Notebook Computers vs. Library

Posted by Naomi Rockler-Gladen Mar 3, 2007

College students: what percentage of your research do you do while sitting at your desktop computer, or while lounging with your laptop computer at a coffee shop with wireless Internet access? Computers are fabulous, aren't they? They've revolutionized the college research paper, saving students time and making an incredible amount of information available on databases and the web.

Unfortunately, not everything is available on the Internet, and it probably never will be completely. There are still plenty of good reasons to do research at the college library. Problem is, many college students are so accustomed to doing research on their notebook computers that they never master the art of library research.

I had a funny conversation with an outstanding student the other day. He was starting to research the paper for my class (bless his heart, the paper isn't due until the end of the month). He told me he was having a problem. He wanted to write about some Wall Street Journal articles for my paper, but lo and behold, the articles were not available online. He cursed the Wall Street Journal for being so "miserly" with the information on their website, which required a subscription.

"Well," I said, "I'm sure they have the Wall Street Journal bound at the library, or on microfilm."

My student frowned.

"They charge you, like, 10 cents a page for microfilm or photocopies," he said. "And it's such a pain!"

I laughed. I could feel a "in my day, sonny boy" lecture coming on.

"How do you think I did research when I was in college?" I asked. "The web barely existed back then, and no one used it for research papers. We made photocopies and screwed around with those stupid microfilm machines. And we used a lot of dimes."

Funny how things change so quickly, huh? I graduated from college in 1992. I'm not archaic. And yet, when it comes to technology and college education, I may as well have graduated in 1952.