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TIPS FOR FAMILIES USING THE
INTERNET
From a guide created by Esther Grassian,
UCLA College Library. Adapted by Catherine Sarette, Youth Services
Coordinator, Whatcom County Library System 7/99
Not all web sites are equally valuable or reliable.
Here are some tips that will help you choose which sites to visit,
and to evaluate what they have to offer.
Read Before You Click!
Suppose you were searching for information about
giraffes. Below are some web pages a search engine might list for
you. They all contain the word "giraffe," but they won’t
give you any useful information about the animal.
Smith, Guinevere-Marie - Guinevere-Marie's Page
- likes silly stuff, nifty things, giraffes, pottery, and cats.
Engaged to Montejon Smith.
Seasick Giraffe - authentic giraffe gifts,
clothing, and jewelry.
Giraffe Project - encourages kids to stick their
necks out for the common good by telling the stories of real-life
heroes in the media, in schools, and on podiums.
Before you click on a web site, read the description
to see if it really contains the information you want.
Check with a Librarian
A web site may not contain the most complete or
accurate information you need. A librarian will be able to tell
you what other resources are available, such as books, magazine
articles, even videos..
Consider the Source
Not all of the information you find on the Internet
is accurate or truthful. Ask yourself:
Where does this information come from?
Is it taken from a book on the subject?
Does it come from a university or other reliable
organization?
Is it written by someone who has studied the subject
or is otherwise qualified to discuss it?
Look at the top of this page to see the source of
the tips you are reading now. Reliable web sites should have information
like this somewhere in their pages.
Check the Date
If you need up-to-date information, check when the
web site was last updated. Also check the dates on any information
it contains. (This is a useful tip for books, as well.)
Look for Bias
If this is a controversial subject, check to see
whether all sides are equally presented. If a web site presents
only one side of a debate, you may need to look at other sources
to find alternative viewpoints.
Think Before You Follow a Link
A web site may provide links to other sites on the
same topic, or it may link to completely different sites. Does the
site tell you how the links were chosen? Were they evaluated in
any way? Remember, read about a link before you click on it, or
you might find yourself somewhere you didn’t want to go.
Updated 4-8-00 by Catherine
Sarette
Send any comments or questions to csarette@wcls.org
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