[Michlib-l] MeL Minute: Check, and Then Check Again… Evaluating Sources

[Norris, Sonya (MDE)]

[A close up of text on a white background    Description automatically generated]It is powerful to have free access to publications from all over the world. Imagine keeping track of every new article, in every magazine or newspaper, published every day. This would be a daunting task for anyone because of the thousands upon thousands of new pieces of content fed into MeL daily. Guiding our patrons to ask questions and teaching them how to check articles, websites, and authors is essential. Even with MeL’s robust offering of reliable resources, evaluating content remains important.



Recently we received a patron question about Poetry & Short Story Reference Center. This person searched for the poem "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" and received a mix of results. The searcher was only interested in the poem by Maya Angelou and there was only one search result that included the poem. At first glance, it appeared to be a full reprint of the poem. Upon closer inspection, it turns out the poem was missing some words and punctuation. It was also re-printed as a side bar in an article about caged birds. The full article appeared in the Australian publication Animals Today. While most of the poem was intact, Animals Today is not an authoritative poetry source and not reliable for this patron’s needs.



Using search limiters also achieves better results and is something patrons often overlook. Without limiters, results can include content that doesn’t even come close to what patrons may need. Selecting peer reviewed content or reference books as limiters is a great way to increase the authority of results.   Had the “Caged Bird” searcher utilized these limiters, the results would have been different.



MeL.org offers access to some great tools to help patrons learn about reliable sources. Start by accessing quick-reference handouts in our Downloadable Promotional Materials<https://mel.org/library-staff/marketing-resources/downloadablepromos> area. You will find the “Accessing Trustworthy Resources” flyer with useful questions to help patrons evaluate information resources. What is the date of the article? Is it unbiased? Who is the intended audience? Is the article from an authoritative publication?

MeL is a powerful tool for searching.  For those of us who guide others through the steps of electronic research, we must be mindful to not only check and double check these robust resources, we must also teach them to be mindful as well.





Brought to you by Ann Kaskinen and Liz Breed of the MeL Team.



Supporting Michigan Libraries by Putting You First.



Want more information on MeL?  Stay tuned for the next MeL Minute available on many Michigan library listservs,  visit http://mel.org<http://mel.org/>, or sign up for the MeL Minute and other Library of Michigan e-mail lists via GovDelivery<https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MILOM/subscriber/new>. We encourage you to share MeL Minutes with your colleagues and networks.



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#IMLSGrant


Sonya Schryer Norris
Library Consultant

Library of Michigan
702 W. Kalamazoo St.
Lansing, MI 48909
517-335-1498

MY NUMBER HAS CHANGED TO 517-335-1498

https://michigan.gov/libraryofmichigan
http://mel.org<http://mel.org/>
http://michlibrary.org<http://michlibrary.org/>

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