Why Use the Library Instead of Just Google

• TIME
  It's yours and it’s limited; don’t waste it slogging through questionable search results when a librarian can often very quickly guide you to the best information resources for your needs.
• MONEY
  You are paying big bucks to go to MU; librarians spend over 5 million dollars per year on high-quality electronic and print resources not available for free on the Web. Get your money’s worth: Check out our collections in person or at our website at mulibraries.missouri.edu.
• DISGRACE
  Fact: Not everything is available on the Web. Often this has to do with money and/or copyright. While you’re at MU you’ll need to find scholarly information from reputable sources in your field of study. MU librarians are subject specialists and can help you learn to navigate the literature of your field. You’ll avoid the embarrassment of turning in a paper in which you’ve cited inappropriate sources.
• SANITY
  Information in libraries is reviewed, selected, and organized. Search engines generate huge lists of web pages forcing you to figure out which results qualify as academic sources.
  

Don’t get us wrong, we love the Web. But it’s important to understand the differences between information that’s freely available on the Web---lots of great stuff, lots of junk, depending on what you need---and information that libraries license that may be delivered via the Web, but that isn’t found by any search engine. We can help you determine the best places to look based on the type of information you need.

We’re happy to show you around MU Libraries---both online and in person---and help you learn to find what you need efficiently. Visit our website, stop by and say hello---we want to meet you.

Library Instruction Committee, MU Libraries
[Goodie Bhullar, Chair, Rachel Brekhus, Brenda Graves-Blevins, Paula Roper]

Adapted from The Johns Hopkins University Libraries