What can't Google do for you?

We already know Google is wildly popular, the go-to search engine for most students and a disruptive innovator in search technology.

But it can't do everything.

There are many times a non-trivial question arises and Google is not the right tool. It's fine for most easy searches, but when the information needed is more complex or you can't think of the right keywords to use, Google hits a wall.

At times like these, having information fluency skills is essential. Searching may require a different, specialized search engine. Knowing how to learn to use an unfamiliar search engine is highly important. So are investigative skills to check out questionable news. Google is not your one stop shop for all that.

Finding specialized research articles is one example. The first of the three free Internet Search Challenges is one of those.

If you have your own example of a time when Google was not the answer, feel free to share it here.

Winter 2019 Full Circle Kit

The winter 2019 Full Circle Kit is now available online,

https://21cif.com//fullcircle/winter2019/index.php

This quarter the topic is helping know where to look--database mining. This is different than data mining in that the process relies on student thinking to select relevant information, as opposed to software and algorithms that detect patterns in massive amounts of data.

If you find yourself creating search lists for your students, you need to read this article.

In addition to the feature article (viewable without a subscription), there is also a guide to curricular integration and assessment (with a subscription).

If you know a database you recommend students mine for information, post your suggestion here along with the type of assignment (e.g., history research paper). We'll gladly add your recommendations to the Feature article and credit you.

Winter 2019 Full Circle Kit

A Librarian Challenge

As I was preparing for a presentation at the Information Fluency Conference in Orlando, I came across a puzzling search challenge that would be a good exercise for librarians.

I had located a helpful resource on ERIC for an article in TechTrends (SpringerLink). IMSA (where I work) does not have TechTrends in its database, so I googled the article with information from ERIC and found the pdf I was looking for on the SpringerLink site.

So far, so good.

The article, Performance Assessment Design Principles Gleaned from Constructivist Learning Theory (Part 1), has a Part Two also published in TechTrends.  According to ERIC, the issue I need is Volume 53, Number 3.

I want Part 2.

But a search of the SpringerLink site doesn't return the article. I can find TechTrends Volume 53, Number 3, but the article is not listed with the search results.

Hmmm.

What would you do next?

I eventually found the article online at SpringerLink. The way I tracked it down might surprise you--I probably tried three or four strategies before I stumbled on it. ** Persistence pays off!  ** If you find it, post the URL of the online article in the comments and recap how you found it.

Ask the Expert

Choosing the 'right database' to search is usually a matter of predicting "who knows the answer?"

Turning to an online source is not necessarily the fastest way to get an answer to a question. If there's an expert in the room, it's best just to ask the expert.

My usual inclination is to look online for an answer: What is it I want to know? And who might know the answer? Seems pretty straightforward. There are exceptions.

I've been having an issue with my eyesight lately. Different glasses haven't helped, so I scheduled a second opinion exam with a second ophthalmologist. The second diagnosis is that I need cataract surgery; the first diagnosis was that cataracts are developing but glasses should correct it for now. Now I have to make a decision that involves surgery since three different attempts at glasses did not help.

My question: "Who can I trust to do this surgery?" Unfortunately, the second opinion was a referral "out of network" and going that way without insurance coverage will be costly. If I can't get another referral, that leaves the doctor who thought the problem could be corrected with glasses and her associates.

Since I know all their names, I can look them up online. Who might know the answer? I figure there has to be a site that collects information and references on doctors. It's not hard to find, but that kind of information has a fee attached. Example: http://www.healthgrades.com/ There is some information (years since graduation, etc.) that is provided for free, but it doesn't really answer my question.

Searching the Web (e.g., Google) for the doctor's names returns where they practice and their specialties. It doesn't tell me anything about the quality of their work.

I tried the blogosphere, in case someone had a good or bad experience and decided to write about it. Nothing.

This is probably one of those times that going online isn't going to be much help. Fortunately I asked the second opinion doctor about the reputations of the other doctors and got some good information from personal experience about one of them. This is one of those times a person turns out to be the best database.

I suppose my next step, if I can't get a referral, is to ask for references from the doctor I select. Previous patients ought to know something, although I'll likely be given ones who had a positive experience.

Have you found information-for-hire from online databases helpful?
What else would you do?