To Google or Not to Google (That is the Question)

Free workshops on how to be faster and more productive when using Google will be presented at the Tompkins County Public Library on Saturday, September 23 from 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. at the library in the Borg Warner Room, East, and repeated again on Wednesday, September 27 from 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. in the Borg Warner Room, East.

The workshop will address the following complexities of using Google:

What if you get too many hits? How do you choose the most authoritative, accurate and up-to-date site?

What if you don’t get any hits? How do you find the 300 billion “hidden” websites?

How do you distinguish between paid ads and legitimate sites?

What search engines other than Google might give you better results?

How do you access proprietary databases that aren’t available through Google such as the archives of the New York Times, or genealogy databases?

Join reference librarian Jennifer Schlossberg as she lets you peek behind her computer screen while she shows you where she looks for information to answer your questions. You will learn basic, effective searching techniques using both a search engine like Google and subscription-based databases You will determine if the site you are looking at contains good information based on a few rules. She will share the answers to the most common types of questions and teach you which of these resources to choose based on the question.

These classes are free and open to the public, but please register either online at www.tcpl.org or by phone at 607-272-4557 x254. Contact Jennifer at jschlossberg@tcpl.org or 607-272-4557 x254 if you have questions.