Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Jacqueline Cantwell on Google!

OOTJ co-blogger Jacqueline Cantwell, at the Brooklyn Supreme Court Law Library, has written an excellent and thought-provoking article in the SCCLL Newsletter, link above, see page 25 in the PDF. She begins:

Why do patrons love Google? I suspect Google's appeal is more than its lauded technology. The true reason is probably darker; Google does not threaten a user's authority.


Wow! Read her article and comment, please! This is an interesting view from a court librarian, working with the judges and their clerks and interns. She goes on to state:

Google gains an authority because it does not assume authority. ... Authority is something we law librarians only think of as precedent. We need to expand our understanding of authority and power. How a fact is presented affects how it is believed.


Jacqueline makes some interesting and very challenging observations about the huge popularity of Google and the future of libraries. Excellent analysis and presentation!

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