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Re: web based resources



Whether a document is on paper or in cyberspace has limited bearing on its
reliability. There is far more folly and nonsense printed on paper in the
world's libraries than the internet has ever contained. The filtering of
publishers and editors doesn't keep falsehood and inaccuracy from appearing
in print. Publishers and editors can be biased, partisan, even dishonest.
And the unregulated Wild West free-for-all of the internet hasn't prevented
a great deal of excellent information from finding its way there. Of course
the web must be approached with a critical and skeptical mind -- but so do
books, journal articles, and documents of every sort.

Thomas J. Wood
Archivist
Archives/Special Collections LIB 144
University of Illinois at Springfield
P.O. Box 19243
Springfield IL 62794-9243
217-206-6520 | wood@uis.edu | http://www.uis.edu/library/lib-arch


-----Original Message-----
From: Dahlstrom Neil [mailto:DahlstromNeil@JOHNDEERE.COM]
Sent: Thursday, August 30, 2001 8:29 AM
To: ARCHIVES@LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU
Subject: web based resources


My personal opinion, which is that of an archivist, is that the web is an
invaluable tool for conducting research, but only as an initial step. I
would never print a transcript from an Internet site and quote it in a book
or article without first reading the original letter for myself and
confirming that the transcript was correct. Since anyone and everyone has a
website, their information is not regulated, so certainly cannot be taken as
fact. However, it is a fantastic way to create new leads and locate the
sources of new information. It may be the archivist in me, but I don't trust
anything not on paper (and even then only after confirmation of
authenticity). Besides, if there's no bibliography (and even sometimes when
there is), why should I trust the research of a stranger anyway?

I know that this is off the subject a bit, but I've had this conversation
with others who take anything on-line as fact. But then again, these are the
same people who say that if it's on TV it's true!

Neil

Neil Dahlstrom
Technical Services Archivist
Deere & Company Archives
One John Deere Place
Moline, IL 61265
(309) 765-2752 Voice
(309) 765-2751 Fax
DahlstromNeil@johndeere.com

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