Comments on: Whatever you do don’t use Google!

By: Phil Bradley

Phil Bradley — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 09:22:14 +0000

I actually run a course called ‘Better searching without Google’ over here in the UK which is proving to be popular. Once you throw off the shackles from Google it’s amazing just how much more fun internet searching can be.

I’d love to see a global ‘Don’t use Google’ day. I wonder if they’d do us a special logo for it?

By: Meredith Farkas

Meredith Farkas — Tue, 26 Dec 2006 15:07:08 +0000

testing my comments

By: Edi

Edi — Sun, 24 Dec 2006 13:15:43 +0000

I’m reading this just after reading how few information literacy skills college freshman have. http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/suqLG8D50ywC7U/Generation-Ms-Surprising-Struggle-With-Tech-Literacy.xhtml

Of course, they didn’t use the exact phrase “information literacy” and they certainly didn’t use the “librarian” word. When are they going to realize what important work we do?!

Thanks for pulling all these sites together!

By: Angel

Angel — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 15:58:30 +0000

If I had a dime for everytime I had some poor student come to my reference desk with the “my professor said don’t use Google line,” I could probably find enough money to fund all our librarians going to every ALA meeting and have some leftover. And the poor kids do take what their professors say like it’s the Gospel or the mandate from on high. As for the gov and NGO stuff, ain’t Resource Shelf and Docuticker wonderful? If I could find better ways to integrate it to my classes, it would make lives easier for a lot of students doing research. As always, best, and keep on blogging.

By: Meredith Farkas

Meredith Farkas — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 17:42:42 +0000

Hey Angel. I totally agree with you that Google/Ask/Yahoo!/etc. are great tools for finding information. The title was meant to be ironic (though apparently I’m the only one who thought it was! lol) and was related to the last paragraph in my post. I am so sick of hearing professors telling their students “don’t use Google!” because they assume that everything on the Web is garbage. And they are scaring their students into missing out on some terrific government and organizational publications, academic online journals, and terrific reference sources. I, too, have had many experiences at the reference desk where using a search engine was the only thing that got me useful results for a student.

By: Angel

Angel — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 16:57:21 +0000

Resource Shelf and Docuticker are great resources that I am glad I have now on the aggregator. They always manage to find timely stuff, and I think we could promote them more for our students as an option. However, I am not quite ready to discount Google. I just had a patron come in asking about some story about Sweet’N Low, that they celebrating that they made their 500th billion packet. He thought in was in the WSJ, so he wanted the print. We had a couple of issues from last week gone. Tried our online version: nothing. Tried Lexis as well (and yes, teaching Lexis to students is one of my challenges). Anyhow, a Google News Search found the company press release with the trivia about the company he was looking for. The deal was he saw the story on one of the evening news programs, and he wanted the rest of it. So, Google got used, and another happy customer. I guess my point is, while there are some very nice specific sources out there (and I do use a good number of them. For instance, I promote LII a lot in my BI sessions), let’s not say “not search” Google just because. Once in a while, it does save your bacon. And I got to try out that custom search sometime. Best, and keep on blogging.

By: Meredith Farkas

Meredith Farkas — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 15:04:21 +0000

Very good point, Jeanne! I know my local library has access to all of the major Gale Group databases, so it’s not as if database research totally has to stop once people get out of college. However, there are certain subjects (like Engineering, Math, Chemistry, History, Computer Science, etc.) that are not so well represented in most public libraries’ database holdings (nor should they necessarily be since their mission isn’t all about academics). In certain subjects, people will really need to turn to print resources or freely-available Web resources to find information once they’re out of school. Of course, there’s always ILL, a service that so many patrons are totally unaware of!

By: Jeanne

Jeanne — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 14:56:15 +0000

Great article! The only thing I wanted to add was to encourage students to realize that a large number of public library systems *do* have access to some of the same databases that they learn to use while on campus. I recently helped a relative discover that her local library provided free access online (using her library card ID number) to a broad array of databases. You should have seen the look on her face when she realized how much research she could do on her laptop in her living room – for FREE (well.. they are her tax dollars at work).

I agree that the sources you list are good to know about (and I can’t wait to try the custom search boxes you mention) – but graduating from college doesn’t mean that you have to force yourself to forget the online databases you learned to use. Local libraries may have fewer options available, but the more their patrons use the databases they do provide – the better the chance that access will remain available in the first place.

By: mhel

mhel — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 13:22:12 +0000

wow! i learned a lot of new stuff while reading this article. i am a library science student and this article is one sure of a help when i do my research…and when i become a professional librarian in the future.

By: Natalie

Natalie — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 02:32:48 +0000

Wonderful. I was just thinking about this!

Thank you for all the great resources.