Alexander Johannesen wrote:
> Hiya,
>
> I shouldn't get involved in this, but a few contrarian comments should
> be in order ;
Glad you did.
>
> I get the feeling that you live in a world where catalogers catalog
> everything and also perfectly, which is a place very far from mine.
I also get the feeling that people are putting too much on a single
search. I don't know where we got the idea that information seeking is
about doing one search and stopping there. In fact, it's a very
iterative activity. You might start in Google or in the library catalog,
but that's a beginning, not an ending. The only time a single search is
all that's needed is for a very exacting known item search (does my
library have x and is it on the shelf?).
Getting a good starting point can make ones research more efficient,
true. And, yes, there are those undergrads who will take whatever comes
up in their first search and write their paper using it. Those are the
same people who did high school research using the encyclopedia in my
day. But I think we should base our analysis not on where people start
but where they eventually go and the quality of their research.
We also have to remember that there are lots of different information
needs. If I'm looking for the tech support for software, I go to the
web. It wouldn't make sense to look for that in the library catalog. If
I want to buy a book, I go to Amazon online or (if I'm feeling like
browsing) I head to a local bookstore. If I need a plumber, I check my
local yellow pages. If I'm looking for primary resources, I first
determine what institution is likely to have them, usually by picking up
a book on the topic and checking references. It's simply not a question
of Google v. library catalog. As a matter of fact, I'm thinking that not
only is "catalog" not the answer, it's not even the question. The
question should be about available resources, and there should be
multiple ways to discover and use them.
kc
--
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Karen Coyle / Digital Library Consultant
kcoyle@kcoyle.net http://www.kcoyle.net
ph.: 510-540-7596 skype: kcoylenet
fx.: 510-848-3913
mo.: 510-435-8234
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Received on Fri Jan 04 2008 - 17:26:42 EST