So you need to write a paper on the advantages and disadvantages of Widgits and Watchamasqueezers. You've only ever used the internet and Google to find information. Why should you bother using library resources? Here are ten good reasons why:

•  Not everything can be found on the internet.

There is a lot of useful information on the Internet. Unfortunately, this often leads to the misconception that you can find everything you need to know online. This is simply not true. There is tons of published material (books, articles, videos, music, etc.) that you won't find using a standard search engine like Google or Yahoo. And even if you do find it, your access may be limited (see #2 below).

•  Not everything on the Internet is free.

Much of the internet is made up of subscription services that you have to pay for if you want to access their website or download their content. Before you spend your hard-earned money on these services, check out the library's website. We've already paid for many of these services so you don't have to.

•  The internet is not very clear.

How many times have you searched for something on the Internet and gotten a list of 1.5 million websites? How are you supposed to make sense of that? Does searching the Internet feel like looking for a needle in a haystack? Well, library resources, unlike the Internet, are organized by subject and divided into different types of information (books, articles, databases, etc.).

• There is no quality control on the Internet.

The Internet is full of lies, misunderstandings and half-truths. Almost anyone with a computer can set up a website, and they don't have to know what they're talking about. Some sites deliberately mislead you in order to get your money, change your mind on a controversial topic, or just make fun of you. Hoax sites are everywhere, and they often look real. Have you seen the site about a man's first pregnancy? Not real. Library sources, on the other hand, have usually been vetted by editors and fact-checkers who make sure you're getting (relatively) reliable information.

• Internet sources are often more difficult to verify.

When writing an essay, it is important that you cite your sources. With some websites, it is difficult to find out who is telling you what and where they got their information. Library resources, including our online databases, will tell you exactly where the information came from.

• For some things, the Internet is too new.

Are you looking for news from the day you were born? How about speeches from the First World War? The Internet is relatively new, and most sources of information older than 10 to 15 years have not yet been digitized or put online. If you are looking for information on older events, you are better off using the library's resources.

• The library's online resources are available around the clock.

These days, the library has more than just books. The library's online databases can be accessed around the clock via the library's website. Although you access these databases via the Internet, they are not Internet resources. They are as much a part of our library collection as the books on our shelves. The articles you find in our online databases are reprints of real, printed sources.

• The Internet is a mile wide and an inch deep.

So you've found 40 websites on the subject of widgets, but they all give you the same four or five facts without much detail. How do you translate that into a five-page paper? If you want a more well-rounded and in-depth analysis of widgets and widgetology, check out some of the books or article databases in the library.

• You're already paying for the library.

Your tuition fees help fund library resources. Why shouldn't you get something for your money, too?

• Real people can help you use our library.

Nice, eager, friendly and well-trained librarians are ready to help you find the information you need. Don't spend hours searching in vain for information on the internet. Use our services to point you in the right direction.

(This list is from Mark Herring's “10 Reasons Why the Internet Is No Substitute for a Library,” which originally appeared in American Libraries, April 2001, pp. 76-78).