Books or the Internet?

Although I was unable to participate in the scavenger hunt, I was able to benefit from hearing from my peers in the class about the experience. I go to the library often, and I especially love all of the resources and technology available at Hunt library. D.H. Hill library is where I go usually, and I've gotten used to where things are located now after a few months. When I first came to campus, the library confused me. I had no idea how to get around, or even how to work the printer. Eventually, however, I figured it out. The library is a great resource for me to go and focus solely on my work, because most other places on campus there are tons of distractions. I will admit, though, that I rarely go to the library to use the books. It is very true that our generation relies on the Internet and technology to provide answers and what we need. It's much more convenient than physically walking through the book stacks for one book we most likely won't want to read. Is this a flaw? Should we be ashamed of relying on the Internet? I'm torn myself. One of the reasons I love the Internet is because there are endless options available, opposed to maybe one section in a huge book that I would find useful in the library. We are almost forced to do the things necessary to get every assignment and project accomplished in the amount of time we have. Most of the time, I have multiple projects going on at the same time, forcing me to multitask and prioritize which ones to work on at that time. This is the way it goes, but I appreciate the ability to quickly research wherever I have wifi.

I agree with the Scientific American's "Research in the Digital Age", and that we should be taught how to distinguish valid online sources, from the uncredible ones. One line caught my attention and stated, "...teaching students how to analyze and evaluate the information they find is more important than gathering the information together in one place." This statement is saying that it is not simply about finding information anymore, we are capable of that. Myself included, I need to learn how to research, to decide which perspectives are valuable and truly serving a purpose in my work.