous value of information in day to day life to develop interest among
the users to seek information as and when they requires.
The Central and State Training Institutes of India constitute a discrete sector of vocational
training for the central and local government personnel of the nation. As part of the Overseas
Development Administration's upgrading programme for the institutes, their libraries and
their librarians training needs were assessed. A prime training need identified was the
Introduction of the user education concept to the librarians to enable them to undertake a
modern, proactive role integrated into the curricula of the institutes. A course of User
education design and delivery methods was planned and taught to institute librarians in Delhi
and Mysore in 1990. A further enhanced course was delivered in Delhi in January 1993. A
User education manual for librarians is being written for delivery at the final course to be
held in India In January 1994.
If libraries do have a future, in what direction does it lie? Does library user education have a
place in that future? Technology, economic factors, and changes in the educational system are
major factors in what is being termed a "revolution" in libraries. One prediction about the
future of libraries is that budget cuts will force the elimination of such "new" programs as
library user education. In reality, the direction of information and libraries points to more
5

emphasis on library user education. Also, when examined in the light of history, library user
education is not a new service but a very old service predating even reference service.
How have libraries and librarians responded to the prediction of the death of libraries? In
many ways their response has been impressive. In a steady stream of progress, libraries have
developed and expanded programs to meet the changing needs of library users. Prominent
among these is the library user education program. This is an examination of that steady
progress and the move by librarians to prepare users for the continuing expansion of
information. The Gateway to Information, developed at The Ohio State University Libraries,
is described as one example of how libraries and librarians are responding to the demands of
the future.
To put library user education in perspective requires a look at its past and present status. Is
library user education an important activity? What programs and problems can be traced
through its history? What are the content, teaching methods, evaluation studies, and problems
of current programs? What has been the impact of these programs? What does the future hold
for library user education? How are the factors of change affecting libraries and library user
education? How can librarians respond to these changes? The Gateway to Information is
offered as one response to, and portent of, the future. To explore these issues, a definition and
outline of the objectives of library user education is needed.
Broadly defined, library user education (also called library instruction) teaches users how to
make the most effective use of the library system. At OSU, user education encompasses all
activity undertaken to help students become efficient users of information--i.e., how to
identify the information need and then how to find, evaluate, and select the best information
to meet that need. Activities to achieve that goal include orientation sessions, workshops,
handouts, and course-related and course-integrated instruction. The term "library user
education" has more recently been broadened to include the concept of information literacy,
which will be defined later.
Having defined library user education and some of its objectives, the next issue is the
importance of library user education. Does it make any difference in how people use
information? Does effective use of information make a difference in people's lives? While
debatable, there is a strong belief that effective use of information is important. It has been
said that you will be mentally more powerful if you concentrate on how to find knowledge
rather than try to remember everything you have learned. It is widely recognized that the
ability to use information is extremely important in today's society and will continue to
become more so.
Recognition of the importance of information and library user education is found in College:
The Undergraduate Experience in America by Boyer (1987) and funded by the prestigious
Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. This work is especially important to
libraries because it was the first major recent publication to mention and even promote library
user education.
User education is thus a powerful unifying force, linking together the curriculum of the
institution and the library's vast resources .of information. How to bring about a change by
6

library staff, trainees and faculty in perception of the library's role, particularly in relation to
the curriculum, was the task to be faced in India. Although the CSTI libraries were the
obvious target group to undergo this transformational process it became clear that the faculty,
especially the senior members, should be a priority later, to learn about integrating the library
and its resources into the curriculum and the unrealised potential of user education in the
teaching and learning processes of their institutions. Perhaps librarians tend to forget this
singularly important task of capturing the 'hearts and minds' of faculty members, as has been
perceptively commented upon by two British researchers.
II) Answer the following questions in not more than 500 words each.
1) Explain with examples how Grogan has categorised information sources.

(5)

Ans.: It is quite clear that teaching, learning, research and publication activities in HEIs
cannot take place the without the availability of adequate literature or information sources. It
is a well known fact that research activity, anywhere in general and HEIs in particular
depends on the primary, secondary and tertiary documentary sources of information as
categorized by Dennis Grogan (Grogan, Dennis, 1984). And almost all these sources are
currently available online in electronic form. When these are available online in electronic
form their accessibility and search are easier and more effective compared to their availability
in print form. Therefore, the modern library services tend to be Internet-based.
In fact, India, being well known as one of the Information Technology (IT) hubs in the world,
is popular for its contribution in software development world over. Such a country should be
a pioneer in the use of Internet in all walks of life and its HEIs should be the major users of
Internet. An overview of the developments in India, as far as use of latest technologies in
general and Internet in particular, is concerned there are considerable developments. The
University Grants Commission (UGC) has come a long way in developing a network of all
university and college libraries in the country. The emergence of Information and Library
Network (INFLIBNET) is the result of UGCs efforts towards developing the network at
national level. The INFLIBNET is developing a union database of books and serials to
facilitate resource sharing among the academic libraries in the country. It also formed a
consortium to facilitate the academic libraries with access to thousands of e-journals through
its UGC-InfoNet Digital Library Consortium. The recent development in the form of
Shodhganga is a stupendous effort of INFLIBNET to develop full-text database of
Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs).
IL represents a longstanding concern of library and information professionals worldwide,
although the term is a relatively recent entrant to our professional vocabulary, with its first
usage generally credited to Zurkowski in 1974 (Grassian and Kaplowitz, 2001).
Contemporary IL programmes have antecedents in activities variously described as library
orientation, user education, bibliographic instruction and information skills teaching. User
education was described by Davinson in 1980 as one of the biggest growth industries in the
library field (Grogan, 1991: 16), but the IL movement gained further momentum from the
1990s onwards, as developments in information technology (IT) led to massive changes in
the quantity, variety and quality of information available for people to access online,
especially via websites. There are several widely-used definitions of IL produced by
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professional bodies in our own field and in collaboration with other organisations; examples
include the American Library Associations Presidential Committee on Information Literacy,
the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) Plain English
interpretation and UNESCOs Prague Declaration (ALA, 1989; Armstrong et al., 2005;
Horton, 2006). The definitions vary in wording and length, but there is a shared
understanding of the concept, represented here by CILIPs definition of IL for the UK:
Information literacy is knowing when and why you need information, where to find it and
how to evaluate, use and communicate it in an ethical manner.
2) Describe the characteristics of trade literature and its usefulness as a primary source of
information.
(5)
Ans.: Primary source is a term used in a number of disciplines to describe source material
that is closest to the person, information, period or idea being studied. In historiography, a
primary source (also called original source) is an artifact, a document, a recording, or other
source of information that was created at the time under study. If created by a human source
then a source with direct personal knowledge of the events being described. It serves as an
original source of information about the topic. Similar definitions are used in library Science,
and other areas of scholarship.
In journalism, a primary source can be a person with direct knowledge of a situation or a
document created by such a person. Primary sources are distinguished from secondary
sources, which cite, comment on, or build upon primary sources. Though the distinction is
not a sharp one. Primary and secondary are relative terms, with sources judged primary or
secondary according to specific historical contexts and what is being studied.
Primary sources are original materials that have not been altered or distorted in any way. In
the study of history as an academic discipline, a primary source (also called original source or
evidence) is an artifact, a document, a recording, or other source of information that was
created at the time under study. It serves as an original source of information about the topic.
Similar definitions are used in library science, and other areas of scholarship, although
different fields have somewhat different definitions. In journalism, a primary source can be a
person with direct knowledge of a situation, or a document written by such a person.
Primary sources are distinguished from secondary sources, which cite, comment on, or build
upon primary sources. Generally, accounts written after the fact with the benefit of hindsight
are secondary. A secondary source may also be a primary source depending on how it is used.
For example, a memoir would be considered a primary source in research concerning its
author or about his or her friends characterized within it, but the same memoir would be a
secondary source if it were used to examine the culture in which its author lived. "Primary"
and "secondary" should be understood as relative terms, with sources categorized according
to specific historical contexts and what is being studied.
Primary sources provide first-hand testimony or direct evidence concerning a topic under
investigation. They are created by witnesses or recorders who experienced the events or
conditions being documented. Often these sources are created at the time when the events or
conditions are occurring, but primary sources can also include autobiographies, memoirs, and
8

oral histories recorded later. Primary sources are characterized by their content, regardless of
whether they are available in original format, in microfilm/microfiche, in digital format, or in
published format.
Determining what is a primary source can be tricky, and in no case is this more apparent than
with books and pamphlets. From one vantage point, books are the quintessential secondary
source: scholars use primary source materials such as letters and diaries to write books, which
are in turn secondary sources. However, books can also be a rich source of primary source
material. In some instances, as in the case of published memoirs, autobiographies, and
published documents, it is easy to determine when a book functions as a primary source.
But even secondary source materials can function as primary sources. Take, for instance,
Lytton Stracheys famous history of nineteenth century England, Eminent Victorians, first
published in 1918. On one hand, Eminent Victorians is a secondary source, a history of
English society and culture in the 1800s based on Strachey's research and analysis of primary
sources. On the other hand, a present-day scholar could treat Eminent Victoriansitself as a
primary source, using it to to analyze the mores and attitudes of Lytton Strachey and the early
twentieth century English intelligentsia of which he was a part.
3) Discuss the positive and negative influences of mass media as sources of information. (5)
Ans.: Print media has its great positive influence on society. Majority of people read
newspaper daily early in the morning. Electronic media in its every form is a big source of
mass communication. It produces direct effects on the minds of common people. It is a great
source of providing entertainment as well.
The impact and influence of electronic, satellite, dish and cable transmission is great on the
society. The electronic media in the form of satellite transmission, internet, cable net, and
dish has many useful effects. It helps to give information about different cultures, social and
political systems of the different part of the world.
It gives current news and information about whats happening in the world. Electronic media
is the great source of knowledge about geographical facts of the world. It also provides
information about new discoveries. Media is a wonderful source of getting knowledge about
science, universe, oceans, sociology and politics.
As media has its positive effects, it has also some negative effects on society. Students and
young boys and girls waste their precious time in browsing websites on the internet and cable
net.
Nude pictures, sex material, sex entertainment talks on internet directly influence on the
creative capabilities of the young generation. This kind of entertainment destroys the moral
values and due to these sex crimes are increased.
The movie channels on satellite transmission and cable TV network channels provide movies
and drams with full of glamour, fashion and sex motivating scenes which cause damage to
the peaceful life.
In movies, the violence containing scenes produce great negative effects on young people.
They also try to react in the similar way as they have seen in the movies.
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Media is a way of communication in the modern world. Media is divided into electronic
media and print media. Newspapers, magazines and other weekly editorials etc. are included
in print media while Television, Radio, Cable TV Network, internet etc., are included in
electronic media.
Mass media has had both positive and negative effects on people, especially young people
who have grown up consuming media from many different mediums. Mass media has made
information available to more people more quickly, and it has enabled individuals to spread
their innovative ideas much farther than they would have been if there were no mass media.
However, mass media has negative consequences for many people.
The most positive effects of mass media include a more informed society. Newspaper
circulation was the first mass media content to affect the way people considered their role in
society. An informed public translates into an involved public. Newspapers helped to build
communities. Mass media took on a new role in the form of radio and television, exposing
the general public to sights and sounds they never would have previously had access to.
The negative consequences that came from television include idleness and a correlation to
obesity when an individual consumes too much television. Advertising is also implicated as a
negative consequence, as depictions of women in advertising create unrealistic role models
for young girls. New mass media forms, including the Internet and social media, have proved
to be the most dangerous. While social media helps young people learn to network and
navigate personal relationships, it also makes it easier to bully others due to the anonymity of
the Web.
4) Define reference service. Explain how Internet acts as a reference tool.

(5)

Ans.: The function of libraries is three-fold. Libraries acquire information, organize that
information in a way it can be retrieved, and disseminate the information the library has
acquired. Reference services fulfills this last function. Reference services may vary from
library to library, but most libraries have an information or Reference Desk where assistance
from a librarian is available. Almost all libraries also provide reference services via the
telephone and in many libraries you can email your reference question, or Ask a Librarian, to
a reference librarian who will e-mail you back with the answers.
There are three main types of reference assistance:

Assistance or instruction in the use of the library, including location of materials, use
of the catalog, use of computers to access information, and the use of basic reference
sources.
Assistance in identifying library materials needed to answer a question.
Providing brief, factual answers to questions, such as addresses, statistics, phone
numbers, etc. that can be quickly located.

Reference sources such as dictionaries, encyclopedias, almanacs, atlases, etc. are research
tools that can help you with your paper or project. Reference sources provide answers to
specific questions, such as brief facts, statistics, and technical instructions; provide
background information; or direct you to additional information sources. In most libraries,
10

reference sources do not circulate and are located in a separate reference collection. This
practice makes reference sources readily available and easily accessible.
Reference sources are designed to be consulted rather than read through. Their design is
generally dependent on the type of information and treatment provided. Reference materials
can be arranged alphabetically, topically, or chronologically. Many will contain cross listed
information and more than one index. If it is not obvious how a reference source is organized,
take a moment to look through the explanatory or how-to-use information, which is usually
presented at the beginning of the book, or in HELP screens for online products.
There are thousands of reference sources available that cover practically every subject.
Although the term reference "book" is frequently used, reference sources can be books,
serials, on-line databases or the Internet. A large part of using reference sources well is
choosing the right one.
Despite the wide variety available, reference sources can be categorized into a handful of
groups. Think about the kind of information you need and how you will use it. If you are
unsure which reference tool is best suited to your information need, a reference librarian will
be able to assist you.
Two major categories of reference materials are general and subject. General sources include
all subjects and present overviews of topics. Reference materials focused on specific subjects
can provide more in-depth coverage.
There are reference sources that provide information on specific subjects as well as general
sources that provide information on many subjects. In general, reference sources are either
general or subject specific. If you need an overview of a subject, perhaps a general
information source will suit your needs. If you need specialized information, a subject
specific tool may be better suited.
5) What do you understand by the term aggregators? List some of the aggregators who are
providing e-journal services.
(5)
Ans.: The aggregators who were till now not specifically covered under the Service Tax net
on strict interpretation of law and could not catch the attention of revenue authorities came
under the radar of one and all in Indian regulatory world once the app based cab services
received the attention after Uber fiasco.
In case of aggregator model of services, it was a dispute as to who is the service provider and
who is service receiver. The defence of the aggregator has been that they do not provide any
service so as to be liable to Service Tax. While there was no specific definition of aggregator
or tax liability (or exemption) for such services, Government has now specifically provided
that such services shall be liable to Service Tax.
The services provided by the aggregator has now been brought under Service Tax net. By
virtue of amendments in Service Tax Rules, 1994, in respect of any service provided under
the aggregator model, the aggregator is being made liable to pay Service Tax if the service is
provided using the brand name of aggregator in any manner.

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The word aggregate literally means a whole formed by combining several elements; formed
by the combination of many separate items or units. The aggregator is one, who therefore
aggregates or causes aggregation of units, items, things or services.
In India, there are about 920 million mobile users and the market is growing fast. Mobile
apps usage is the major revenue churner for aggregators. While in case of Meru, about 65
percent revenue comes from mobile apps, in case of Ola cabs, it is 85 percent. For Uber, it is
100 percent. It brings simplicity and efficiency for users as it is system based and date is
recorded. Use of apps give customers the control. A cab can be booked by a simple touch.
Time taken to reach customer, payment by card or mobile wallet, exact location of driver etc.
all is possible. Examples of the aggregators include Uber, Ola cabs, Flipkart, Snapdeal,
Amazon, Airbnb, Expedia, Groupon, Blabla car, Tripda etc. The aggregators would include
online service providers that own and manage a web based software application.
In fact, if the aggregator does not have any presence, including that by way of a
representative, in such cases any agent appointed by the aggregator will have to pay the tax
on behalf of the aggregator, the department has clarified.
All such companies which provide services by acting as aggregator like travel portals, food
portals or cab services app will now be charged the tax. Logically they should have always
been taxed. But the department has now made it very clear that they will have to pay through
reverse charge mechanism, Manish Mishra, executive director, Mazars Advisory Pvt Ltd,
said.
This means companies like TripAdvisor, who act as aggregators, will have to pay the service
tax, Mishra explained.
Further, service tax has also been imposed on online and mobile advertising while supply of
manpower services and security services have been brought under the full reverse charge,
meaning that the service receiver will have to pay the full tax. Earlier these two services were
under the partial reverse charge mechanism, which meant that the service provider would
partly share the tax burden and pay 25 per cent of the service tax.
6) Define the term user and explain its characteristics.

(5)

Ans.: In fact, if the aggregator does not have any presence, including that by way of a
representative, in such cases any agent appointed by the aggregator will have to pay the tax
on behalf of the aggregator, the department has clarified.
All such companies which provide services by acting as aggregator like travel portals, food
portals or cab services app will now be charged the tax. Logically they should have always
been taxed. But the department has now made it very clear that they will have to pay through
reverse charge mechanism, Manish Mishra, executive director, Mazars Advisory Pvt Ltd,
said.
This means companies like TripAdvisor, who act as aggregators, will have to pay the service
tax, Mishra explained.
Further, service tax has also been imposed on online and mobile advertising while supply of
manpower services and security services have been brought under the full reverse charge,
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meaning that the service receiver will have to pay the full tax. Earlier these two services were
under the partial reverse charge mechanism, which meant that the service provider would
partly share the tax burden and pay 25 per cent of the service tax.
A user's account allows a user to authenticate to a system and to be granted authorization to
access resources provided by or connected to that system; however, authentication does not
imply authorization. To log into an account, a user is typically required to authenticate
oneself with a password or other credentials for the purposes of accounting, security, logging,
and resource management.
Once the user has logged on, the operating system will often use an identifier such as an
integer to refer to them, rather than their username, through a process known as identity
correlation. In Unix systems, the username is correlated with a user identifier or user id.
Computer systems are divided into two groups based on what kind of users they have:

Single-user systems do not have a concept of several user accounts.

Multi-user systems have such a concept, and require users to identify themselves
before using the system.

Each user account on a multi-user system typically has a home directory, in which to store
files pertaining exclusively to that user's activities, which is protected from access by other
users (though a system administrator may have access). User accounts often contain a public
user profile, which contains basic information provided by the account's owner.
While most user accounts are intended to be used by only a single person, many systems have
a special account intended to allow anyone to use the system, such as the username
"anonymous" for anonymous FTP and the username "guest" for a guest account.
In some online communities, usernames are used as nicknames for the account holders. In
some cases, a user may be better known by their username than their real name, such as
CmdrTaco (Rob Malda), founder of the website Slashdot.
Some usability professionals have expressed their dislike of the term "user", proposing it to
be changed. Don Norman stated that "One of the horrible words we use is 'users'. I am on a
crusade to get rid of the word 'users'. I would prefer to call them 'people'.
III) Answer the following questions in not more than 200 words each.
1) Name any five sources which belong to the category of unpublished sources.

(2)

Ans.: Broadly, a citation is a reference to a published or unpublished source (not always the
original source). More precisely, a citation is an abbreviated alphanumeric expression
embedded in the body of an intellectual work that denotes an entry in the bibliographic
references section of the work for the purpose of acknowledging the relevance of the works
of others to the topic of discussion at the spot where the citation appears. Generally the
combination of both the in-body citation and the bibliographic entry constitutes what is
commonly thought of as a citation (whereas bibliographic entries by themselves are not).
References to single, machine-readable assertions in electronic scientific articles are known
as nanopublications, a form of microattribution.
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Citation has several important purposes: to uphold intellectual honesty (or avoiding
plagiarism), to attribute prior or unoriginal work and ideas to the correct sources, to allow the
reader to determine independently whether the referenced material supports the author's
argument in the claimed way, and to help the reader gauge the strength and validity of the
material the author has used.
Many types of unpublished documents have been saved, and can be used as primary sources.
These include personal letters, diaries, journals, wills, deeds, family Bibles containing family
histories, school report cards, and many other sources. Unpublished business records such as
correspondence, financial ledgers, information about customers, board meeting minutes, and
research and development files also give clues about the past.
Unpublished documents often come from community organizations, churches, service clubs,
political parties, and labor unions in the form of membership lists, meeting minutes,
speeches, financial and other records. Government at all levels creates a variety of
unpublished records. These include police and court records, census records, tax and voter
lists, departmental reports, and classified documents.
Unlike published documents, unpublished records may be difficult to find because few copies
exist. For example, personal letters may be found only in the possession of the person to
whom the letters were sent. Letters of famous or remarkable people may be collected and
eventually published. Keep in mind that letter writers did not intend (and perhaps could not
imagine) that their letters would be read by more than one person. Because unpublished
documents were seldom meant to be read by the public, they provide interesting clues about
the past.
2) What do you understand by a festschrift document?

(2)

Ans.: A Festschrift contains original contributions by the honored academic's close

colleagues, often including his or her former doctoral students. It is typically published on the
occasion of he honoree's retirement, sixtieth or sixty-fifth birthday, or other notable career
anniversary."
An opportunity has come to my attention to create a formal Festschrift in honor of Dr.
Alexander "Sasha" Shulgin, who I'm sure needs no introduction in this forum. ADD is home
to some of Bluelight's brightest minds, and my purpose in posting here is to ask any members
we may have who are active in scientific academic circles whether they would be interested
in helping make this important document a reality.
Whoever decides to be involved in this effort will either have direct experience in compiling
anthologies and be masters of the blue and red pencils when it comes to copy-editing,
punctuation, grammar, spelling and citation standards, or be tight with people who do have
such skills and are willing to commit.
The goal of the whole project should be to create a document of academic production quality
standards, but of course, not all contributions included, have to be purely "academic." One
design goal could be that the Festschrift could provide the compelling basis and thesis for the
nomination of Shulgin for the Nobel Prize for chemistry or medicine.
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3) Define the term informetrician.

(2)

Ans.: Informetrics is the study of quantitative aspects of information. This includes the
production, dissemination, and use of all forms of information, regardless of its form or
origin. Informetrics encompasses the following fields:

Scientometrics, which studies quantitative aspects of science

Webometrics, which studies quantitative aspects of the World Wide Web
Cybermetrics, which is similar to webometrics, but broadens its definition to include
electronic resources
Bibliometrics, which studies quantitative aspects of recorded information

The term informetrics was coined by Nacke in 1979.

In the western world, 20th century's Informetrics is mostly based on Lotka's law, named after
Alfred J. Lotka, Zipf's law, named after George Kingsley Zipf, Bradford's law named after
Samuel C. Bradford and on the work of Derek J. de Solla Price, Gerard Salton, Leo Egghe,
Ronald Rousseau, Tibor Braun, Olle Persson, Peter Ingwersen, Manfred Bonitz, and Eugene
Garfield.
Quantitative analysis of bibliographic data was pioneered by Robert K. Merton in an article
called Science, Technology, and Society in Seventeenth Century England and originally
published by Merton in 1938.
4) Differentiate between referral service and reference service.

(2)

Ans.: References and referrals have become the most commonly used networking tools for
job seekers. Both can be critical in landing your next position, but whats the difference
between the two?
Reference: A reference is the person a recruiter hiring manager or your potential future
employer can call on to testify to your character or overall performance during one of your
former positions. However, make sure you choose your references wisely. This person must
be willing to do more than praise you.
Recruiters and hiring managers are looking for someone who can speak to your performance
and impact on the team; someone who was in a position to rely on your performance and
offer a glimpse of how you will perform in the future, according to The Ladders article
How to Choose Your Job References.
Referral: On the other hand, a referral is the person who will pass your name on for
consideration for an open position. An overwhelming seventy percent of jobs are obtained via
referral according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Referral relations dominate the hiring
process, said an article on The Ladders. Your network can plug you into unadvertised
positions and deliver a competitive advantage, the article states. By keeping your contacts
fresh and maintaining good relationships, it is more likely that new opportunities will find
you even when you are not actively seeking a new challenge.

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