Expert internet searching (4th ed.)

摘要

We now live in an age of information abundance, where there are no longer just a few channels for seeking information. This has meant that we often put too much trust in tools that make it easier to find this information - search engines. We are not discerning enough about the results that have been retrieved. How exactly are search engines filtering our results, and are we using the best search engine for our query? 'Google can bring you back 100,000 answers, a librarian can bring you back the right one'; this is a recent quote from Neil Gaiman. It exemplifies the dichotomy between the librarian and the search engine. Google versus a qualified, knowledgeable librarian is very much a tension that has had to be overcome. Now librarians have realised that search technology will not disappear; in fact it will continue to improve and develop, and we need to work with and not against what can be very useful if employed in the right way. A search engine may find 1000s of results, but a librarian still has the skills and the training to help clients find the right one.