[WEB4LIB] RE: library vs internet

[John Hubbard]

Hello,

I would also add that while the exponentially increasing amount of materials
available on the Internet represent a broad range of subjects, the current
depth and density of any serious Internet collections are usually vastly
outnumbered by frivolous, dubious, or redundant indexable matter and
outweighed by the caliber of printed works found in any medium-sized public
library. The entailing major difference between libraries and the Internet
is that while libraries depend on funding to supplement scholarly
collections, the Internet, as a more interactive and entertaining medium, is
primarily driven by commercial or personal interests and accompanied with
virtually no bibliographic control.

Furthermore, as a consequence of the economic tendencies of online
information, many free Internet services, including the major search
engines, are subsidized by corporate sponsorships. This should not
necessarily be taken by users as an overwhelming detriment to their
functionality, no more than is paying taxes to support libraries, as long as
the advertising within Internet indexes is not ambiguously disguised or
confused with the supposedly objective editorial content. The problem here
is instead the presence of unwanted and unauthorized advertising, prevalent
within many automated Internet search tools that rely on author indexing and
lacking human editorial control, resulting in deceptive and faulty database
entries being successfully made for commercial gain.

John Hubbard
Haverford College
(from an essay I wrote for school on indexing the Internet:
http://www.tk421.net/essays/babel.shtml)

-----Original Message-----
From: web4lib at webjunction.org
[mailto:web4lib at webjunction.org]On Behalf Of Paul H. Gray
Sent: Tuesday, February 22, 2000 12:25 AM
To: Multiple recipients of list
Subject: [WEB4LIB] RE: library vs internet


What is the difference between going into a strange town on your own -
and going into that same town with a guide who knows what is there and knows
how to talk to you and determine your needs and knows how to direct you to
things that meet those needs?

Paul H. Gray
TCC Northeast Library
Hurst, TX

> -----Original Message-----
> From: web4lib at webjunction.org
> [mailto:web4lib at webjunction.org]On Behalf Of Michael Ming, Hung
> Sent: Monday, February 21, 2000 3:45 PM
> To: Multiple recipients of list
> Subject: [WEB4LIB] library vs internet
>
>
> What is the different between (adv & disadv) searching
> information using library and Internet?
>
> ******************************************************************
> *********
> michael hung   ICQ=6638008
> SKH Bishop Mok Sau Tseng Secondary School, Librarian
> HK Professional Teachers' Union, Teacher-librarians' Group, Chairman
>
> Jesus Christ, is the same Yesterday and Today and Forever. ~Hebrew 13:8
> Homepage = http://www.school.net.hk/~mmhung/
> michael email: mmhung at school.net.hk [or] mmhung at hknet.com
> ida email: idachan2 at hknet.com                          ida & michael Hung
> ******************************************************************
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>