Wiggling and Weaving

The natural products craze is still going strong and because of this there is an overwhelming amount of information out there.I brought home about 8 books on the subject, our library system has over 200. This is nothing compared to the millions of results on the Internet. So with all of these possibilities how do we decide which ones to use? Callison (2006) mentions the 3 Phases that Mary Ann Fitzgerald developed to analyze the mass of information in front of me. Phase 1 has already been completed, keyword browsing. Phase 2 involves searching the subheadings and key intro paragraphs, also at this point the reader should make note as to whether the material is at the right level. Phase 3 requires the reader to go back over the material and compare it to what the reader knew beforehand and information that could be considered common knowledge.

No matter if you are dealing with a small amount of information or a large quantity its important to organize it in someway. Lamb (2011) highlights in her Information Inquiry website the many different ways to sort your subject matter, the 3 that would work most in my area would be chronological, alphabetical and classification. my own personal preference for this type is classification. I developed a chart that allows me to insert the appropriate recipes where needed. Categories: All-purpose, Kitchen, Bathroom, Flooring, Windows, and Laundry. This allows for the recipes to be much more organized.

The ultimate determining factor in whether or not the information is relevant is whether or not it is effective. Did it clean my counter? If not than that recipe is a dud, lets try a different one. Trial and error will become my friend over the next few months. Other elements that play into the decision are cost, ease of use and smell. Why these? If one cleaner is going to cost me $8 altogether and another will cost me $4, I'm going to first go with the $4 (unless it doesn't work). If the recipe is a hassle to make, a lot of steps or takes up too storage space (which I have precious amount of) than out it goes. Finally if the recipe leaves a lingering odor that I don't like I won't be making it. The ones that immediately come to mind are the recipes that use lavender oil, I'm allergic and gives me a nasty headache.

Below are the Recipe Templates that I have created for the project.

References:
 Callison, D. (2006). The Blue Book on Information Age Inquiry, Instruction and Literacy. Libraries Unlimited: Connecticut.
Lamb, A. (2011). Virtual Information Inquiry. Retrieved from http://virtualinquiry.com/inquiry/weaving.htm