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Re: web based resources



Probably the question of reliability of what is on the net is... are
the quotes from those books accurate quotes?  Does that book quoted
from actually exist?  Things like that.

Jeff Jacobsen
Lisa McPherson Trust

> 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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>
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>

A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List!

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      In body of message:  SUB ARCHIVES firstname lastname
                    *or*:  UNSUB ARCHIVES
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Or to do *anything* (and enjoy doing it!), use the web interface at
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Problems?  Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <rschmidt@lib.muohio.edu>