[WEB4LIB] Re: Google Answers questions

[Dan Ream]

I think Patricia's point about accountability is an interesting one, but would
add that few library patrons--if they had a gun held to their head--could name
the reference librarian who helped them a few minutes ago--even if they EVER knew
who they were talking to.

We in libraries are among the most anonymous service workers I've ever dealt
with. Even the cashier at 7-11 wears a nametag , but rarely do I encounter a
librarian's or library staff member's name without asking.

Our accountability and perhaps our image might be much improved by putting our
names out there a little more.

Think about that the next time you're sitting at a reference desk--how can the
next user who walks up tell who you are and whether or not you're qualified to
give an authoritative answer!

Off my soapbox now! ;-)

--Dan Ream
   Head, Education & Outreach Services
   Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries
    Richmond, Virginia
    dream at vcu.edu

Patricia F Anderson wrote:

> Completely aside from "best bang for the buck" issues, what about ethics
> and accountability? Google has unidentified folk asking questions which
> are answered by unidentified "experts" in topics which carry potentially
> serious results. I am thinking specifically of health, but the same issues
> apply with making legal or financial decisions, for example. In addition,
> in browsing the archives of questions, I have seen some questions that
> just shrieked "Answer my homework question for me." :-) Not *quite*
> plagiarism, eh?
>
> Patricia Anderson, pfa at umich.edu
>
> On Wed, 22 May 2002, Nancy Sosna Bohm wrote:
>
> > And then there's the axiom of "you get what you pay for." Users are likely
> > to assume that for $20.00 they can save a couple of hours of fruitless
> > surfing or stack browsing and get a complete, accurate answer. It will be
> > interesting to see if Google can in fact achieve such results and turn a
> > profit.
> >
> > on 5/22/02 9:02 AM, Karen G. Schneider at kgs at bluehighways.com wrote:
> > .. Google has the money to keep playing with this until they get it right
> > or until they conclude it's a pointless $$-sink.  My questions are how much
> > this service competes with free online services provided by libraries...
> > time will tell...
> >
> >