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Invisible College

General Information

The Invisible College is comprised of unfiltered, informal communications produced by communities of people who share an interest in a common subject or discipline. E-mail, personal conversations, conference papers, unpublished diaries, meeting minutes, phone calls, newsletters, memoranda, and other sources that may not pass through the usual publishing, broadcasting, and distribution channels are examples of this type of communication.

Strengths

• Some historically inaccessible information is now made available on the Internet
• Often available sooner than conventional information sources, such as magazines, journals, and books
• May allow the reader/user to "listen in" on active debates of current issues
• Great for gathering clues and easily-overlooked insights, but usually not good for gathering background information

Considerations

• Dramatic variation in quality
• Can be hard to identify, search for, and access
• May require validation of data, especially with Internet sources
• Assumes a fairly high level of familiarity with an issue or topic
• Target audience: Any group sharing a common interest

Example: Immigration Reform

• Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR): A special interest group's website
• Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM): A special interest group's website

Tools for Finding these Sources

Lab data sheets, memoranda, diaries, unpublished papers, phone calls, conversations, e-mail

Generally not available to the public. Diaries may be published well after an event or research project.

Scholarly and Professional E-Conferences

Internet bulletin boards and e-conferences may provide access to a conversation that is unfolding in almost real time among members of a profession or discipline.

• Google Groups
• Yahoo! Groups

Published collected or selected letters, personal journals, conference proceedings

• UCAT, for material that may be owned by UTSA Library
• WorldCat, a much larger database which includes UTSA Library, but also has the materials of other libraries' around the world, including the Library of Congress.