Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Librarians Don’T Use Google!: Breaking Stereotypes And Myths About Smart Searching, Nora B. Wood, Dhy Edwardsberry

Urban Library Journal

Students often assume that librarians sit with their noses stuck in dusty volumes all day. These same students are typically surprised to learn that many librarians actually work extensively with online resources and are adept at navigating websites and databases to uncover the best information. What comes as even more of a surprise? Learning that librarians rely heavily on Google to conduct thorough and credible research.

In this article, the authors will discuss how they helped break this librarian stereotype and turned the tables on preconceived notions of how to conduct smart research using Google for a group of undergraduate …

Google Vs. The Library (Part Iii): Assessing The Quality Of Sources Found By Undergraduates, Helen Georgas

Publications and Research

This study assesses and compares the quality of sources found by undergraduate students when doing research using both Google and a library (federated) search tool. Thirty undergraduates were asked to find four sources (one book, two articles, and one additional source of their choosing) related to a selected research topic. Students used both Google and a federated search (resource discovery) tool to find material they believed to be relevant. Each source was evaluated for topic relevance, authority, appropriateness, and date, and assigned a total quality score. Results showed that the books found via Google were slightly higher quality than those …

Google Vs. The Library (Part Ii): Student Search Patterns And Behaviors When Using Google And A Federated Search Tool, Helen Georgas

Publications and Research

This study examines the information-seeking behavior of undergraduate students within a research context. Student searches were recorded while the participants used Google and a library (federated) search tool to find sources (one book, two articles, and one other source of their choosing) for a selected topic. The undergraduates in this study believed themselves to be skilled researchers, but their search queries and behaviors did not support this belief. Students did not examine their topics to identify keywords and related terms. They relied heavily on the language presented to them via the list of research topics and performed natural language or …

Google Vs. The Library: Student Preferences And Perceptions When Doing Research Using Google And A Federated Search Tool, Helen Georgas

Publications and Research

Federated searching was once touted as the library world’s answer to Google, but ten years since federated searching technology’s inception, how does it actually compare? This study focuses on undergraduate student preferences and perceptions when doing research using both Google and a federated search tool. Students were asked about their preferences using each search tool and the perceived relevance of the sources they found using each search tool. Students were also asked to self-assess their online searching skills. The findings show that students believe they possess strong searching skills, are able to find relevant sources using both search tools, but …

Google Like A Librarian, Jill Cirasella

Publications and Research

This article discusses a few Google tools that hold promise for reference work but are likely unfamiliar to some librarians and many patrons.

Reference Retooled: How Google Tools Strengthen And Streamline Reference Service, Jill Cirasella

Publications and Research

This slideshow examines the role of Google and various Google tools (circa 2008) in reference librarianship. It looks at the ways in which Google can be an active and equal participant in the reference interview and help with various kinds of ill-formed questions.

Editorial: Shape Shifters: Librarians Evolve Yet Again In The Age Of Google, Mariana Regalado, Jill Cirasella

Publications and Research

Like all organisms and organizations, librarians and libraries evolve by adapting to changes and pressures in their environments. From scroll to codex to online text: every upgrade in technology is matched by an adaptation in librarianship. Nevertheless, despite centuries of evolution, the activities of librarians and the mission of libraries have remained essentially constant and are still recognizable. The pace of change in libraries has been especially rapid since the introduction of computers, and an important recent change is the advent of the “age of Google.” Heralded by the arrival in 1998 of the Google search engine, with its clean …

You And Me And Google Makes Three: Welcoming Google Into The Reference Interview, Jill Cirasella

Publications and Research

Library patrons often approach the reference desk with indirect, incomplete, or misleading questions, known as "ill-formed" questions. Transforming ill-formed questions into well-formed ones is a crucial part of the reference interview, and Google can be an active participant in that process. This paper discusses how Google can help librarians and patrons deal with incomplete citations, incorrect citations, incorrect spellings, tip-of-the-tongue questions, and forgotten searches.

Google Sets, Google Suggest, And Google Search History: Three More Tools For The Reference Librarian's Bag Of Tricks, Jill Cirasella

Publications and Research

This article examines the features, quirks, and uses of Google Sets, Google Suggest, and Google Search History and argues that these three lesser-known Google tools warrant inclusion in the resourceful reference librarian’s bag of tricks.

Lacuny Executive Council Meeting Minutes, October 2005, Lacuny

Meeting Minutes

No abstract provided.