finding the kernels

A couple of weeks back at a dinner with some fellow farmers, after the subject of libraries came up, one of my coworkers made a snide comment about the lack of importance/need of librarians. I tried to act as if I didn't find the comment utterly insulting, because this particular guy often times say things to play the Devil's advocate/get a rise out of people, but I couldn't help but stew about what he said for a few days (as is my nature). When people say such things, a few thoughts pop into my head:

• have they ever been in a library before?
• But, I did so much damn research with freaked out/confused undergrad/grad students when I worked in my Graduate school's library! And those people needed me! (I firmly believe that that work might be what gets me into Heaven!)
• maybe people who say things like that are truly just ignorant

So, it was with much satisfaction that I stumbled upon this article today. Ms. Tourangeau summed up one of my points so succintly! Anyone can search away and find lots of information, but librarians are trained to pick through and find the good "kernels" (as one of my old professors used to call great ideas/information).   Anyway, in the event that you don't read the whole article, you must at least read this:

“ 'Twenty years ago,' she says, 'we had challenges helping kids find enough information. Now we have the opposite problem. There’s plenty of information out there. Now it’s a matter of training students to think critically about what they find. Because 90 percent of what they find on the Internet is garbage.' ” 
-- Pat. St. Tourangeau, Librarian, Boise, ID

Some other interesting library articles:

• EBSCO meet H.W. Wilson. H.W. Wilson this is EBSCO
• Role of the Springfield Library post tornado

Photo found here.