How many find it difficult to do your research without the use of a library?

1. 84

   NiaGposted 10 years ago

   How many find it difficult to do your research without the use of a library?
   
   Do you rely only on the facts found from Google or do you go to the library to research your hubs?

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2. 63

   Tony DeLorgerposted 10 years ago

   I'm primarily a poet and therefore rarely research, unless for a specific subject that requires stats or the like. However I am a novelist and have found in the past that a library offers far more than facts from Google searches. I find books to be more insightful as they offer opinions and subjective viewpoints that often surpass just facts. These are particularly helpful when researching for say, historical fiction, where understanding the period is crucial to writing about it. Research generally requires endless notes and stats, that in the end gives substance and credibility to the writing.

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   1. 84

      NiaGposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I agree Tony. Google takes a lot of extra work when you don't go to the library. There's a level of security in your research with the route of a good ol' library. I wondered if libraries were in jeopardy of being lost 'cause of google. Probably not.

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3. 85

   tsmogposted 10 years ago

   Hello NiaG. How are you. I like that number in your corner. I remember when you first began. What a wonderful change to see. This is a great question. If you mean for here at HP for articles the answer is the web and not necessarily Google. Some browsers for some research offers faster research for scholastic papers, although with Google I found a means.
   
   If you type after the subject specific search a space plus sign a space and then the word scholastic it will pop those. Scholastic papers published either through Educational institutions like university level, professional organizations, and governmental agency will appear in the listings. Some are free and some have a cost.
   
   I use to take a class a semester at the local community college just to get access for free to different search engines for research material. Almost any humanities class - sociology, anthropology, and etc will get one access to those sources. Online internet classes offer those same opportunities.
   
   One learns you can take an online class for the University of Washington and live in California with the right conditions being met. Of course the local level too. When that is done student rates are offered for resources like JSTOR and others. Depending on the class deeper resources than just quoting Wikipedia may be required. Then the campus library or local library comes into light as a great resource. The FICHE system offers older research and in contrast Gutenberg is a great source for free too. Those both mean more reading.
   
   Great question. I will have to discover with older binders from past classes some of those resources offered with classes. Maybe they are still available and there are public access, access with a cost, or a combination.
   
   tim

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   1. 84

      NiaGposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Hi tsmog! Thought about just the other day. While I was updating my website I saw your comment and wondered what you might be up to. And about this quest. While researching I found a discrepancy and thought it would have been nice to have a library.

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   alancaster149posted 10 years ago

   Depending on what you need to research, Google is fairly comprehensive in its coverage of facts and data. However, like  authors of books, authors of Google/Wikipedia entries don't know everything. I've had a few instances, where I've looked up some subjects, that information is missing on either side. Steer a middle course and use both, extensively.
   Much of the period I've concentrated on - early Middle Ages - is poorly covered or not covered at all and guesswork comes in, i.e., the monks who wrote the entries for the Saxon Chronicles omitted much that would be of use to us now. You start to 'fictionalise' your own material.

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      alancaster149posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      For example, I was looking tor where King Malcolm III 'Canmore' of Scotland held court. Trawling entries on Wikipedia, and a comprehensive book on the history of Scotland got me no closer. I'm going to have to skirt the issue, use 'poetic licence'.

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5. 0

   sheilamyersposted 10 years ago

   I do most of my research for both my hubs and my books online. For some basic information, almost any website will do. But if I need reliable facts and figures, like when I wrote my hub on cerebral aneurysms, I make sure I get those facts from sites of organizations which are written by the people who are experts in whatever field I'm researching.

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   Borsiaposted 10 years ago

   The net has pretty much everything I could want, especially as an expat.
   What you believe and how well you cross check is purely up to you all the info is there you just have to look and check the sources.

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7. 82

   peachpurpleposted 10 years ago

   i rely much of my articles on over dued magazines, at least 5-10 years old magazines. Of course, Google wikipedia helps a lot too but  i can't just copy and paste , right? So, magazines and old books helped me a lot. Nope, i never go to the library. The last time i went there was 13 years old, that was 30 years ago!!

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8. 92

   jansharesposted 10 years ago

   Funny that you ask this question. I had a conversation with 3 young people about not using a library to do research and their dependency on computers. It was so funny, I made a hub about it. I have not been in a library myself in a long time to do research. I use the net to find sites with solid information to support my hubs. I will also use books I have at home. I have not yet run into any difficulty finding information without a library.

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9. 72

   A_Kposted 10 years ago

   Internet offers pretty much everything especially with digital libraries. Most of the libraries have begun converting their databases to the digital format at huge costs. Most or almost every magazine and journals have their digital counterparts up for subscription. As for the hubs and most other articles available on internet, I wonder if serious academic research goes into it. In other words, most of the facts and information one might need for writing web articles would be available with google. Additionally, the trend of article writing on the web platform is to write it short and quick. A serious research article I guess will not attract readers, which will actually be contrary to the purpose of the writer and the google adsense program. For instance, while health is a popular niche, within the health readers are more interested in "how to (lose weight, fight diseases, maintain optimum health etc) rather than a serious research into metabolism or surgical procedures etc. Yet, there are specialized websites and online journals that may be more demanding in rigorous research for which online library subscription can pretty much fulfill the same needs as the offline brick and mortar libraries.

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10. 72

    lburmasterposted 10 years ago

    Google and online libraries only available to college students. There is a lot of research that is not available to the public.

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    DDEposted 10 years ago

    I prefer books online information is widely searched for and found so easily.

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12. 70

    Man of Strengthposted 10 years ago

    Hi Nia,
    For me Google, Bing, and Wikipedia is more than enough. I may even rely on YouTube as well. I'm an avid reader but for my hubs the world wide web is plentiful. I wrote a hub about industries have been changed forever by the internet. In some ways the library has been reduced to a place to use the internet, check out games, or movies. No one seems to check out books anymore.

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13. 53

    myeffortsposted 10 years ago

    As most of the information is available over the internet now, the use of libraries have decreased these days. But it is still a more reliable resource when compared to Google or Wikipedia. I seldom go to the libraries now due to lack of time.

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14. 63

    Gail Meyersposted 10 years ago

    I actually go to the library, to a library database or a scholarly source when I do research.  The internet may be reliable in many cases.  However, there are a couple of reasons for going to the library or a scholarly source. 
    
    First, I have seen misinformation posted on Wikipedia.  Wikipedia is a great idea and I am certain someone caught it at some point, but it is my understanding everything is entered by individuals.  So at times there are conflicts, information presented from one point of view rather than arbitrarily, etc.  Many people consider it to be synonymous with reading something in a hard copy encyclopedia and that is not always the case.
    
    Secondly, I have seen situations where one person posts something on a topic on their blog.  Then zillions of people use that same information to either copy or post similar articles.  That can give the appearance of being factual when something is posted a zillion times, but that is not always the case.  At times, misinformation is repeated over and over with the appearance of credibility for no other reason than so many others also posted it.
    
    So I do still go to the library to research, but I also use the library databases and scholarly webpages.

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15. 79

    maggs224posted 10 years ago

    Although I have access to a library, seeing that I live in Spain, all its books are in Spanish, so I rely on books that I already have that are in English, and the www but I wish that I had access to a library to a British library on-line, I really miss being able to use one.

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    savvydatingposted 10 years ago

    It would be horrible not to have a library. There is nothing like good solid books/reference material with which to do serious research. There are some reputable sources online, like the New England Journal of Medicine, but their articles are short and not always easy to access. As Iburmaster said, online libraries are not available to everyone.
    Also, there are so many half truths on the internet, although if one is serious, it is possible to find some information that isn't totally distorted. But the plethora of really bad material on websites is alive and well, as are those who remain eager to believe it. Nevertheless, I love the internet. Hubpages is fun, Google maps are great and so on and so on. But for good research material, the library is a necessity for me.

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