The librarian is: BLOGGING | Journalism Library, Columbia University

The Journalism Library Blog has MOVED! This site is no longer being updated as of July 2009. Come find us at our new location:

https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/journalism

See you there!

World Wide Web is a composite collection of content created and hosted on the internet by millions of organizations and individuals. In order to effectively evaluate information that you find on the internet, consider the following criteria:

Authorship -

• Who wrote this? As Peter Steiner said, “On the Internet,
  Nobody Knows You’re a Dog”
• Is the author an expert in the field?
• What are author’s affiliations?
• Who is the sponsor or publishing body of the site?

Currency -

• Is the information provided timely? This is particularly important in areas of science, technology, health, and politics.
• Is publication date or “last updated” date included with the information?
• If the information is dated or historical, does the document refer to the source and year, e.g. “Based on 1990 U.S. Census data”?

Objectivity -

• Does the author or web page sponsor have a bias?
• Is more than one viewpoint expressed on the topic?
• Does the author or publishing body have a particular agenda?

Coverage -

• Is the information freely available?
• Is the site complete or under construction?
• Does the information have a print equivalent?

Accuracy/Verifiability -

• Does the information include references to experts in the field or rely on other sources?
• Does the information include a bibliography?
• Was an explanation offered on how the data was gathered and interpreted?

If you need help in evaluating a particular internet resource, please stop by the Journalism Library or contact any of the libraries on campus for assistance!

Yes, you read that right. FREE. To anyone with a valid .edu email address. More details here: http://www.nytimes.com/gst/ts_university_email_verify.html

Graduating students, sign up now, before your email address expires (though it’s possible that this may still work with your alumni email forwarding).

Hitting the streets of your beat for the first time? Make sure to head out there hungry - both for a great story and a great meal. Some of NYC’s best food never makes it into Zagat’s, so an essential website for learning about your neighborhood’s cuisine is Chowhound. Recently re-designed, Chowhound has discussion boards for food in all areas of New York City. Covering an area in Manhattan? Search the Manhattan board. Covering a beat that’s farther afield? Try the Outer Boroughs board.

Remember that resources like Chowhound thrive on user input, so once you’ve sampled the cuisine your beat has to offer, weigh in with your own comments!

The Katrina Files is the latest report from the
UCLA-based Center for Communications and Community. It includes critiques of Hurricane Katrina coverage, community and independent media, research reports on Katrina and its aftermath, and a section for the public to submit materials.

[Thanks to Prof. June Cross for suggesting this site!]

Check out Free Government Info.

This is a site (started by a few librarians) which tracks threats to government information’s freedom from “many economic and political forces,” and is also involved in raising public awareness about the importance of this type of information.

That’s right, this is FREE to anyone out there on the Net.

Enjoy!

Facts of Life is a series of issue briefings for health reporters, brought to you by the Center for the Advancement of Health, a nonprofit which translates the latest evidence-based research on health, health care, prevention and chronic disease management for the general public.

The Basics: phone numbers & addresses
I wish I could tell you we had some super-duper special people-finder tools. But we don’t. Here are some decent free sites instead.

New Yorkers and where to find them
Looking for interesting New Yorkers to profile? Here are a few tips.

Finding experts
Preparing a Roundtable discussion? New York City is full of experts, but how to find them?

Consumer Watch

Bonus resources we talked about during the session:
AP Photo Archive
Archive.org - online archive of multimedia content

Free on the web, from LexisNexis (I repeat, this resource is free, not just for subscribers):

As the year winds down, the staff of LexisNexis News has compiled a unique perspective on the people and events that shaped the news this year, the 2005 Year in Review. Journey back to the actual day this year’s top national and international news events occurred. From front page stories to editorials, LexisNexis presents newspaper headlines and stories from around the U.S. and World - the day it happened.