Understanding the Use of Information stage in the Big6 model and how it guides working with data

Big6 and the Use of Information: Why Organizing Comes Earlier

If you’re exploring what makes the information flow in schools feel like a well-oiled machine, you’re in good company. The Big6 model is a trusty map for handling information from start to finish. For media specialists, it’s more than a checklist—it's a way of thinking about how we find, use, and share knowledge in classroom settings, libraries, and media centers. Today, I want to zoom in on one specific stage: the Use of Information. And yes, there’s a subtle, important distinction that can change how you approach a project.

A quick refresher: what is the Big6 anyway?

The Big6 model, created by Mike Eisenberg and Bob Berkowitz, is a six-step approach to solving information problems. It’s widely used in schools to teach students how to handle information responsibly and effectively. The stages are:

1. Task definition

2. Information seeking strategies

3. Accessing information

4. Use of information

5. Synthesis (sometimes called “Expressing the product” or “Sharing outcomes”)

6. Evaluation

Think of it like planning a big event. First you define the goal, then you decide how you’ll hunt for clues, locate those clues, figure out how to use what you’ve found, put everything together, and finally check whether the result fits the goal. Simple in theory, but the nuance matters—especially in the Use of Information stage.

What does the Use of Information stage actually involve?

Here’s the thing about Use of Information: this stage is about actively engaging with what you’ve already collected. It’s not about locating sources or sorting them out—that happens earlier. Use of Information is where you read, analyze, interpret, compare, and apply. It’s where you decide which pieces matter, how they fit together with your task, and how to present them clearly.

In practice, you’ll be doing things like:

• Reading critically to understand what the sources are really saying

• Extracting the relevant points and noting how they support your goal

• Paraphrasing or summarizing, so you can express ideas in your own voice

• Evaluating the reliability and relevance of the information

• Weighing different perspectives and synthesizing insights

• Citing sources properly to give credit and to help readers trace ideas

• Applying the information to a concrete output—be it a report, a media analysis, a lesson plan, or a digital story

engaging with the information, not just touching it

If you’ve ever tried to build something important from scratch with a mixed bag of sources, you know the feeling: you’re not just collecting data; you’re curating it for meaning. Engagement means you test ideas against the task, you notice gaps, you question assumptions, and you shape arguments that are coherent and defensible. It’s the difference between collecting a stack of notes and creating a confident, well-structured piece of work.

Extracting relevant information

This is one of the trickier parts, because relevance isn’t a binary yes/no. It’s a judgment call. You’re looking for data, viewpoints, examples, and evidence that directly support the task. You might find a dazzling quote that’s almost perfect—but if it doesn’t fit your focus, it belongs in your notes rather than your final draft. The skill is knowing what to keep and what to set aside, and why. It’s also about recognizing when you’ve found information that opens a new angle you hadn’t expected.

Poring over multiple sources, yes, but in a focused way

You might wonder where this fits in the process: isn’t poring over multiple sources a big part of information gathering? It is, but that activity belongs to an earlier phase of the Big6—specifically Information Seeking Strategies and Accessing Information. That’s where you decide which sources to chase, how to access them, and how to manage the material you’ve collected. Once you’re in the Use of Information stage, the emphasis shifts from “where to find it” to “how to use it effectively.”

Why this distinction matters in practice

Getting the stages right isn’t just academic. It helps you design better workflows in a library media center, plan stronger lessons, and guide students through projects with confidence. If you mix up steps, you risk wasting time or delivering something that doesn’t truly engage with the task.

• If you treat organizing information from different sources as part of the Use of Information stage, you might lose the chance to teach students how to evaluate sources first. Organization is essential, but it belongs earlier in the journey, when you’re gathering and planning.

• If you keep the focus tight on use—engaging, applying, citing—without revisiting how you chose sources, you might end up with a solid argument that doesn’t reflect the best possible evidence, simply because the sources weren’t examined with the right lens.

A practical walkthrough you can try

Let’s imagine you’re helping a class examine how media shapes public perception of a current issue. Here’s how you could navigate the Big6 stages with clarity, showing how Use of Information fits in.

Step 1: Task definition

• Clarify the assignment: What question will your students answer? What form should the final product take? This step keeps everyone aligned.

Step 2: Information seeking strategies

• Brainstorm potential sources: news articles, scholarly articles, interviews, documentary clips, social media analysis.

• Decide on search terms and keywords. Create a quick plan for how you’ll skim sources (read headlines, skim abstracts, scan for data).

Step 3: Accessing information

• Pull the sources you’ve identified. Save them in a shared folder, tag them by relevance, and note any gaps you see.

Step 4: Use of information

• Read with purpose. Identify key claims, evidence, and counterpoints.

• Extract relevant information. Paraphrase ideas in your own words.

• Evaluate each source’s reliability. Note biases, dates, and authorship.

• Synthesize insights. How do the sources speak to the task? Where do they converge or diverge?

• Apply the information to your final product. How will you present the findings? Will you include charts, quotes, or a multimedia narrative?

• Cite sources accurately. Show readers where ideas come from and why they matter.

Step 5: Synthesis

• Create the final output: a cohesive report, a media analysis, or a classroom presentation that integrates the evidence.

Step 6: Evaluation

• Reflect on the process. Did the sources support the task? Did the final piece meet the goal? What would you adjust next time?

A few practical tips to keep the flow smooth

• Make notes as you go. Yes, you’ll gather many ideas, but capture the core point in a sentence or two. This makes the later synthesis much easier.

• Use a simple citation routine. A quick bibliography or a citation map can save headaches when you’re in the draft stage.

• Keep a running sense of audience. Think about who will read or view the final output and what that audience needs to know.

Tools and resources that can help

• Research management tools like Zotero or Mendeley can help you organize sources and generate citations without fuss.

• Cloud-based folders (Google Drive, OneDrive) are great for collaboration, especially when you’re guiding a class project.

• Note-taking apps like Evernote or Microsoft OneNote are handy for tagging ideas and keeping quotes easily searchable.

• The Big6 framework—whether you’re teaching it to students or applying it in your own work—offers a clear scaffold for information tasks. Many library science resources and professional organizations have quick-start guides you can reference if you’d like a refresher.

Common missteps worth noticing

• Confusing usefulness with volume. More sources aren’t automatically better. Relevance and reliability matter just as much as quantity.

• Skipping the critical evaluation of sources. A credible-looking source isn’t automatically trustworthy. Check authorship, date, and evidence.

• Rushing to the final product before you’ve truly engaged with the material. It’s tempting to want to finish, but the best work comes from thoughtful engagement.

Stories from the field: why the Use of Information stage resonates

Think of a school library that hosts a mini-documentary project. Students gather clips from multiple sources, compare how different outlets frame the same event, and decide which perspective to foreground. In this setting, the Use of Information stage is the moment where students decide not just what to say, but how to say it—how to weave facts, context, and nuance into a narrative that’s clear and responsible. The process isn’t about collecting bits of data; it’s about turning those bits into meaning that matters to real people.

A lightweight reminder

The Big6 model isn’t a rigid recipe. It’s a dynamic toolkit. When you recognize that the Use of Information stage is about engagement and application, you keep the focus where it belongs: on how information is actually used to solve problems, communicate ideas, and contribute to learning communities. The subtle shift—from gathering to using—makes a big difference in both outcomes and understanding.

Bringing it all together

In the end, the distinction between organizing information and using information isn’t a petty quarrel between steps. It’s a practical clarity that keeps projects streamlined and meaningful. Organizing from different sources helps you prepare; using information helps you empower your audience with something they can see, argue with, or build upon. For media specialists, that distinction translates into better classroom experiences, smarter media literacy, and more thoughtful, well-supported outputs.

If you’re navigating topics in your coursework or in your day-to-day work in a media setting, keep this mindset: gather with intent, organize to prepare, and use to illuminate. The Big6 model rewards precision and thoughtful reflection, and so do the students who rely on your guidance to make sense of a complex information landscape.

A final question to consider

When you’re working on a project, what signals that you’ve moved from “I’m collecting sources” to “I’m using what I’ve found well”? If you can answer that clearly, you’ve already started solidifying the Use of Information in your own workflow. And isn’t that what good information literacy is really about—helping you and your learners move from curiosity to clarity, with confidence.