INTERNET RESEARCH VS. LIBRARY RESEARCH
...fer in the amount of information available, the credibility of the information provided, and the amenity of using the information source. Overall, both libraries and the Internet have an immense amount of information. According to the Library 10 Information Research Workbook, most public libraries have over 50,000 books as well as archived magazines and newspapers (Roussopoulos 6). Most libraries have a lot of information on history, science and other broad topics, but lack information on specific subjects. It is also difficult to find information on recent events, or any topic that requires updated information. The Internet, however, contains an enormous amount of information on virtually every topic. Alex Credaro of Warrior Librarian Weekly explains that the amount of information available online exceeds that of any library. The WWW contains over eight billion web pages, 8% of which are designed to be educational (3). Credaro says that the extraordinary amount of information available on the Internet is often appealing to people who are searching for information on a specific topic (1). These websites range from government publications to the essays of unknown teachers. The websites of NBC and CBS contain daily news and reports with most up-to-date information that libraries cannot provide. One of the most important aspects of an information source is its credibility. Raymond J. Rodriguez, an English professor at the University of California at San Diego, says that for a typical public library, a staff of librarians chooses library material based on general content. Information acquired through library texts will most likely be reliable. Little McDougal of Classzone explains that most libraries exclude inappropriate texts and materials, as well as ban books that discuss controversial topics such as racial discrimination (7). These censorships make libraries appealing to people who are concerned about the credibility of their information. On the other hand, the Internet contains information from absolutely anyone who is willing to put it on the web (Credaro 1). A lot of information provided by unknown websites is either inaccurate, or false. Therefore, it is up to the user to decide which information is reliable (Rodrigues 127). The credibility of information acquired online is a major concern for many people. The amenity of using the information offered by the two sources is important to conside...