Reading #4

The Infodiet: How Libraries Can Offer an Appetizing Alternative to Google”
By: Steven Bell
Chronicle of Higher Education
Volume 50, Issue 24, Page B15

I believe that Steven makes some great points when he is assessing the competencies and comfort levels of the average students' ability to utilize their library to the fullest. I agree with Steven’s view of these students and even professors who promote the ease of access by using the internet and a common search engines. It is also shocking how many students really do not know how to find information in their library. I for myself am one of those students; I was unable to find this article within the library catalog, lucky there was help on the library blog. I did use Google to locate a copy of the article as well. This is very embarrassing for me, and I believe it is important for students to be educated on the benefits of using a library, rather than always useing a common internet search engine. If the problem is not addressed, I believe students and higher education will continue to drift away from libraries and the complex searches. Library searches do require an extra effort from the users, but it is well worth the kick back of information that is found than compared to results from Google. While we continue to use Google and other popular search engines, these companies themselves will improve their "product" and search capabilities to rival libraries intricacy of information. Out of necessity, due to the lack of introduction and pushing of students to use libraries more specific searches, I believe common search engines like Google will evolve into the higher education source of data. Optimistically common search engines will provide just as good or better results and information to use for reporting, rather than the “infobesity” that is currently found and used by students today from the internet.

-TJ