Sources of information, formal and informal

Discusses the classification of information sources, by format, status and location. Proposes a typology which plots the formal/informal dimension against the personal/impersonal. The resulting matrix provides a framework for conceptualizing the totality of the complex network of sources available to the information seeker in business. Presents and discusses examples of sources from each quadrant of the matrix. Concludes with a brief introduction to newer modes of information access, with particular reference to the Internet. Forms an introduction to the more detailed consideration of formal sources in later articles of this issue.