FYS 101: Bias in Information Searching

"Is Google making us stupid?" When Nicholas Carr posed that question, in a celebrated Atlantic Monthly cover story, he tapped into a well of anxiety about how the Internet is changing us. He also crystallized one of the most important debates of our time: As we enjoy the Net's bounties, are we sacrificing our ability to read and think deeply? Now, Carr expands his argument into the most compelling exploration of the Internet's intellectual and cultural consequences yet published. As he describes how human thought has been shaped through the centuries by "tools of the mind"--from the alphabet to maps, to the printing press, the clock, and the computer--Carr interweaves a fascinating account of recent discoveries in neuroscience by such pioneers as Michael Merzenich and Eric Kandel. Our brains, the historical and scientific evidence reveals, change in response to our experiences. The technologies we use to find, store, and share information can literally reroute our neural pathways. Building on the insights of thinkers from Plato to McLuhan, Carr makes a convincing case that every information technology carries an intellectual ethic--a set of assumptions about the nature of knowledge and intelligence. He explains how the printed book served to focus our attention, promoting deep and creative thought. In stark contrast, the Internet encourages the rapid, distracted sampling of small bits of information from many sources. Its ethic is that of the industrialist, an ethic of speed and efficiency, of optimized production and consumption--and now the Net is remaking us in its own image. We are becoming ever more adept at scanning and skimming, but what we are losing is our capacity for concentration, contemplation, and reflection. Part intellectual history, part popular science, and part cultural criticism, The Shallows sparkles with memorable vignettes--Friedrich Nietzsche wrestling with a typewriter, Sigmund Freud dissecting the brains of sea creatures, Nathaniel Hawthorne contemplating the thunderous approach of a steam locomotive--even as it plumbs profound questions about the state of our modern psyche. This is a book that will forever alter the way we think about media and our minds.

This is a research methods textbook for students who fear research textbooks. The diversity of topics in this book permits application to research methods courses in these academic fields: Economics, Education, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology. This should be the first book for all students to introduce research and develop research literacy ."

This work attempts to provide an integrated account of the evidence for bias in human reasoning across a wide range of disparate psychological literatures.

It's not hyperbole to conclude that in today's world, information literacy is essential for survival and success; and also that, if left unchecked, the social consequences of widespread misinformation and information illiteracy will only continue to grow more dire. Thus its study must be at the core of every education. But while many books have been written on information literacy, this text is the first to examine information literacy from a cross-national, cross-cultural, and cross-institutional perspective. From this book, readers will learn about information literacy in a wide variety of contexts, including academic and school libraries, public libraries, special libraries, and archives, through research and literature that has previously been siloed in specialized publications; come to understand why information literacy is not just an issue of information and technology, but also a broader community and societal issue; get an historical overview of advertising, propaganda, disinformation, misinformation, and illiteracy; gain knowledge of both applied strategies for working with individuals and for addressing the issues in community contexts; find methods for combating urgent societal ills caused and exacerbated by misinformation; and get tools and techniques for advocacy, activism, and self-reflection throughout one's career.

This concise but information-packed text helps high school students in upper grade levels and lower division college and university students quickly master the basics of information literacy.A student's textbook and an instructional reference for educators: the second edition of Concise Guide to Information Literacy is both. It teaches students what information literacy is and why it is an important skill to develop--for their schoolwork as well as for success in life outside of school. The guide covers major areas in the information literacy process, including locating, evaluating, and applying information successfully. It also gives professors, teachers, and librarians a flexible text that can serve as the basis of a course in information literacy or research skills, a basic research guide for any information literacy course, or a supplemental text.This second edition has been reorganized for greater ease of use based on the information literacy models consulted. All chapters have been fully updated and now include extended coverage of the topics that appeared in the first edition; additionally, a new chapter on managing information has been added.

This is the definitive work on information literacy. Michael Eisenberg, known worldwide as one of the originators of the innovative Big6 Information Problem Solving Process, and frequent presenters on the subject Carrie A. Lowe and Kathleen L. Spitzer have extensively revised and updated the original book for this long-awaited second edition. Tracing the history of information literacy, the authors discuss its economic importance; examine past, present, and current research in the field; and explain how information literacy relates to the national standards transforming K-12 education and higher education today. The authors also look at examples of information literacy in several different contexts, underscoring both its importance and pervasiveness in our society. Learning to be critical and savvy consumers of information is necessary in today's world. This book provides both the theoretical background and practical guidelines to confidently impart these essential skills to your students.