“The internet is easier than books”

17Oct07

A quote there from a discussion I had with some students on their use of the Learning Centres.

They don’t use books because they find them difficult to navigate. They don’t have the rapid response they expect from using the Internet. They appreciate that the net is ‘full of crap’ but it is still their first port of call.

What does this mean for us? Well, for one we need to get some sessions done on how to use books effectively- we need to demystify the book. Books will remain a key part of our resources, not just as ‘legacy’ but as an important part of communication in the fields we deal with.

That said we will need to look at the place of books in our information provision generally- do we need to shift to a wider range of online materials?

These are commonplaces now, but it was interesting to hear the point made. The tutor and I wondered if it is a generational thing- and if so what to do? In some schools I know that librarians are working on helping students to develop the skills needed to handle all kinds of materials, and more power to them.

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Tags: "information literacy", Books, Education