Masland Library Blog

One of the most commonly asked questions in the library is "Why can't I use Google for this assignment?" followed swiftly by "What's wrong with Wikipedia?". As a librarian I can honestly say that I utilize both for my work. I have a board range of interests but cannot know everything there is to know about all subjects taught at PBU. There is decent, summarized data on Google and Wikipedia, however it is not the type of data I would use for a research paper for undergraduate or graduate level courses.

We subscribe to over 70 databases here at PBU, these databases contain a terrific and at time terrifying amount of information. We also have scholarly encyclopedias and dictionaries such as Encyclopedia Brittannica and the Oxford English Dictionary. The most important thing to remember is that Google and other Internet searches cannot bring up the scholarly articles and information in our databases because it is something that has to be bought. Google is paid for via their sponsors and other advertisers. Our databases are paid for from a portion of your tuitions. Below is a video from La Trobe University in Australia that explains the difference very well, plus the characters have a wonderful Aussie accent.

LAS