Neal-Schuman Authoritative Guide to Evaluating Information on the Internet (Neal Schuman Net-Guide Series) - Softcover

Cooke, Alison

9781555703561: Neal-Schuman Authoritative Guide to Evaluating Information on the Internet (Neal Schuman Net-Guide Series)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1555703569 ISBN 13: 9781555703561

Publisher: Neal Schuman Pub, 1999

Presents a system for selecting and evaluating Internet resources, including step-by-step methods for identifying the source's purpose, assessing its coverage and accuracy, evaluating presentation, and making comparisons.

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From Library Journal:

The evaluation criteria outlined in this book were originally developed as part of a doctoral research project. The intended audience is "anyone, anywhere, anyhow...." However, casual Internet users or students will find more than they actually need or want in Cooke's guide. The first chapter outlines the problems of information quality on the net and defines information and information quality. Chapter 2 describes the advantages and disadvantages of search engines, subject directories, rating and review services, and subject-based gateway services (subject directories developed by librarians). Chapter 3, presents, in detail, the criteria for evaluating any Internet resource, including the purpose, coverage, authority, accuracy, currency, accessibility, design, and ease of use. Accessibility here does not include access by users with disabilities. Chapter 4 outlines evaluation criteria for particular types of net resources such as organizational WWW sites, personal homepages, subject-based web sites, electronic journals and magazines, image-based and multimedia sources, USENET and discussion lists, databases, FTP archives, current awareness services, and FAQs. The sections end with a "checklist" of important points, but several of the checklists are misplaced within following sections. An annotated bibliography of evaluation resources in print and online is provided. There is a glossary; however, some of the terms included are rather simplistic. Does "password" really need to be defined? This subject can be adequately covered in an article, web site, or as a chapter within a book. A whole volume on this topic tends to become repetitive. Recommended only for large library science collections. A better value for general users or students would be an Internet research guide, such as John Burke's Intronet: A Beginner's Guide to Searching the Internet (Professional Media, LJ 5/1/99), which includes a section on basic evaluation concepts.ARobert Battenfeld, Long Island Univ.
Southampton Coll. Lib., NY
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal:

Similar in nature to Janet Alexander and Marsha Ann Tate's Web Wisdom (Lawrence Erlbaum, 1999), this title also deals with examining and evaluating different kinds of Web sites for accuracy and usability. However, it offers suggestions for evaluation of Usenet newsgroups, online discussion groups, and databases, which Web Wisdom does not cover. Cooke writes with wit and ease, and her examples for evaluation, such as a Star Trek fanfic site, are whimsical. The book also gives a less strict and structured impression than Wisdom, making it easier to read but potentially less useful to those looking for a model for the classroom or a selection policy. The author provides checklists that readers can use for evaluating sites. The book's emphasis is slightly more academic than Alexander and Tate's, and less relevant to public and school libraries.-Walter Minkel, School Library Journal

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