The Google generation (Decline of research at the Library)

Portland Press Herald ^ | June 11, 2006 | BETH QUIMBY

[TomGuy]

[SamAdams76]

Nearly the entire first floor of my library has been given over to DVDs, VCR tapes and CDs and this is what you see most of the kids checking out. It used to be that the libraries only had stuff like documentaries on video and mostly classical music on CD. But that's all changed. You can now check out regular movies and pop music at the libarary.

It's amusing to see the RIAA get their panties in a knot over kids trading crappy MP3s on the Internet when they can apparently go into a public library, take a CD home, and make perfect copies for themselves before taking it back.

[RightWingAtheist]

I'm currently working at the Wilson Libarary :)

I've also been preparing a syllabus for a class at the U of M in which I make it clear to my students that Wikipedia and blogs are NOT considered valid research sources. I expect them to make the effort to go to first-hand sources and peer-reviewed articles and books for their research materials. I myself will never part from books; I just can't get in the habit of reading scroll all the time.

[LiveBait]

The internet is a fine replacement for encyclopedias, since they don't really offer much in-depth information anyways. Basic information is at our fingertips on just about anything these days, and that is great. To really know a subject, however, you still need to crack open some books, and that's unlikely to change in the near future. It's just painful to try and read more than a few pages on a screen... JSTOR is wonderful though.

[RightWingAtheist]

I found that to be an annoying trend when I worked at a public library as well. We actually had two English-language copies of Men in Black PLUS a copy dubbed into French to boot. Just shoot me in the head...

[Tax Government]

"Librarians need to be wildly outside the box so we can create new ways to connect to people and connect people to literature or else we are going to fade."

Install far, far more computers for library patrons.

[Fiji Hill]

I work the reference desk at a public library in a blue collar suburb of Los Angeles, and we've been getting plenty of reference questions from kids as the school year comes to a close. During the last two or three weeks, dozens of junior high school students descended on our library to check out Civil War books, while high schoolers are seeking literature on the World Wars.

We also have to keep our collection well-stocked with books on ancient Egypt, Greek mythology, and California missions.

[RadioAstronomer]

Nothing yet beats a good research library. :-)

[stuartcr]

Besides that, you don'y have to go to the library and use gas.

[weegee]

Wikipedia entries will "change" from day to day as the left tries to bias reports to fit their worldview.

Facts can be deleted or "massaged". It is a revisionist historian's playground.

I like books and hardcopy newspapers because they use the printed word.

[DeweyCA]

I remember spending many long evenings in the basement of Wilson Library studying with my girlfriend. That was in the early 70s. I went back there last summer and the place had been completely remodeled. I hardly recognized the place.

[thoughtomator]

In the future, libraries look like ATM machines...

[CheyennePress]

Wikipedia is great for science. It's terrible for anything that allows opinion. It may serve as a starting point, but that's about it.

[FreedomCalls]

I realized all the work I was doing putting together an outline for my sister was available from wikipedia in a few clicks

Nosy busybody comment: Shouldn't your sister be putting together her own outline?

[CheyennePress]

And just as an aside, I spent hours pouring through PubMed (with full-access) and google. Frustrated at not finding a few bits of information that I was seeking, I just went to Wikipedia. Bang. All that I needed in 15 minutes.

When you find a scientist who is researching a particular topic and have them write a Wiki, you're not going to do much better.

[Riverman94610]

"studying at the library with my girlfriend"
Yeah,I used to use that one every so often when I was in school!

[KarlInOhio]

Far too many people consider Snopes and Wikipedia as valid sources for citation. Never mind the bias inherent in the reports.

Back when I was in school the New York Times was considered a valid source for citation. Never mind the bias inherent in the articles.

[VanDeKoik]

Im a frequent user of my local library. Most of the people that came through the doors seem to just want to play on the internet or sleep. Libraries need to rip out the web if they really want to save themselves.

[ExtremeUnction]

In the 1920's, the daily delivery of ice blocks was ended with the invention of the electric refrigerator. Now, libraries wait their turn at obsolescence. Everything must eventually die. Right now..it's libraries. Sorry..

[DeweyCA]

Actually we really did study from 7 PM to 9:30 PM, then took a 20-30 minute break, and then went back to studying until 11:30. I realized during our first studying time that if I just goofed around that she wouldn't go there with me anymore. So I decided to actually study. It was good for my grades, as well as having more time with her.