Types of information available online:

• Information for personal use
• Information from corporate sources (stock quotes, etc.)
• Local, state, and federal government information
• Current information from news sources
• Information about hobbies, recreation, and personal interests
• Information written for a general or popular audience
• Social media and blog posts
• Ads and shopping

Types of information available in a library database:

• Information written for and by academics for academic purposes
• Information organized and categorized enabling ease of use
• Information that has been chosen by the QV Campus faculty and library staff to meet the specific needs of QV Campus students

Ready to choose between finding information online or at the library?  Here are some things to keep in mind that will help you find the best information for your current needs:

• All research, whether you are doing research with a search engine or library database, is going to take time to do correctly.
• A library database has collected articles specifically for academic audiences. 
• A library database will only search for the items contained within that database, whereas a search engine will search across the web.
• Many of the articles that could be useful in an academic setting are behind a paywall when searching a web engine such as Google Scholar.
• The cost of the library databases and the articles within them are already part of the tuition and fees paid by students.
• Most search engines (including Google and Bing) are created and maintained by for profit companies. Their primary goal is to make money.
• It is possible for owners of webpages, for people, or for groups to manipulate a search engine to place their webpage/information higher onto the list of returns.  Some of these are labeled as ads, but some could look like legitimate information if the reader does not double check the information. Because of this, it may be necessary for you to scan several pages into the search results of an internet search before you get to the truly reliable, relevant information.
• Information on the web and webpages get updated, deleted, and become outdated quickly.
• There is no quality control or authority control on the Internet.  Anyone can create and post a webpage.
• Search engines use relevance ranking.  This means the search engine looks at your past behavior and tries to anticipate what you need.
  • This ranking is very helpful when you are looking for a donut shop near you.
  • It is not helpful when you are looking for an academically suitable source for your paper on William Faulkner.