duh

[luciab]

I am so totally not ever going to be a good reference librarian. I'm taking Humanities Resources this semester online, and she has posted lists of questions we are to answer, one list per week. We're supposed to read the text first, and I guess it's supposed to give us ideas how to look this stuff up. Actually, it has in some cases. It's just that most times I look at the questions and my first instinct is Google. Honestly, I think that with decent query-formation and some intelligent skepticism about source selection, that'd be the easiest way to answer lots of these. Except, we're supposed to be learning other ways to find things. More efficient ways. But really, now. If you wanted to know about Kokopelli, would your first instinct be to seek out some esoteric religious source, or would you just go to Google? Duh.

Comments

[margaretc.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a (rather amusing) variation of teaching not keeping up with technology. I say it's amusing because it's an online course, and also that I was talking to a co-worker yesterday who said he couldn't go back to school in computer science because he knew it was all outdated or crap. I told him that that's what most education is about. He replied that sure, that's true about computer science, but not about, say library information science.

[luciab.livejournal.com]

Well, Google really ISN"T the best way to find a lot of stuff-- it's just that's what I can remember to do. There are a ton of better, more targeted ways to find specific information. Lots of them are online, and it's true they come and go with depressing regularity.

Last night was a case in point-- I wanted to find the contact info for that attitudinous doctor I posted about a day or two ago. I remember from my class last semester that there is an online resource that has info about physicians, but I hadn't bookmarked it and thus had no idea how to find it. I had to resort to Google, and 411, which took a while since I only had a last name and it turned out I was misspelling that. I finally found her, though.

All I'm saying is, it's good to use the right tool for the job, and Google isn't always it, even when it's the first one I think of. Which is usually is.

[stitchwhich.livejournal.com]

"But really, now. If you wanted to know about Kokopelli, would your first instinct be to seek out some esoteric religious source, or would you just go to Google? Duh."

I'd go to the books on my bookshelf about Native American Mythos. But I think that's an answer that won't get you points in the course! (I love the little rock paintings of kokopelli and am rather appalled at what modern culture is loading the guy down with. Can you imagine what some foreign future culture would do if they found a cache of crucifixes and didn't know anything about Christianity? Eep!)

I know, I know, this comment doesnt address your post. But as a non-librarian, I hit google first, for the most part, if only to find a pointer towards what to go to next. It's sort of a bluderbuss version of an online dictionary.

[luciab.livejournal.com]

Honestly, that's my typical approach. At least it gives me a place to start looking. Even though I'm supposed to be learning about those books on Native American Mythos you have....

[nikulai.livejournal.com]

I tend to think of it more as an encyclopedia / index. A good kicking off point. For example, I had no idea what Kokopelli is, so Google lead me to the overview and gave me pointers to more indepth and scholarly sources. Denying Google as a starting point is tantamount to denying use of the card catalog, IMNSHO.

[luciab.livejournal.com]

This teacher in particular hasn't said anything about not using Google, but others have in other classes. Once burned, you know. And she hasn't given ANY feedback on homework turned in so far, so I have no way of knowing how she'll respond to the times I've already said I used Google. I just figure it's not good to rely on it too much.

[nikulai.livejournal.com]

I suppose... and its one of those non-real world scenarios designed to teach you to use alternate resources...

[luciab.livejournal.com]

Bingo.

Dance, library monkey, dance!

[deza.livejournal.com]

Actually, I'd hit wikipedia, then go on to their suggested resources.

It's been my experience that when you work in an academic library, you have the luxury of going to the esoteric resources. When you're working in a 1200-patron-per-day public library, you use NCLive, Google and Wikipedia. A lot.