🚀 go-pugleaf

I have been struck, and a little concerned, at the number of postings that
appear regularly on this list from students seeking basic help with research.
The recent posting by Jesse Tracey is an example, though I do apologise to
Jesse because I do realise that s/he is posting on behalf of a friend:

> I do not know much about geography but a friend of mine who is a geography
> major has to do a major research paper but is having trouble finding
> information.  The topic of it is 'Urban agglomerations important to world
> trade.'  Any information on this topic or any books or articles anyone can
> reccomend would be greatly appreciated.

Using the Internet is obviously one way out of the difficulty. But, within
the internet there are a whole lot of facilities. E-mail and the newsgroups
and Listservs offer one solution.

Which prompts the question: how much instruction (and, indeed, how much
access) do students get these days in using Telnet (for accessing remote
library catalogues); in using on-line searching of bibliographic
databases; and for the host of other information science facilities that
are emerging daily on the computer networks? I would assume that any
student with access to the newsgroups and the Internet could also have
access to these other tools?

ALL of our students (in Geography) here at Cork get extensive instruction
on how to maximise their use of the library. They get taught how to use
abstracting journals (and the new CD-ROM equivalents); they get taught how
the librarians can assist with searching for information; they get told
about on-line sources (unfortunately, undergrads don't actually get access
to the Internet themselves here, but the library staff can, and will, do
searches by proxy for the student who needs them); etc. We have found that
the investment of time spent on this instruction, early in the student's
careers here, amply repays itself in terms of the use of the library.

In addition to the above, all new Geography postgraduates also get a one-term
intensive course of instruction in Advanced library skills, which includes the
use of the Internet for on-line searching and other research applications.
They - and we - have found that time spent on this early on is also an
invaluable investment, which pays dividends later on.

I have absolutely no objection to helping students (or anyone else for that
matter) who genuinely does want to know, and who has difficulty finding the
necessary information locally. And, I have also used (and will continue to
use) the various Listserv groups that I subscribe to as shortcuts to getting
information as and when appropriate. But I do suspect that some of the
enquiries we see on the network reflect an underlying lack of knowledge/skills,
(or, even on occasions, willingness) particulary where students are concerned,
to try getting the information needed oneself?

Perhaps I am just getting over cynical as the end of term approaches :-)

Darius Bartlett