Becoming Information Literate & Training Your Mind to Think Critically Jason Dupree Assistant Professor MLIS, University of Oklahoma BFA, Phillips University Head of Public Services Al Harris Library

Today’s To-Do’s 1.Become Aware of Information Literacy 2.Streamlining Web Searches While Looking for Authoritative Info 3.Putting Information Under a Magnifying Glass

Part 1 Information Literacy

Information Literacy It is a set of abilities requiring individuals to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information. Is knowing when and why you need information, where to find it, and how to evaluate, use and communicate it in an ethical manner.

Information Literacy

Library Instruction in the Information Age Varied Types & Sources of Information Critical evaluation is more important than ever Construct Your Search

Information Cycle

Catalogs, Databases, & Search Engines A comprehensive list of the books, periodicals, maps, and other materials in a given collection. A large, regularly updated file of digitized information related to a specific subject or field. Computer software designed to help the user locate information available at sites on the World Wide Web by selecting categories from a hierarchical directory of subjects (example: Yahoo!) or by entering appropriate keywords or phrases (Google).

Educational Goals for 21 st Century 1.Teach Students to be self-directed & understand how to organize more & more of their own learning. 2.Teach our students the importance of global communication. 3.Teach our students to deal with massive amounts of information.

Part 2 Web Searching

Web Searching is easy because….. Speed Choice Availability 24/7 Always get an answer

Web searching is difficult because … Organization Quality control Reliability

How does Google Search work?

Google Search PageRank (algorithm) –500 million variables –2 Billion Terms Bias? Popularity is a Proxy for Importance

Personalized Search Google’s algorithm will suggest “what is best for you” – based on past searches. It’s as if we looked up the same topic in an encyclopedia and each found different entries.

Personalized Search Find information that is most likely to reinforce your own worldview We begin to lose dissenting opinion/conflicting points of view Yet search seems neutral, objective, unbiased.

Personalized Search & the Internet Google is likely to direct you to material with which you already agree. “a search for proof about climate change will turn up different results for an environmental activist than it would for an oil company executive.” “democracy requires citizens to see things from one another’s point of view, but instead we’re more and more enclosed in our own bubbles…offered parallel but separate universes.”

GoogleGoogle: Improve Your Searches Site Specific Command What it does: searches only specific domains What to type: children's health site:edu children's health site:gov

Anatomy of a URL

Web Domains Which one is right? – – – – Whois.net – – allows you to conduct detective work on URLswww.whois.net.gov.org.mil.com.edu.net.int Indicates a reliable domain

Web Domain Usage Domain name appropriate for the content ? Restricted:.edu,.gov,.mil, a few country codes (.ca) Unrestricted:.com,.org,.net, most country codes (.us,.uk)

Special Web Searches Google Scholar Academic Index Infomine

Surface Web Ever wonder what you might be missing? Google 2.7 billion searches per month Indexes a trillion web pages Indexes 16% of the Surface Web Indexes 0.03% of the entire World Wide Web

Deep Web (or Hidden Web) NO SEARCH ENGINES ALLOWED 54% of DW is databases DW is 500 times larger than SW And a 1,000 times higher in quality too

Part 3 Evaluation of Information

The burden of evaluating information is on you – the reader/researcher.

Did You Know?

When Research Goes Wrong! Jayson Blair/NYT PlagiarismDan Rather/False Report on Bush Photoshoping Martha’s HeadHwang Woo-suk/Human Cloned? Newspaper MagazineJournal Television

Evaluation of Information 4 Criteria: Authority Accuracy Objectivity Currency

Step 1: Authority Books & Articles –Who is responsible for content? Author(s)? Editor(s)? Publisher Credentials offered? Newspapers Writer(s) Editor(s) Columnist(s) Web Pages –Who is responsible for content? Webmaster? Web team? Organization? Institution? Company?

Step 1: Authority Web Pages – Credentials/Qualifications/Reputation – Who is responsible for content? Is it a commercial site? Is it a government site? Is it an education site? Is it a news site?

Step 1: Authority: Questions 1. Who is responsible for the content? Domain name? What does this indicate? 2. If you don't recognize the name, or there is no name, what type of information is given about the contact information? - Position? - Organizational affiliation? - address? - Biographical information?

Step 2: Accuracy Books & Articles –Can the information be verified? Bibliography Works Cited Peer-reviewed (journals only) Newspapers Interviews Eyewitness Accounts Web Pages –Can the information be verified? Links to credible sites Copyright Works Cited Fact check with a printed source

Step 2: Accuracy Web Pages –Can the information be verified? Look for Indicators of Quality Information –Links to credible sites –Copyright materials –Works Cited –Fact check with a printed source »Always scrutinize the info you’re given

Step 2: Accuracy 1.Does the website cite sources used to present its information? What type of sources are they? Scholarly? Popular? 2. Is it possible to verify the legitimacy of these sources? 3.If the site is research-based, does the website clearly identify the method of research and the data gathered?

Step 3: Objectivity Books & Articles –Biased or Objective? Persuasion/Emotion Author’s Point of View Newspapers Subscriptions ($) Advertising ($) Owners CJR review Web Pages –Biased or Objective? Opinion/Fan sites Sponsoring Organization Agendas Political Propaganda

Step 3: Objectivity Biased or Objective? Sponsoring Organization Agendas Political Propaganda Do you trust the person(s) providing the information?

Step 4: Currency Books & Articles –When was it published? Copyright date Important based upon subject –Science –Social Science –Allied Health –Education –Pharmacy –Computer Science Newspapers published daily Web Pages –When was it created and last updated? Well maintained web sites have an indication when it was last updated or modified Accessibility –Dead links Stability –Changes URLs frequently

Step 4: Currency Web Pages –When was it created and last updated? Well maintained web sites have an indication when it was last updated or modified Accessibility –Dead links Stability –Changes URLs frequently

Step 4: Currency 1. Is a date clearly displayed? 2. Can you determine what the date refers to? When the page was first written? When the page was first posted on the Internet? When the page was last revised or updated? The copyright date? 3. Are the resources used by the author current? 4. Does the page content demand routine or continual updating or revision? 5. Do the links on the page point to the correct Internet site addresses?

Remember to Evaluate! Authority –Who created it? Who is responsible? –What credentials do they hold? What makes them qualified to discuss the topic? Accuracy –Can the information be verified? –Check the facts! Objectivity –How is the information being presented? –Is it objective or biased? What’s the point of view? Currency (important based on subject) –When was it published? –When was it last updated?

End of First Presentation Thank You for listening