Whenever I
hear someone talking with persuasive intent about information they “found on
the internet,” the prickles at the back of my neck go up. This confidence invites
a closer look at the website. This may seem cynical but you have probably heard
the phrase, “lies, d--mn-d lies, and statistics.”Growing up it was not unusual
during dinner table conversations to hear my father, a statistician, illustrate
how someone had used numbers to draw faulty conclusions and mislead people.
There are
many excellent, free sites on the web. You may find exactly what you need as you search...but if you aren't familiar with a site, take the time to play
detective and find out who or what lies behind them. Are they trustworthy?
Several libraries have
pulled together evaluative criteria and checklists to evaluate web resources. Take a
look at what Cornell has to say about “Accuracy, Authority, Objectivity,
Currency, and Coverage.” Southwestern Oregon Community College goes with a more standard, “Who, What, When,
Where and Why?”
We are confident that the subscription databases we offer through the library’s website are good quality and provide excellent resources for your research. It's also possible that you may be seeking information that is available in its most current form on the web. Government agencies, academic institutions, and private foundations all offer wonderful, yet sometimes hidden treasures on the web. Seek and ye shall find!
Random examples
Minnesota Digital Collections: Search this collection for 48 images of Luther Seminary buildings, faculty and students.
Wabash Center's Internet Guide to Religion
Luther Seminary has www.EntertheBible.org and www.workingpreacher.org
Academic digital repositories:
UCLA’s The Encyclopedia of Egypt
Yale
Divinity's digital image collections


— JKB
This image comes from Wordle—a fun way to create word clouds out of text you've written. It's an interesting compromise between image and text.

