This article is very much a reflection of how times and ideologies have changed. The google age of searching has taken over the minds of college students who are not using the library as its primary source of research. This article touches on the main problem be that library databases do not closely resemble or mimic google’s interface enough to be user friendly for students. This main issues leaves libraries with thousands, if not millions of dollars worth of searchable databases but not useable according to the ignorance of the googlized population. Libraries are trying to work with database companies to find solutions in making their databases look somewhat like google’s. What they found is that instead of making searches easier it only hinders users further by trying to mimic google, and the issue of “infobesity” still plagues database users. The solution that then comes forth in this article is to try and create an aesthetically pleasing and simple article that is user friendly and helpful in teaching ignorant users how to properly search the content they are looking for. The issue of forcing students to use library databases was also raised in the article, but due to some professor’s unfamiliarity with these databases themselves this became more of a problem than a solution.
This articles some-what bothered me in terms of the proposed solutions for the problems stated. Since I have been a student at the University of North Carolina Wilmington there has not been any type of research assignment given to me where it wasn’t required for me to use anything else but a database or textbook for research. In my opinion whatever intuitions out there who believe that using library databases shouldn’t be a requirement for research is doing a major disservice to is students. Maybe I have a bias for proper research because within my Major we are required to take research methods, but at the same time any quality school who wants quality work from it’s pupils should only require quality research.
