For some topics (e.g., history, literature), currency may not be as important to you. For information on current trends in business communication or other topics, however, you will want the most recent information.  It all depends on your topic, or your information need.

Questions to ask [from Chico]:

• When was the information published or posted?

• Has the information been revised or updated?

• Is the information current or out-of date for your topic?

• Are the links functional? (for Web sites)

Additional Questions:

• Is there even a date on the item?
  • For most library resources, a publication date will be printed, but for Web sites, it may be difficult to determine the date of the information.

• Look at the references cited (if there are any). How recent are these studies?

Sometimes it is important to have the most recent information available -- but not if you will sacrifice the other criteria.