Blog Reflection #5

Over the last couple of weeks we have been looking at reference or information resources online. The sites I had never heard of, knowing only about search engines like Google or Yahoo. The exercises showed that the information is not only easier to find from these trusted websites, in an ocean of Google/Yahoo information, but the websites are full of accurate information. When entering a general reference question into Google like what was the population of California in 1910, Google can pull up hundreds of hits where you can find the answer. Some are relevant, hiding among the links listed, and there are always the links to Wikipedia listed in the top ten. How do we know the information is correct? How do we know it can be verified? If we just take the first answer we see, assuming it must be correct then we are not really verifying the source. How do we do this? I guess I would say that maybe people look up several sources and then take the most common answer, like using an average. Three out of the five sites looked at, say the answer is (insert number here). That is not a good enough way for me to verify the information. I want the correct answer without having to verify it against Wikipedia. It would take to long to verify my information. I would rather go to a trusted site with a verifiable source like the census bureau or an agency that is known for its facts, studies, data gathering, etc. Now my question is how do you find those trusted sites? Without the information I have learned in this class, I would not have known where to look. How can that be changed? I think it needs to be put out there for anyone to find. I found some by reading our textbook, which the average user would not be reading, and by visiting the ALA site recommendations, again, would a non library student go there to look for information? Librarian selected websites are the way to go, like the Internet Public Library (www.ipl.org) or the Librarians’ Internet Index (www.lii.org). These are trusted, verified sites for accurate online information. The only problem is that I do not know how to get others to find these sites other than word of mouth, like by a blog. I think I will have to come back to answer my own questions.