Assigned reading #5

The topic of students and their lack of information literacy hit a little too close to home for me. As a college Senior, I have had numerous research projects and I think I have spent maybe a total of ten hours in the library. I have always relied on using the internet as my main source for information, but as I have learned by taking the Introduction to Library Research and Technology course, that a majority of the information I retained was from unreliable sources and may have been invalid. In the article, “Information Navigation 101”, it was discussed that many learning institutions want to either make information literacy courses mandatory or have a standardized test to measure information technology skills. I feel that this should be necessary in today’s age of “quick info.” Being a Communication Studies major, I do not have to do as much research as other concentrations, but I do still see this as an essential skill.

Reading response: Infodiet

I think that Steven Bell's comparision of Google as a fast food establishment is quite accurate. Google is faster, cheaper to access than other academic databases, and the quality of the "food" or information can be not of the best quality. I agree, that the main reason students do use Google over the library and academic databases due to the fact that the Google is quicker. But I find it false that research is supposed to be "hard" and "difficult". The way I see it is that the technologies we use today are made so things are easier in our lives and it is the same way with information technologies. If academic databases like, "Ebscohost" and Lexus Nexus," could be re-made so the information was just as easy to access as Google, they would be used more because of their accuracy level.
P.S. I also found the the term " infobesity" to be hilarious!