Reading Report #5

In the article provided, the topic of information literacy is discussed quite heavily. The article basically covers the actions that libraries and universities together are taking in order to help students move forward from junk information from websites such as Google and Wikipedia to more scholarly based information that yields more credibility. The article begins by indentifying the current issue of students being drowned in online information that is readily available to them. The article then describes the stark comparison between how information was retrieved in recent history to how it is obtained by students today. The article gives staggering statistics to support the growing number of online sources of information. Many universities such as the California State University system have begun to institutionalize the process of information literacy by offering classes to students who may not know any way of retrieving useful information other than through poor mediums such as Google and Wikipedia.
I feel personally that this is a very positive movement towards helping students be more knowledgeable towards acquiring and using scholarly information. If nothing is done about this growing problem now then the problem will continue to spread false and untested information throughout the world. Without anybody to help these students fish through all of the information that is readily available online, it will eventually be impossible to decipher accurate from blatantly false information.

Reading Report #4

In the article provided, the author strives to address a common probably that affects libraries all over the world. Google is taking over the research and data provided to students and often provides false and low quality information. Libraries all over the world are suffering because of librarians’ lack of effort to create easy to use search engines. Because of the fact that Google is an extremely easy to use search engine, students often times turn towards this search engines and other like it because it is comparable to hot, quick, and greasy fast food. This article encourages libraries to adapt their search engines to make them easier to use and more like Google. The author says that the library research databases are like salads and that “The trick is making the salad smell and taste like fast food, so they'll eat it.” One project that is starting up if the RedLightGreen Project , which is a nonprofit group with over 160 universities, national libraries, archives, historical societies, and other institutions. This project is designed to use a system similar to Google’s and to incorporate multiple scholarly works and journals.

 

            I completely agree with the author. Librarians and Libraries need to reform their system of searching for and acquiring credible data. Why would any common student want to search through confusing databases when Google and can access all the information you would need quicker and faster? Libraries are shooting themselves in the foot by being so arrogant and not reforming their search systems. In order for students to be able to access credible and reliable information libraries need to take a serious look into abandoning old and confusing databases.