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What You Can Get From The Library vs. Online

You know you can get information at the library. You know you can get information online. But what exactly can you get at the library versus online, and when would you choose one option over another?

First, let’s review what you can get at the library. The library’s resources focus on academic research and programs at UDC.

Through the library, you will find:

• Digital resources: Online resources that include scholarly articles, news and magazine articles, multimedia, e-books, tutorials, archival material, datasets, primary sources, and much more. These are accessed through databases listed on the A-Z Resource List.
• Print books and resources: This includes academic books and general reading materials that you can check out, as well as reference items, course reserves, and special collections that you can use in the library.
• Archival materials: Historical resources focusing on a specific topic or community. The UDC Archives has photographs, yearbooks, papers, files, and other material about the history of UDC and its predecessor institutions, and the Felix E. Grant Jazz Archives has audio, print, and digital resources for the study, preservation, and development of jazz music.

While some library resources are available online and vice versa, most library resources are not available for free online and can only be accessed through the library.

Now, let’s consider what you can get online through a search engine like Google or a website.

Online, you can find tons of information in different formats on basically every topic under the sun. This includes news, social media, video, tutorials, lectures, photos, music, historical information, government websites, non-profit/business websites, some e-books, and more. What you find online is not necessarily focused on academic work like library materials tend to be (though some of it might be!).

The good thing about the internet is that lots of people or organizations can create and share information, which provides us access to diverse perspectives, ideas, and information that we didn’t have access to as easily before the internet. On the other hand, the ease of publishing online means that lots of online resources may not have been edited or reviewed, so we’re more likely to come across material that is incorrect, out of date, misrepresentative, or even misinformation. While we always need to evaluate information sources for credibility, it’s especially important to do that with online resources.

So, between the library and the web, you have access to a lot of resources. Why would you use one over the other? The types of information we need to use depend on the needs you’re trying to meet and the contexts you’re using them in. Think about these questions:

• If you’re working on a school assignment, what kind of information resources are you permitted to use? Some professors don’t want you to use internet sources, while for others it’s fine or even required. Other times, professors only want sources that come from library resources. Check the assignment requirements—or ask if you’re not sure!
• Which resources are most appropriate for your research? Think about whose voices and perspectives you need to understand your research topic. If you need scholarly, peer-reviewed, or academic resources, look in library resources first. To get other perspectives — for example, from advocacy organizations, policy analysts, or people with first-hand expertise on an issue — you can look online.   
• For online sources, can you evaluate the resource well enough to know who created the information, why it was created, and how reliable it is? If you are unable to find out more about the expertise and reputation of author, publication, or organization that published a source, or if you don’t know when and why the source was published, consider using a different source.   
• Is the information paywalled? Online resources are increasingly behind paywalls, meaning that you need to pay to access them. Since the library has purchased books and access to databases, often you can get these materials through the library without having to buy them yourself.

If you have questions about what information you can find at the library or online, or you’re wondering what kind of resources to use for your research, ask us!