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The modules about using Google more efficiently stood out to me because Google is such a ubiquitous presence in the information landscape. Christopher Brown’s Harnessing the Power of Google was full of useful tips about using Google’s advanced search features such as site specific searching, phrase searching, and searching by file type. It also pointed out some of the limitations of Google such as the fact that Google usually doesn’t allow users to see beyond the first 1,000 results. I was also impressed by the capability of Google Images to translate foreign language text.

This course has taught me that ethical concerns permeate every aspect of information science. As Safiya Umoja Noble said in the presentation that we watched in week 7, “technology is a social construct.” As such, information tools such as algorithms can often reflect societal discrimination against marginalized groups. Eli Pariser’s TedTalk from week 6 was a potent reminder that algorithms can create filter bubbles for users that shape their perceptions and opinions, sometimes in troubling ways. It’s not only well-known companies like Google that are problematic. Amanda Ros’ 2019 article “The Bias Hiding in Your Library” pointed out how societal discriminatory language is embedded in library classification systems, while the 2018 documentary Paywall explained how the academic publishing industry is controlled by a handful of powerful corporations. It’s up to information professionals to educate themselves about these ethical concerns and find creative ways to offset the negative impact of bias and discrimination.

Throughout the semester, the terms “tool” and “toolkit” were used to describe the concepts we were learning about. These metaphors are particularly significant to me since I worked for many years as a carpenter and cabinet maker. I find it useful to view the information landscape as a workshop or construction site, and information professionals as skilled workmen. The quantity and quality of the tools being used will directly impact the speed with which the project is completed and the satisfaction of the clients. Similar to a carpenter’s tools, in order to utilize databases, artificial intelligence, and Google effectively, one must practice until the use of these resources becomes second nature.

I chose this meme to represent search in the information landscape because research can often feel like finding a needle in a haystack without the right tools.

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Every time I tried to consider the search landscape, for some reason this moment in Aladdin is all I could think of. I'm not sure it's exactly how I wanted to word it, but let me tell you why I put it this way. The information landscape has grown to be more than anyone could have ever imagined, it's easier than ever to get information, all you need is internet access. Yet it's still limited, limited by paywalls, by misinformation and fake news, by filter bubbles, worldviews and social media algorithms, by lack of data literacy, by trolls and manipulators, and more. So while the information landscape has the potential to be this huge beautiful thing (and it still is) we have to always be aware of its limitations.

Beyond my meme I think my biggest takeaway is that search will be forever changing. It is not a stagnant pond. I can't be satisfied just with the tools and topics we described in class. To be an information expert is to maintain awareness of the current information landscape. I appreciate that I now know I don't need to take on all the research alone, that others can play that role, I just have to find who is staying abreast of topics and listen to what they have to say.

If I am honest I am a bit scared to see where AI takes us, especially with the implications of AI generated images and videos. But on the other end I am interested to see where the Open Access movement goes, if it is ever really able to pick up steam. Mostly, I am thankful for this class as it helped me get outside of my comfort zone and experiment with unfamiliar tools and ideas.

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My image represents the sheer amount of information that we all deal with and how information professionals are navigating that frontier. We are there to help individuals explore, search, and evaluate the information available.

I know I will be using many of the search tactics that we learned in this class throughout my career. One of my biggest “mind-blown” moments was early in the semester when we learned that the first search is for us, as a pre-search to understand the landscape a little better. I used this tactic to answer a reference question in another course and it helped me exponentially.

There are many highlights as well. It was great to hear from so many professionals in Voices of Search. I also really liked exploring the new, non-traditional, ways that we search, such as with AI and ChatGPT, social media, and digital assistants. These tools and platforms have changed the ways in which people find information, far beyond just using Google, databases, or reference books. Speaking of Google, I’m also really impressed by how many different products they offer, many of which I didn’t know about until this course.

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I really enjoyed this class a lot and it opened my eyes to both the opportunities and the responsibilities I was have as an information professional. It feels like a really critical time for the field to expand, particularly in the light of the AI movement and what is to come.

The biggest aha moments for me came in learning about how many different platforms and engines are out there to gather information. I was not aware of the extent to which the search market has expanded and how many players there are in the game. I was particularly drawn to the open access movement and the various movements that are springing up to ensure that capital does not filter and gatekeep information that individuals must have access to in order to be knowledgeable about the every changing world around them.

I will be applying what I learned not only in a professional capacity but in a personal capacity, as well. As a parent, I am keenly aware of the information my child is exposed to every day and the impact that it has on his little sponge mind. Now that I have a better sense of the landscape, I can help steer him in the right direction as he gets older and also to make sure that the conversation about information literacy is one that is present in my household.

The information landscape is vast and, though I see myself as a small cog in the larger machine, I truly feel that my impact can be huge. Ensuring access to information that is accurate and reliable can be one way of supporting the process of collective liberation of us all from a capitalist system that so often cages people in with misinformation and manipulation. I love that I have this opportunity and am energized by all that I have learned!

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“Only librarians like to search. Everyone else likes to find.” -Roy Tennant

Librarians and information professionals do like to search- as we have heard throughout the semester from VoS guests- especially Mary Ellen Bates- and each other, information professionals like to navigate the depths of the information landscape. I used to think that this meant that becoming an information professional or librarian meant you had to know or memorize all the resources available (what an intimidating idea), but this semester has taught me that it is more about knowing where to search, how to perform relevant searches, and being flexible and creative in our thinking to find what we or our patrons/clients need. Personally I love to search, so much that I often can’t find that point of ‘enough’. But the assignments throughout this class helped me start to learn how to find that stopping point based on the audience I might be searching for- constraining my search by time, user needs, and availability of information.

As I hope to one day work in a public library, I hope to be able to apply what I have learned this semester when working with patrons to help them meet their information needs. This class taught me not to be intimidated by endless databases and information like grey literature. I may still have a lot to learn but I have a better grasp and more tools to use going forward. Search has become such a part of our daily lives through voice assistants and the ‘searchphones’ we all rely on to navigate our tech heavy existence. As information professionals we are uniquely situated to understand how search works, what we can do to improve our own searches, and how to use the available tools to help others as we develop a professional practice in our careers.

I think this class has shown me that as people, we will never stop searching and as information professionals we will never stop learning new technologies as strategies about search.

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I absolutely love this class. Everything–the format, content, & discussions (people). I want more. We should make a search club, like fight club, but the one rule is everyone knows about it, which leads me to my main takeaway, search club already exists and we are readying ourselves to join it with classes like this. I chose to create a Bob Ross meme because I think it conveys how I see myself, but also that there is great joy in search. The professionals we have read and listened to this semester all convey Bob Ross level joy and competence. He knows who he is as an artist, and shares his talent, skill, and joy with his audience. I hope to do the same. I might not understand all the colors on my palette or how to mix them to create new “happy” trees, but I will figure it out with classes like this and with help from all the search club members out there.

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I used to think:

Before this semester, I was in a rut with the way I searched. I searched the same way over and over, Markey calls it the, “flying by the seat of your pants” search. I didn’t stop to think or break down my search, I just hopped right in with the keywords that were the most apparent. Now, I find myself stopping to conduct facet analysis, re-formatting the way my search results are presented, and using Booleans more frequently than before. It amazes me how one semester can re-frame a practice. I notice that I am more conscious of my search and how I am going about it.

How I will apply what I learned:

I’ve already started using the search tips learned here in the Children’s Room at my job. Markey’s VoS this past week challenged us to teach these search skills. When I am conducting a search, even a small one, I make sure I am voicing what I am doing to my patrons. I try to turn my computer when I can to bring patrons into the search experience.  I also now have a wealth of search portals and resources that I did not have before this semester. I am excited to start referring these resources to my patrons.

Image:

This semester has taught me that search, like all other skills, will always require practice. There will always be a new piece of technology or update to search that will require learning. I chose to represent this in my image of a person running on a treadmill. This person is getting stronger by running but also never truly gets to the finish line. There will always be something new on the horizon!

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One of my big aha moments came bit by bit throughout the semester. I was routinely amazed at the different doors would open and opportunities that are possible with an Information Technologies degree. In our Voices of Search conversation we have seen so many people work in so many different fields but have search at the core. Learning this fact really allowed me to dream a little bit bigger than I thought in the beginning. There are so many different ways my career can go with this degree as long as I keep my eyes open and remain intellectually curious and passionate about what I care for the most.

I have always loved searching. I am one of those people that just "needs to know". When I hear a song that I can't remember who performed it, not only do I make an effort to find the solution I go deeper than that. Once I find the name of the song - I look up the artist and read their Wikipedia listing and then maybe checkout other songs from there. The question has always been the key to the door but once I open it I like to look around and explore as much as I can. I think this meme expresses that thought - the joy of exploration, the endless possibilities of the results and someone who just loves searching.

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This class gave me a better awareness of the vast amount of information that is on the internet, the tools available to access it, how that information is restricted and the politics and conversations around that restriction, and the different tools we have available for presenting information to users. In week six, I was shocked to read that “hidden content” of the web, or content that Google is not able to crawl, is 500 times what is findable in Google (Brown, p. 12-13). Week eight expanded on this by helping me understand what makes up the deep web (and the dark web). I’m really grateful for our Database of the Week assignment which asked me to really sift through all the databases we have access to through Rutgers and then take a deep dive into one of them. The database I profiled, PolicyMap, also showed me how much raw data on our communities is out there waiting to be organized and analyzed so that people can use it to make changes that affect people’s lives for the better.

Search Activity #3, the command line/free text search in dialog, really opened my eyes to how intense and multilayered searching can be. I had never thought of searching like an equation, splitting my search into facets, and combining sets of results. It’s overwhelming to think of how deep you can take it. Hearing from Amy Affelt in Voices of Search made me realize that in many jobs, you are hired to search as hard, as far, and as thoroughly as you can because the stakes are high. The database comparison activity forced me to think like a user in a specific field, in my case public policy, and really plumb the depths of three different databases. I found it really useful to be positioned as a librarian needing to make a purchase for the collection and then assessing each database’s capabilities. In Assignment #1 I ended up selecting one of these databases, and the process of creating this presentation showed me all the different creative options available for information delivery. Before this assignment I had not considered merging screencasting with a slideshow. I was pleased with the outcome, but after perusing my peers’ presentations I also can see the benefits of creating instructional sites that allow the user more control in how they take in the information.

This class has deepened my understanding of a search professional’s duties and responsibilities. As a librarian, it will be my job to help people find and access information, organize it, make sense of it, and use it to move the world forward. The image of the layers of the ocean that we saw throughout week eight when discussing the deep web really stuck with me. My information landscape is the ocean, and most of us skim along the surface doing basic Googling. My job as an information professional is to don my scuba suit and help people access information that is less easily accessible and potentially more valuable. I have to know where to look and what the best tools are to access that information.

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I was very nervous before taking this class. Search is such an important part of librarianship, and while I felt like I was maybe a little more proficient with searching than the average user, I wasn’t totally confident in my skill. I had hoped to learn in this class the terminology to help me articulate the search strategies I needed to complete to help patrons, as well as get better at actually performing them. This class has helped me put a name to the search strategies I have used in the past, as well as taught me so many different ways that I may go about searching. I found the search activities very helpful especially 2 and 3 where we really dug deep into searching databases using the strategies in our textbook. I’ve been enjoying curating my LibGuide that I feel represents a combination of many if not all of the ways we can find information online. It’s useful for a potential patron, but it also helps me remember the different places I can look to find what I need. I also enjoyed making the database of the week instruction and database explanation or a user audience – I think at first I was nervous to walk through these databases, but doing so really helped me understand them better myself. I’ve already found myself using the strategies in this class at my job at a university information desk, and while perhaps not as adeptly as some of the search experts we heard from this semester, I’m hopeful that with practice my search skills will be honed and I will be able to help patrons find all the information they need.

I think one of my biggest takeaways from this semester is that search is always evolving and that you will need to continue to learn to stay on top of new technologies. That said, there’s nothing wrong with needing time to get better at new things. I’m reminded in our first weeks of the saying “Your first search is only for you” and the many voices of search we heard from that said not to worry if you’re nervous at first, expertise will come with experience. I will continue to use the strategies I’ve learned in this class in order to feel more comfortable with them, but of course I will continue to learn throughout my professional career. While I may not be an expert at the moment, as I continue to traverse the information landscape with my search strategies in mind, I will become more adept at the search process.

Please enjoy this Succession/search class crossover meme. It made me laugh while I created it but I also think it’s true: there are so many search strategies that we now keep in our ludicrously capacious search bags.

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Before taking this class, the word “database” made me quake a little in fear, so the fact that I now feel like, you know, a normal person when talking about databases feels like a threshold crossing. More than that, I think I was probably also a database skeptic, but I have been won over by them; one of my biggest ahas is that databases can actually be used for everyday information needs, and that they are readily available through state libraries (JerseyClicks has become a go-to for me!).

Search matters a lot to me personally; this class gave names to things I’ve done my whole life, and affirmed for me that the way I tend to interact with search and information (with excitement, curiosity, and also skepticism) means that librarianship is a good fit. But it’s important for all of us, because we mediate our own information needs in an unprecedented way in today’s information landscape. Strong search skills are essential to being healthy, educated, connected—all the things that make up a successful society. It’s as important a life skill as I can think of, really, in today’s world. And I feel that this class has equipped me with a lot more understanding of best practices, of some of the barriers we face to effective search, of the systems we are interacting with and up against, and of how we can communicate this to the patrons we will serve.

When I imagine the information landscape, it is not clean. It is not linear. I cannot possibly know its every detail or travel to its every corner—it’s a whole universe unto itself (which is what I was trying to convey in my picture). In fact, there is far more that I will never really know—from specific databases’ controlled vocabularies to areas of the dark web—than I will. But if I have my trusty search toolkit (my favorite metaphor from this class), I can figure it out, and equally importantly, help someone else who might be feeling the same anxiety I felt—and still sometimes feel!—do the same.

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When I first signed up for the course I wasn't to sure what to expect. I had experience with searching for undergrad major which was History and I had worked in libraries before. This course however allowed me to dive deep into the topic of search and learn a lot not only about search but about why it's important. My biggest takeaways from the course were to always think about the users or your audience, librarianship can take us to a number of areas, and the importance of how we evaluate the information we are searching for. While working on the the two major course assignments , the database of the week, and from our Voices of Search I have learned how we present information should be tailored to our audience. The way we design, organize, and present our information matters. We cannot present to elementary students the way we would high school students or college students. In order to properly help our audience we need to present information to them in a way that they will understand. One of my favorite takeaways was how many places librarianship can take you. There is a stereotype that a librarian is an old person sushing people in a dusty library but that simply isn't true. There are librarians who with businesses, in the culinary arts, hospitals, etc. It was really great to see so many people doing different things in different places. It's really great to see that I end up in so many places and learn so many things along the way. The documentary we watched Trust Me was really eye opening and helped me realize just how powerful information is and how critical it is know how to evaluate it. Misinformation/Disinformation is dangerous and so many people fall into the trap of believing it to be true. Someone went into a pizzeria with a gun because of something they read on the internet. Riots have been created or influenced because of it. Information literacy is so important and it's important to teach it whether it be to high school kids or grown adults.

I have actually been applying a lot of what I have been learning already. At my current job I do a lot of investigating and research and while my job is not currently in a library or library setting I have been using strategies that we have been learning. I can't always just get the information I need with a few Google clicks and so I need to creative sometimes or focus my search more before finding what I need. I try to think about the words I use while searching, where I am looking to get my information, and how I should evaluate the information I find. I also have to note the information I find and so I always try to think about how those who are reviewing the information I found and how I should word or present my information based on that.  Once I complete the program I am hoping to eventually work in a medical library and I feel that I can definitely apply many of the skills I learned here in searching for and evaluating medical information. To me the information landscape is a vast environment full of avenues and destinations. As librarians we are the guides that help get users on to the right avenue to get to their desired destination. There is a quote from Sarah Mclntyre that reads "A trained librarian is a powerful search engine with a heart." I believe this to be accurate as while we go to search engines to find answers we go to librarians as well and while librarians might not work as fast as a search engine they have what a search engine doesn't which is heart. Librarians have the capacity to be compassionate and go the extra mile that a search engine won't or communicate with a user in a way that a search engine can't. The information landscape is an intimidating and overwhelming place and information professionals help make it a less overwhelming and intimating.

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What were your biggest ahas?

One of my biggest ahas was definitely that the surface web only indexes between ~4 and 10% of the internet. Admittedly, for some people, that 4-10% might be all they need, but now I’m very aware of the fact that I need to feel out how much I need.

Another big aha was that people are really seriously working on not only improving existing search methods but also creating more-or-less new ones (e.g., ChatGPT, literature visualizers). This is obvious in retrospect but, since I spent a lot of my time with eminently practical librarians, nobody had a lot of time to experiment with search. I think this is really important for me because it will hopefully get me to ask not only “what information do I need?”, but also “has someone created a tool to make this kind of search easier/better?”

What thresholds have you crossed?

One thing is that “siloes” don’t just apply to academics who never read outside their sub-field. Siloes are big infrastructural problems including paywalls, how indexers work, document file types, and a lot more. I think that’s really important because, historically, I’ve just assumed that more-or-less everything I needed could be found on the surface web or a database accessible via Rutgers. Now, instead of just thinking about which terms/fields/search method I’m using, in the future I think I’ll also pay more attention to where the information I need might be found.

Another threshold is that, as an information professional, finding stuff is not my only important skill. My ability to interpret and synthesize results (or lack thereof) is also helpful. That’s for sure going to change how I communicate with patrons and how I view what counts as “value-added” search help.

What does search look like to you?

You can see what search means to me in the picture at the top of this post. In short, I (the tiny person in the picture) am small in comparison to the broader information world (the forest). But, this class has given me some tools (the big rock giant) that should make me slightly more capable of exploring to find what I need.

Also, image credit to Tomislav Jagnjic. Not only is he a talented artist, he also has a remarkable gift for giving his art funny names. For instance, the picture above is titled “yo bro is it safe down there in the woods? Yeah man it’s cool”.

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This multi-layered gif/meme perfectly encompasses my feelings towards search and the information landscape after taking this course--mind-blowing! Over the past few days, the folks I was with on a trip kept mentioning the "ever-expanding universe." At one point, we even went down to the shoreline and star-gazed. I sat and listened to my friends wax on about the immeasurable, unfathomable size of the universe and our insignificance (while also acknowledging how we treat each other is what truly matters in the grand scheme of things but I digress!) As time goes on, the more we learn about the world and each other. And more to learn means more to potentially record, preserve, and/or search for one day. See? Ever-expanding! Also a hefty load for information professionals.

Biggest ahas were certainly plentiful: the significance, helpfulness, and trustworthiness of LibGuides; Google is good, but it can't search the entire web (and certainly not all the information that exists in the world); the surface, deep, and dark layers of the web, and the non-nefarious reasons some people might need to access the dark web; database navigation tips and tricks; the power of crowd-sourcing and coordinating with colleagues across fields, locations, and languages. The list really does go on and on! *Edit: I'll also hold onto Barry's comment about advocating for your search needs and helping to improve the search landscape.

I used to think that starting a search with Google was some shameful, novice practice that should be kept hidden from my superiors to appear more professional. But knowing that it's ok and even helpful to start with Google has been a massive relief and changed how I approach search. Speaking of Google, I used to think that Google's filtering options were limited to Web, Images, Shopping, Maps, and other common tab found at the top of the results pages. Google Tools, Advanced Search, and Google Books have also greatly impacted how I use Google to my advantage.

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Ironically (or fittingly?), I couldn't think of a picture that felt like it exemplified how I think of the information landscape, which is this: it makes me think of that feeling you get when you're trying to remember something, but it's just out of reach. Like when you're trying to find just the right word to fit into your sentence, and you know it's right on the periphery of your mind, so close to your reach but just far enough away that you can't get to it. That's what the information landscape feels like to me. Like there's always something so close and yet so far, and all we need to do is come up with the right search terms to get us there.
This class was honestly such a joy to take part in, and I feel like I have built up an arsenal of search tools that I will be able to bring with me into my current job, future jobs, and daily life. I found so many of our conversations to be incredibly important, especially those about algorithmic prejudices, misinformation, and constant misuse and abuse of new technology.
My biggest hesitancy coming into this class was databases. They're pretty intimidating to me, and I always feel like I'm fumbling around in the dark hoping I'll find something useful by chance. I think our first few search activities at the beginning of the semester helped me overcome that feeling, and I gained at least a tiny bit of confidence when it comes to navigating databases. I also always thought of myself as a pretty competent Googler, but this class showed me how much there is out there that I had never even attempted to use! It was so great to expand my toolkit and learn different ways to get to the same answers.
Not sure if I've even stuck to any of the prompts at this point, but I'll end with a note on why I think search matters. The information landscape is incredibly vast and pretty unknowable, but it's also essential. Each person needs to navigate it every single day in some capacity, and that's something that will never change. Search is the ability to navigate that landscape, even a little at a time, which makes it one of the most important skills any person can possess. As mentioned in some of our readings on the future of search, while the landscape may change, the skills necessary for navigating it will remain the same.