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August 03, 2005
Props to the PL
Stephen Manes of Forbes Magazine has crafted a paeon to electronic library services:
Some libraries let you peek at the Auto Repair Reference Center, which serves up all manner of info relating to cars, including manufacturers' technical service bulletins (technically known as "things likely to go wrong") I wish I'd known about before the warranty on my chariot ran out. Without much effort I've found language courses that can otherwise cost $50 a month, a trove of images for educational use from Bill Gates' Corbis company, Morningstar's stock and fund research tools, and practice SATs, all free. You're likely to find quirky databases of local interest like regional newspapers and historic photographs. And most libraries offer special kid-friendly research tools designed to assist with homework more directly and safely than indiscriminate Googling will.None of these databases is perfect, since most were initially designed for trained librarians rather than mere flailing mortals, so the user interfaces can be daunting until you get the hang of them. But libraries increasingly have online chat services that let you consult with live experts if you get stuck. Even if your community's library is not in the vanguard, all may not be lost: States such as Michigan offer similar services in exchange for your driver's license number.
Unfortunately, I don't think that the point of the article simply to sing the hosannas of libraries. After all, the article isn't called "Google Isn't Everything" for nothing:
In the age of Google, when we wonder about stuff we want instant answers. I happened to wonder about the first recorded use of the term "personal computer," so I Googled around and ended up at Wikipedia, the hit-or-miss user-developed encyclopedia, whose "personal computer" entry declared authoritatively that "The earliest known use of the term was in New Scientist magazine in 1964, in a series of articles called ‘The World in 1984.'"I still don't know the answer to my question, but I do know--no thanks to Google--that Wikipedia got it wrong. That's because I found an earlier citation with the help of an even older purveyor of information: my public library. And I didn't have to move an inch to do it.
Posted by misseli at August 3, 2005 04:47 PM