Monday, April 09, 2007

...an information revolution

As new librarians, I believe that we have a responsibility to our patrons to analyze the sources of information. But I also believe that we have this opportunity to be a part of something bigger than any library or any encyclopedia. Wikipedia is a good jumping-off point for further research, and for some research it would be the first place I go. How MANY times have I had a young child come in the library and want information on current wrestlers in the WWE? Plenty of times. And not being a fan of wrestling, I don’t know all of the people off the top of my head. But with a couple of clicks, I can pull up information on the whole history and make sure we have more up-to-date information than Hulk Hogan.

This also goes for more technical questions, video game questions, and knowledge that might not be in print.