| Although we've been making some distinctions between
the Web and the library, the two aren't entirely
different things. It's important to understand that
there is a middle-ground -- the idea of the "library on
the Web." That is to say, many libraries have Web sites
which organize information and provide access to
collections of quality resources. One great thing
about using the library on the Web is that the
information has been evaluated and organized. Much of
this information is from the government, companies,
universities and foreign countries. Sometimes the
library has digitized part of their own collections for
people around the world to use. Keep in mind that
although there is an increasing amount of information in
this "digital library" you will still not find
electronic full text versions of all the resources you
would find in the physical library.
Another aspect of this library is how easy it is for
you to access. Library Web sites often have information
about library hours, policies and contact information if
you need assistance. If you are a student at a
university, you can use the library online 24 hours a
day, seven days a week from any Internet-connected
computer. In some cases you can even find the full text
of articles from magazines and journals for the past 20
years all through the library's Web page.
One of the best resources available from the library
over the Web is the periodical index. |
