[BC] libraries vs on-line research

[Dale H. Cook]

At 08:49 AM 6/27/2006, Al Stewart wrote:

>Unfortunately the web has made it possible to get more wrong info 
>... and get it faster.

I have found this especially true in my principal hobby, genealogy.

>However it does make the real information -- whatever that is -- 
>more readily available.

Most amateur genealogists, however, seem unable to understand the 
principle criterion for judging the trustworthiness of information, 
i.e., what contemporary record can be cited to support the 
information. Thus a site like my Packard Family site, which 
extensively cites transcriptions of 17th- and 18th-century records, 
is often overlooked in the overwhelming number of sites which do not 
cite contemporary records.

A similar principle would apply in our line of work. If a site says 
that KDKA was the first radio station, what records from the 1920s 
does it cite to support that claim? This is a field (source 
citations) where Donna Halper is perhaps the best qualified of all of 
us - it is her stock in trade.

Dale H. Cook, Chief Engineer, Centennial Broadcasting, 
Roanoke/Lynchburg, VA - WZZI / WZZU / WLNI / WLEQ
http://members.cox.net/dalehcook/starcity.shtml