I’ve been researching for over twenty-five years. Even before I started college, I worked in a public library, and on the weekends, we didn’t have a reference librarian on staff so we, the library clerks, learned to find answers to people’s questions. I can still remember the first impactful reference question I ever answered. A woman called the library asking if I could tell her the closest hospital that performed kidney dialysis. This was in the days before easy home internet access and glossy websites. What you often turned to then were print reference books with loads of information on every imaginable topic. I don’t remember the specific source I used, but I located the information and communicated it to the woman who was extremely relieved to have the information. When I hung up the phone, I had the sense that I had helped someone in a more important way than finding the right book or assisting with the copy machine.
My major in college was history, and I had an advantage over other students because I knew how to find my sources for papers and projects quickly and easily. When I continued my library career, I wound up working in libraries that didn’t have specialty reference librarians. We were the reference librarians by default. When I went back to school, I rarely needed help finding sources because I already knew how the library system worked.
Need academic articles? I can find those. Researching your family genealogy? I know of free resources. Need a new author? I can recommend a website that gives you suggestions similar to your favorite author and maybe even suggestions from your favorite author. Looking for neutral news sources so you can sort through the opinions for facts? There are sources out there. Ever wondered what an echo chamber is or how to determine if a website, writer, or creator is legitimate? I’d love to talk about it.
Over the course of the year, I want to put these skills to use and help us all learn how to be better researchers for ourselves. Instead of relying on what someone else is always telling us, I want us to learn how to find the facts ourselves just in case someone is using misinformation, deception, or outright lies. I don’t want to be your final source of information. I want you to go out and find information for yourself because I can make mistakes, and if I do, I want you to let me know if my information is inaccurate. Just please be civil about it in the comments.
I also hope to expand this series of blog posts into a YouTube channel about research. When videos go up, I’ll be certain to put the link in the posts so you can follow along in searching for information.
Right now, we have more access to information than ever before, but let’s make certain that it’s accurate, truthful, and helpful.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. (John 8:32, NKJV)
All Things Subject to Change 