The Librarian as Hacker, Getting More from Google

This paper will cover four areas. First it will discuss the research habits of search engine users and some of the problems with these habits. Then it will discuss librarians\u27 use of search engines. Here we encounter the real question: Do we do much better? Can we use a search engines to their full potential? When needed, can we hack an engine to make it perform beyond its intended function? Can we use a clever workaround to solve a problem? Or are we on a level playing field with our patrons once we get outside traditional database searching? Google currently offers over seventy free services—fifty-two of them are search related. How many are we familiar with and comfortable using

A novice-expert comparison in information search

In the age of Google, it is commonly believed that university students, especially those at postgraduate level, should have attained enough information searching skills to support their studies. However, recent researches have found that the information literacy level of quite a few postgraduate students is, in fact, far from satisfactory. One possible way for information search specialists to help students effectively search information is to use a novice-expert comparison to examine the differences between novices and experts in information search. The aim of this study is to uncover some of the major differences in the search query statements and information search strategies between eight doctoral students (novice searchers) and an expert information literacy professional. Preliminary findings show that conspicuous differences do exist in the complexity of the formulation of query statements, choice of keywords, use of operators between the novice and the expert searchers.postprin

Doctoral students' development in information literacy

This paper aims to investigate how doctoral level students developed their information literacy in the beginning years of their doctoral research by focusing on the sources, databases and search engines they found relevant, the difficulties they encountered when engaging in information search with different databases, and the affordances offered by the databases which they found useful. This study adopts a one-year longitudinal approach which involved students‟ interactions with a search expert who showed them how to conduct searches more effectively. A combination of quantitative and qualitative data collection methods, such as surveys, interviews, think-aloud protocol, and direct observation were used. The goal is to identify students‟ initial searching abilities and their performance after receiving guidance from an expert. Vygotsky’s social learning theory is used as the theoretical lens. Social learning theory argues that interactions with the more capable ones in the environment stimulate developmental processes and foster cognitive growth. For example, teachers and learners can work together on a difficult task with the teachers providing scaffolding to students. As such, students can complete tasks that they could not have completed on their own. The relationship between the teacher and the learner is essential in student learning as acquiring knowledge and skills from an experienced other is an important method for developing competence in a task. Social learning theory could also be applied into the information seeking situation where a master-apprentice relationship could be a possible solution to improve doctoral students‟ information literacy skills, where scaffolding support by information search experts could probably help them to improve their search techniques.postprin

El pensamiento crítico en la investigación científica

A partir de una revisión bibliográfica acerca del pensamiento crítico en la investigación científica, se intenta describir algunas relaciones existentes entre estos dos conceptos y después de analizar lo que es el pensamiento crítico y lo que es ser un pensador crítico, se puede establecer que el pensamiento crítico es una base fundamental en los procesos de investigación y que la relación entre el pensamiento crítico y la capacidad de entender el proceso de la investigación puede ser bidireccional, es decir todo es un proceso recursivo ya que el pensar de forma crítica conduce a una mejor investigación científica y el retroalimentarse con los resultados de la investigación conduce nuevamente a un proceso de pensamiento crítico. &nbsp

Economics and Engineering for Preserving Digital Content

Progress towards practical long-term preservation seems to be stalled. Preservationists cannot afford specially developed technology, but must exploit what is created for the marketplace. Economic and technical facts suggest that most preservation ork should be shifted from repository institutions to information producers and consumers. Prior publications describe solutions for all known conceptual challenges of preserving a single digital object, but do not deal with software development or scaling to large collections. Much of the document handling software needed is available. It has, however, not yet been selected, adapted, integrated, or deployed for digital preservation. The daily tools of both information producers and information consumers can be extended to embed preservation packaging without much burdening these users. We describe a practical strategy for detailed design and implementation. Document handling is intrinsically complicated because of human sensitivity to communication nuances. Our engineering section therefore starts by discussing how project managers can master the many pertinent details.

Social Networking Sites and Misinformation Challenges in Post-Truth Era: Moroccan Students in Tertiary Education as a Case Study

The primary purpose of this study is to explore how Moroccan university students approach the various social networking sites and to assess their self-perceived capacities to critically analyze and evaluate digital content in general and online news and information more specifically. The paper poses several research questions that all aim to investigate the issue under examination. This empirical endeavor, that used the survey as a research instrument to gather data, closes by presenting a number of conclusions and recommendations for the Moroccan policy makers, stakeholders, and all concerned parties. The study especially reported how most respondents advance that they critically evaluate social media content and that they largely deploy various efficient verification measures and techniques. In the same vein, the sweeping majority of respondents highly rated their digital media perceived self-efficacy. Almost two thirds of the participants postulate that higher educational institutions should incorporate digital literacy skills in their curricula and syllabi

Social Networking Sites and Misinformation Challenges in Post-Truth Era: Moroccan Students in Tertiary Education as a Case Study

The primary purpose of this study is to explore how Moroccan university students approach the various social networking sites and to assess their self-perceived capacities to critically analyze and evaluate digital content in general and online news and information more specifically. The paper poses several research questions that all aim to investigate the issue under examination. This empirical endeavor, that used the survey as a research instrument to gather data, closes by presenting a number of conclusions and recommendations for the Moroccan policy makers, stakeholders, and all concerned parties. The study especially reported how most respondents advance that they critically evaluate social media content and that they largely deploy various efficient verification measures and techniques. In the same vein, the sweeping majority of respondents highly rated their digital media perceived self-efficacy. Almost two thirds of the participants postulate that higher educational institutions should incorporate digital literacy skills in their curricula and syllabi

The Rise of Misinformation in the Digital Age: Moroccan Students' Attitudes and Perceptions of Fake News Online

As today’s students spend substantial time online, there is an increasing tendency to utilize the Internet as their primary source of information. With the proliferation of user-generated content platforms and the shrinking influence of traditional gatekeeping, there is a growing abundance of misinformation available to the public that coexists alongside accurate information. In this paper, we explored the attitudes and perceptions of teenage students towards misinformation online. To this end, a web-based survey was administered to both Moroccan high school teachers and students to collect and analyze their responses regarding the issue being debated. Additionally, the present study investigated the extent to which EFL textbooks in Morocco enable learners to build skills necessary for identifying fake news. The study adopted content analysis as the primary research method for data analysis and interpretation. The results obtained are in line with the hypothesis guiding this research that a fair majority of teenage students are vulnerable to misinformation online due in large to the overwhelming information overload available at the touch of a button along with their lack of exposure to effective strategies for processing information online.  Based on the findings obtained, schools are required to develop appropriate approaches to teach digital literacy skills, particularly in empowering young learners to distinguish credible sources from unreliable ones. Equally important, teachers are called upon to help students keep up with the new, fast-moving knowledge economy, which is driven by information and technology

Toward an integrated framework of information and communication behavior: College students' information resources and media selection

This study investigated college students' selection of information resources and engagement in information activities from the perspective of an integrated framework of information and communication behavior, by examining students' interactions with many different types of information resources and media across their school, personal, entertainment, problem solving, and other daily routines. Both web-based diaries and semi-structured interviews were used to capture students' information behavior in natural settings. The subjects logged into a web-based diary and recorded the details of their most important information seeking activity on that day by responding to eleven questions including information seeking topic, resources used, time taken, difficulty, familiarity, and confidence. Two hundred and forty-five information seeking episodes reported by twenty-four subjects from three different colleges and universities were collected over a ten-day period. Findings indicate that the students used multiple information resources in one information seeking episode to verify the content in, often, both information and communication behaviors. The results also reveal that information seeking can be better understood from a social framework because students were aware that human information behavior is influenced by other people's opinions and recommendations and may also affect other people's lives.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/61326/1/1450440234_ftp.pd

Social Networking and Misinformation Challenges: Moroccan Students in Tertirary Education as a Case Study

This paper focuses on examining how Moroccan university students approach the various social networking sites, including their self-perceived capacities to critically analyze and evaluate digital content in general and online news and information more specifically. The paper poses several research questions that all aim to investigate the issue under examination. This empirical endeavor used the survey as a research instrument to gather data, and presented a number of conclusions and recommendations for the Moroccan policy makers, stakeholders, and all concerned parties. The study further reported that most respondents advance by critically evaluating social media content and largely deploying various efficient verification measures and techniques. In the same vein, the majority of respondents highly rated their digital media perceived self-efficacy. Almost two thirds of the participants postulate that higher educational institutions should incorporate digital literacy skills in their curricula and syllabi