What is the hardest thing about finding information and doing research on a topic for you per

I have never really had much difficulty with finding information and doing research on a topic. It has been drilled into my brain from grade 5 which sites are reliable and which sites I should avoid. This library research class did not help me with my researching skills; we didn't really do any researching exercises, and all of the information that was given was stuff that I already knew.

It would have been more useful for us to choose a topic to research at the beginning of the class and spend the 5 weeks researching and writing an essay to turn in on the last day of class (which is what i originally thought we would be doing in this class after hearing what this class was called). I did like this class a lot. It was fun to get out of the Ed.2 building and do something other than Anatomy, English, Calculus, Health Disparities, etc.The thing that I had trouble with in this class was the format of the directions; they were very ambiguous and a lot of people (including myself) had a lot of questions about how to get full credit on the assignments. Yes, there were opportunities to email you and come talk to you during AE or Study Lab- and many people did take advantage of this. But, even after I thought I was clear on the directions, i actually didn't do the assignment correctly. I think a way to save time with the directions is to put a short list of things that aren't what you're looking for with the directions. Also, the purpose of this class was not very clear- I thought we would be doing research in this class, but we pretty much only talked about reliable sources (which I already knew about) and the importance of not plagiarizing (which I already knew).
... And I'm probably talking in circles. But, to answer the question, it would be helpful to do actual researching activities on a topic that is given to us or a topic of our choice.

Comment on the following question "Since everything is on the internet, I don't need books...right?"

Sigh... there's nothing really to argue here, but here goes anyway...


No, not everything is on the Internet. Besides, even if everything was (were? is "everything" singular or plural?) on the Internet, not everyone has Internet access 100% of the time- whether or not you have a smart phone or some other device with Internet, there won't always be WiFi. The Internet doesn't always have exactly what you may be looking for- and even if it does, it's not always free. But, most books can be found at a library and checked out for free. The Internet, however, is almost always more convenient for me when I am looking for information for an assignment, or even if I'm looking for a specific quote from a book that is right in front of me, I'll just use Google. The Internet is a good place to look for information if you know what you're looking for specifically, but if not, books are usually a better place to start.

What do you think librarians do? What do you think would be really cool if librarians started doing it? What do you think the library of the future...

I think librarians are supposed to help peop find books and give advice on research. However, pretty much every librarian I have met has been a wee bit cranky and often downright mean. I mean, I understand tha that libraries have rules- and I follow them 99% of the time, but they always get angry with me during that 99% of the time-- not once have I been caught chewing gum in the library or eating a granola bar in a study carrel. Nope, I get yelled at for standing in the wrong line to check out a book or for plugging my computer into an (unmarked) out of service outlet.

I think it would be cool if librarians stopped being so uptight about the books-- I'm not going to flush it down the toilet or run over it with my car or stick my gum between the pages- I just want to sit quietly at the table and read. It would also be great if they knew more about computers-- I do a lot of research, and I am a computer disaster magnet; I would die if something happened to my work.

The library of the future will definitely be composed of all digital books. Everyone will have a kindle or an iPad or a Nook. Only really old, prestigious libraries like the Harvard Library System or- I don't know- the New York Public Library- will have paper books. They'll probably be regarded as precious artifacts- like cave drawings or ancient scrolls. Although I am looking forward to this because of the amount of trees that will be savd, it is kind of grim to imagine turning to the first page of the Iliad and not being greeted by the great smell of an old book. Sad thought.

What do you hope to study when you go to college and why? How is the Pre Collegiate program helping you meet your goals?

When I go to college (at Brown, Columbia, or NYU) I will be a Pre Med. History Major. I want to be a cardothroactic surgeon, but I am also very very very interested in history and politics. The Pre Collegiate program is helping me meet my goals by making my transcript and resume look more competitive, so I will have more of an advantage over people who have not participated in a Pre Collegiate program at a univeristy.