Answered By: Mary Francis
Last Updated: May 12, 2015     Views: 48

Thank you for the question. I’ll start out by saying that I too use a mix of Google and library databases as I search for information. However, where I go depends on what I am looking for. If I need a quick fact, a definition, or some other small bit of information, I’ll go to Google. If I need something more in-depth such as a research study or what the professional in a field are saying on a topic, I’ll go to the databases. They contain different material. By using both of them, you start to get a feel as to what they have and why you would use them for different needs. That’s an important thing to learn and develop – the understanding that all sources/databases/websites are not created equal. Different types of information are necessary for different types of questions and they build on each other.

One of the benefits of the databases relates to what you said, while there isn’t as many sources, they are higher quality. It is faster to find good sources in a database when conducting research as opposed to going through sites from Google that don’t have the information I need or want. The databases also provide research and studies on topics. This is the information that I want most often when researching a topic rather than opinions which can often be found on websites.