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Hi all,

This just came through my inbox from the College librarians where I work and I thought it was quite insightful and worth pondering. I simply thought I would share a poriton with you, as you guide your blessings:

Meagan and I are looking at ways to make research instruction more engaging and more effective for students. What we know is that:

Many students do not know how to find appropriate sources or know what "appropriate sources" are. They do not understand assignment guidelines, even those that seem clear enough.
Most students can find information using Google and believe that it is therefore good information.
Young does not equal tech savvy. Students do not know how to use online resources like Google, email, or databases any better than the rest of us do. (They can program different ring tones for all their friends but they do not know how to indent a line in Word.)
Library research is a skill learned over time, with practice, and with specific intentions. This is as true for us (the librarians) as it is for students

Oh how true!!! My dsd (in ps) puts tremendous trust in what she finds on the internet and doesn't have a clue about cross-referencing to check for accuracy. I have caught many mistakes in her research just by what I know to be true in regards to whatever she happens to be researching at that time. Unfortunately her teachers don't seem especially motivated to teach good research skills or to give easy to understand research guidelines. I have spent many a frustrating weekend helping her weed out bad information and understand what her teacher wants.