Invisible College
Characteristics
This type of information is unfiltered, informal communications produced by communities of people who share an interest in a common subject or discipline. Examples include e-mail, personal conversations, online communities, conference papers, unpublished diaries, meeting minutes, phone calls, newsletters, memoranda, wikis, and other sources that may not pass through the usual publishing, broadcasting, and distribution channels.
Advantages
- Some historically inaccessible information is now made available on the Internet
- Often available sooner than conventional literature
- May allow the reader or user to “listen in” on active debates of current issues
Disadvantages
- Significant variation in quality
- Can be hard to identify, search for and access
- May require validation of data, especially when it’s an Internet source
- Assumes a fairly high level of familiarity with an issue or topic
- Usually not good for gathering background information, but great for gathering clues and easily-overlooked insights
- May have to look up specialized terms or jargon
Finding the “Invisible College”
- Network with professors, researchers, experts in the area to locate where they communicate
- Monitor listservs, blogs, etc. in the subject area
- Ask your professor or instructor for help in locating information and contacts with groups, especially when researching a very new concept or issue.
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