Editorial

While assembling the content for this issue, an op-ed piece was published in the New York Times that was entitled, "Searching for dummies."Probably every librarian who read it could identify with the reactions to how academics throughout history consider every new class that enters university as not as well-rounded or prepared as the past class much less generation. This piece indicated that the same observations hold true on both sides of the Atlantic and that students currently enrolled in universities are "not just more poorly prepared, a majority of queries faculty members believe, but less teachable."

Technology in all its forms and products may be justifiably or unjustifiably blamed for these accusations as students depend on "reality television, MP3 players, cell phones, or the multitasking that juggles them all … "However, the most major change is that the current generation of students is basically "born digital" having grown up with the web. Even though, the internet is probably the biggest equalizer in the digital divide as access and connectivity improves worldwide, and one of the greatest resources or foundations in how technology has evolved over the last 15 years, there are some issues related to how it is embraced and utilized that still gives academics pause and encourages caution.

One of the most curious phenomenas about the internet is how to find information. Search engines abound and now the increased competition among the two giants, Google and Yahoo! as they expand their horizons and offer users new choices in selecting the most relevant content, contextualizing it, offering more full-text, ability to manipulate information by saving, recalling,packaging, and reapplying information in more user-friendly ways.

The determination of relevance is what the library community focuses on. Improved computer programming and architecture contribute to providing better results within the given universe being searched, however difficult that is to define. Still, search structure is what determines the output. Linking and citation format, are what Edward Tenner explores in his op-ed piece, while librarians wonder whether users are realizing the shortcomings of open source products such as the Wikipedia but the scholarly and commercial publishing realms are not the perfect ideals with which to compare. Our young, born digital generation, defines information literacy quite differently than the academic monitor, however, it is this blend of using technologies that are increasingly ubiquitous in our daily lives that will make the difference. The i-Pod is used for many functions, for recreational purposes and listening to properly downloaded music, to a more significant role in academic settings of classroom teaching and studying. Improved web site design and how to retrieve credible,relevant information is the goal of every search. If the search engines were to rise to the occasion of educating users about how best to take advantage of their techniques, user satisfaction may be elevated. As Tenner concludes, "it would be a shame if brilliant technology were to end up threatening the kind of intellect that produced it."

Perhaps, Library Hi-Tech News should take this challenge and examine in future issues how technology can direct this goal to educate users to conduct better information searches to yield not only "good enough" content, but relevant content. Elsevier's database, Scopus has been described as an architecture that functions much like how contemporary students think and thus yields a high degree of relevance. What makes that a successful product and other engines more tempermental and unpredictable?

This issue is a not just a beginning to respond to this challenge, but also demonstrates that work is underway to address some of the ways technology directs basic functions. We offer two international library conference reports. One reflects the role of training for school librarians in Nigeria. The other is the report of the 8th Bielefeld Conference held in Germany which addressed many of the issues just introduced, with its global theme, "Information services."

The feature on digital scanning projects also suggests the new form of content that search engines need to retrieve. Many challenging issues are explored in this paper. We thought it would be interesting to our readers to become acquainted with our contributing editors, Heidi Hanson and Zoe Stewart-Marshall, who have done a wonderful job each issue in the compilation of the New & Noteworthy and Diary columns. They troll many lists and blogs,conduct endless searches to share what we think are the major trade and library news and conferences relevant to library technology developments and applications.

We hope that you will enjoy this issue and again we welcome your comments and feedback. As the season of library conferences gets underway, we hope you will want to participate as a contributor as well as an active reader.

We offer congratulations and best wishes to one of our contributing editors,Dr Esharenana E. Adomi, of the Delta State University in Nigeria who has recently completed and been awarded his doctorate in Library and Information Science.

Julia Gelfand(jgelfand@uci.edu)Colby Riggs(cmriggs@uci.edu)Co-editors