Explore the Hunt Library
The first thought that comes to mind when someone mentions
researching or exploring a library is my elementary school library. This library had one computer working on a
DOS system and utilizing commands to allow the librarian to keep track of
inventory. The books were cataloged by
index cards and each book could be checked out by a stamp and initials written
on the book slip inserted into the text.
How times have changed!
In the electronic era, it is far more efficient to quickly
find the resources for which information is to be extracted and utilized
throughout educational coursework completed at Embry Riddle Aeronautical
University. The Hunt Library is the
Cliff Notes to my former years going through the volumes of Encyclopedia Britannica,
brushing off the dust as I thumbed through each thick page. What formerly took weeks upon weeks to
gather, literally can be pulled together and summarized in less than six hours
of research.
By merely looking at the icons next to each resource, a
researcher can quickly ascertain which of the articles has statistical information. If the reader would prefer to listen to the
information as they go for their morning stroll, simply look for the text to
speech icon. If the full text searchable
PDF is desired, simply click on the white page with FT labeled on the
icon.
While this comparison is a little outdated, it does
demonstrate the evolution of technology of what I feel to be a relatively short
amount of time. In the matter of twenty
years, we have significantly decreased the amount of effort it requires to
obtain necessary information to become published, to be viewed as an authority
on a concept or subject. The simple
ability to type in the search box the key concept is all that is required to
have references and cross references checked and in seconds and array of information
is presented for the researcher’s review.
Now how does this compare to a google search or that of any
internet browser search engine? While
internet searches still significantly cut down the amount of time it takes to
obtain data related to the subject, the caveat is that with all of that
information you have a lot of “fluff.”
Common day “fact” is mixed in with fiction and opinion. The time it takes to sift through what is a
reliable source and what is a wiki can be almost as exhausting as going through
the catalog and looking at the Dewey decimal classification values affixed to
the binding of the tattered and warn leather-bound books.
Whether the information is presented in a bound book,
through an internet wiki or through an electronically cataloged and quickly
retrievable format such as the hunt library, the fact remains that each source
needs to be met with an equal amount of scrutiny. While some may pass the initial tests of
reliability and validity with ease, it is imperative that an article is not
merely perused, but thoroughly reviewed before determining that the information
contained will amount to scholarly reference.
The main point to file away (pun intended) from this exercise is that
even with the best resources and best library research system in place, as
Nosich (2012) warns, it remains “important…not to accept the discipline without
question.”
Nosich, G. M. (2012). Learning
to think things through: A guide to critical thinking across the curriculum
(4th edition). Boston, MA: Pearson. p. 119.
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