Consciousness of disinformation

[Dianne L Parham]

I'm sure it was an oversight that you didn't put down the website address 
of this excellent resource, which I happily checked out:
    http://www.mu.edu/library/instruction/steps.html#Sources

Of course just because something is in print doesn't 
make it an accurate source (the National Inquirer and Star news leap to 
mind).  Students should always check the authority of the authors of any 
material no matter if it is book, magazine, Internet, CD or what, and 
think about personal biases (a German reporter in Hitler's time might 
have a different slant on the period than a Jewish historian of the 
current day).  I found your approach for being a highly effective 
researcher applicable to any media.  Thank you for sharing!  Dianne 
Parham, Grants Analyst, San Diego Public Library, dzp at jill.sannet.gov 

On Thu, 26 Jun 1997, Sheryl Dwinell wrote:

> When we teach classes about using the Internet, we always stress critical
> thinking and evaluative skills.  We also make a point of saying that every
> bit of information in the universe is not available on the Web [although
> watching students do research I'm not sure this concept has sunk in] and
> that there are many resources that only exist in print or on full-text
> CD-ROMs within the library.  We point out the difference between the online
> resources we pay for (full-text journals, for example) and information made
> available for free. Trying to make the point that it is an expensive
> proposition to put full-text resources on the Web, hence, you aren't going
> to find a Web version of every work you'd find in a library.  In a
> traditional BI class, it's standard procedure to discuss where sources of
> information come from and how to use your judgement to determine their
> authoritativeness. All we've done is extended this philosophy into the
> realm of Net resources.  We also provide some tips on our web site on
> evaluating Net resources.  It's pretty much an extension of the advice we
> give for print sources.
> 
> 
> 
> Sheryl Dwinell
> Cataloger/Database Management Librarian
> Memorial Library * Marquette University
> P.O. Box 3141 * Milwaukee, WI 53201-3141
> 414-288-3542 * dwinells at vms.csd.mu.edu
> 
>