Overheard in the Library...

It is not uncommon to hear students proudly proclaiming that they find "everything I need" on the internet. In fact, a recent Pew study states that 82% of internet searchers feel completely confident in their ability to find information online. The same study, however, demonstrated that only 18% of respondents knew the difference between a sponsored link and regular search engine results.

It's not just a student problem. The BBC was fooled by a false web site into interviewing an environmentalist posing as a Dow Chemical spokesperson. Total reliance on internet sources caused a death in a Johns Hopkins research study. Thanks to reference librarian Jessica Marshall for pointing out this New York Times article that stresses the importance of being information literate.