LIB 103 Reading Report # 2

Upon reading the article from the journal Chronicle of Higher Education titled “The Infodiet: How Libraries Can Offer an Appetizing Alternative to Google”, I must say that I agree with the argument that students need to go back to the libraries to find real, relevant information and venture away from the convenience of Google.
Many of my teachers and professors throughout the years have made it a requirement to include sources outside of the internet for research projects, some banning the online information system altogether, and at first I thought they were absurd. However, after further speculation of the data that anyone can post on Google and other browsers, it has become apparent as to why. Although it may be more convenient to just type in what you are looking for in the privacy of your own home, a portion of the purpose of doing a research project is lost. Some of the information is grossly mistaken and others may be too broad to really give you the point in which you started out to make.
Libraries and the information they provide can do just the opposite for you if the students are taught how to use them to their fullest capacity. Whether it is consulting a librarian or even using their databases to find the relevant sources necessary, the information you gather is guaranteed to be based off of more factual information. Professors and institutions should take greater care in educating their students in these fields.
I also agreed on the idea of “google-izing” the libraries information technologies. Whether it makes it more convenient or not, the idea of the professional system being targeted around what the current day student is used to would most likely appeal to many more scholars and help them adapt to the institutional way of acquiring information. Plus, being a student on the university level myself, I personally know that sometimes a library can be very overwhelming. Thankfully, the new online sources and catalogs have helped that slightly, but only to those who know they exist and how to use them.
So to me, the question should be how can universities teach students how to use the technologies that are available to them? Instead of complaining that the newer generations are seeking lazier research methods, maybe the real concern should be how can the educators enhance their pupils knowledge of what really can be made available to them with a different click of a button.