Wiggling

As I was gathering information, I had no formal method of evaluating my information/sources. Upon reflection, I realized that I had been using a mental checklist. The most important criteria for me for this project was that the information be relevant to my topic. Eisenberg provides a sample list of evaluation criteria for evaluating sources and then asks “Which of these criteria are most important? It all depends on the situation and the student.” For my situation I realized that the criteria that were most important to me included:

• Is this information helpful?
• Is this information applicable to my specific situation?
• Does this source provide images or videos?
• Is this source trying to sell something?
• Are there spelling/grammatical errors?
  

I wasn’t specifically concerned with authority. Sometimes the random blogger with DIY tips can provide equal or better information to the published reference book. Because of my time constraints, the evaluation question I asked of each source almost immediately was, “Is this information applicable to my specific situation?” This way I was able to skim over and quickly move past information that was not relevant.

A specific example of this which is also an example of something I have found frustrating involves resources that label information intended for small bathrooms. Unfortunately, I have found this definition usually differs from my own. When I have been reading or looking at pictures for small bathrooms that include suggestions for things like double vanities, I typically skim quickly over the rest realizing that this information isn’t intended for my type of small bathroom. (To the left is an example from http://www.kitchenbathideas.com/bathroom-design/small-bathroom/small-bathroom-ideas-traditional-style-bathrooms/)

Additionally, due to the DIY nature of my inquiry, I was accessing some great information from many sites that had lots of advertisements. (Like the KitchenBathIdeas page from Better Homes and Gardens http://www.kitchenbathideas.com/bathroom-design/) My stance became: Deal with the ads on the sites with the articles, but ignore the articles which were obviously selling something themselves.

Eisenberg, M. (1997, November/December). Information seeking strategies. Emergency Librarian, 25(2). Retrieved from Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts database