Thank you to all Mr. Washington and Mr. Lincoln for my free day off today! It’s the first time in a long time where I get the pleasure of a day off for a federal holiday. Granted, I am traveling today, but I got to wake up without setting an alarm clock and that is a great day even with having to fly.
Do you keep reference books on your shelves at home? What’s your first port of call when you need information – the internet or a book?
I am proud to report that I do have reference books at home, even though they are no longer on my bookshelves. Rather, I passed on my dictionary, thesaurus, and German dictionaries to my son, figuring he needs them more than I do these days. It is fun to look through them though and see the words I highlighted many years ago when I was trying to learn the big words in my reading.
These days, since I am always online these days and typically only need information for something related to my interests online, I head right to the Internet whenever I have a question. Even at work, whenever someone has a question, our first inclination is to head to the Internet to look up the answer. My years as a grad student have taught me to shy away from Wikipedia, so typically, I will spend a little extra time looking for a more legit sites for said answers. There is just so much out there, that even with having to wade through not-so-legitimate sites, you are guaranteed to find very thorough and up-to-date answers to any possible question on the Internet. That’s why it is my go-to source when I have a question.
Am I alone in my love of the Internet for answering questions and obtaining information? Or are reference books becoming relatively obsolete?
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Lisa – That's why I keep my reference books handy – for the kids just in case. I also think it is important that they understand what it means to have to look something up in a dictionary.
Amused – I never thought about the Internet as a resource being the best space saver of all. I like it!
Matt – There is legitimate information on the Internet. The thing is you just have to know how to look for it by being able to judge which are the most accurate sites for information.
Sheila – I agree that the convenience, speed and accessibility of the Internet makes it my go-to choice for research!
I do still keep a fair amount of reference books handy for the kids but they've all gotten old enough that they mostly use the internet. But I can't part with them because I just know that as soon as I do, some teacher will say they absolutely have to have a book reference and it's Sunday night and they can't get to a library.
I am totally with you in using the internet for reference – it's the best! And it leaves more shelf space for fiction books! Enjoy your day off – I sure am!
Internet is good for quick info and trivia stuff. Legit stuffs might require a bit of an effort because some of the info out there are not credible. I used to make trips to the campus library looking up these heavy volumes of journals. Now most of them are available electronically. One thing I do keep in handy is my dictionary and English usage guide.
I use the internet for everything – even looking up local restaurant numbers. It is so easy and quick and a lot of times I can get the menu and prices right on line tool. 🙂
Enjoy the day off!
Booksnyc – It is definitely true that the online information is so complete and current that it almost makes reference books obsolete! Almost. I think they are still handy tools for children.
Oh, I have tons of accounting books that I brought to work, but I did not count them in this answer.
I only use the internet for reference these days – with limited space in a NYC apartment, I prefer not to take up space unnecessarily. Plus the info online is just so complete and current that I prefer it over to an actual reference book.
Gone are the days of encyclopedias, dictionaries and thesauruses I guess!
I only have a couple of grammar books but my husband has a lot of engineering books.