Caveat lector: Let the reader beware!

Kirk (1996) quotes: ‘Caveat lector: Let the reader beware’, a most pertinent statement in regards to all formats of information but especially relevant with the amount of information available on the Internet. With the proliferation of sites, Internet information requires critical evaluation. There has been a shift from print and digital resources which were usually scrutinized by publishers, to web resources being abundantly available and often anonymous. Branch, Kim & Koenecke (2003) state it is imperative that information gathered be subject to critical evaluation. Comparing the two sets of evaluation criteria, the Olin & Uris Libraries set and the 10C’s Evaluating Internet Resources set in this report has shown strengths and weakness of each. Applying them to four websites provided a practical critical evaluation of each set in evaluating the selected sites. This exercise has highlighted a fact Herring (2004 p. 53) states in that there isn’t a definite guide on this topic but rather many models. The selected model used must meet user need, this being a paramount consideration for the TL. Herring (2004 p.44) also suggests that the quantity of potentially useful information available via the web requires this evaluation by teachers and TLs. Teachers and students need to acquire critical evaluation skills to collect relevant information to meet their needs.