College students as ‘Generation Google’
But should we really blame the Internet?
Working in my university’s library over the past couple years, I’ve seen a shift in the services we offer as reflective of an increasingly digitized age and perhaps — of the patrons themselves.
I work at the Circulation Desk — located right by the front doors of library — we’re that first desk you see when you walk in and desperately need to ask an employee where the bathroom is; but mostly, we’re the desk you would go to if you need to check out materials. I use the word ‘materials’ rather than ‘books’ because I spend significantly more of my time checking out laptops or other equipment.
When I do check out a book, it’s oftentimes a ‘hold’ or a book that a patron has requested from a different library which has been sent to our library for them to pick up. There’s usually consistent traffic at the desk for picking up a hold — but maybe more so from graduate students and professors.
Now I’m not saying undergraduates never request a hold — but from personal experience I would say they don’t request them quite as often. Why might this be? Well, requesting a hold takes a bit of forethought and I think many undergraduates leave things until the last minute — notably — studying, writing papers, and buying textbooks.
It’s a pretty consistent and repetitive scenario. A student walks briskly up to the desk, their face usually a mix of pure determination and anxiety because — SURPRISE — they have not purchased their textbook two weeks into the semester and have an assignment due the following day.
Now, nine times out of ten, our library doesn’t have the book they’re looking for because 1) we don’t want the book to be the center of a tug-a-war contest between 200 students or, 2) it could be a new edition of a book that we don’t have yet.
Have no fear! With a quick search, I can usually find the book at a local university’s library and explain to them that it is available to place on hold and have shipped to our library for free (their eyes light up) within a couple of days.
At the statement “within a couple of days” I watch their shoulders slump accompanied by an automatic shift of their bodies away from the desk because — I can only assume — I have failed them.
Welcome to a culture of instant gratification.
My generation is so accustomed to the availability of information on the Internet, that we hold little interest in information that takes a few days to arrive — even if it is for free. I’m not saying my generation is lazy, but I think growing up with the Internet has spoiled us in our regard for information and other services. If a student is writing a paper for a class they’re taking merely for the credits, why put in the effort to look for a book at the library when they can stay in bed, Google the subject, and find sources that are just as reliable — if not more recent? We seem to put a significant amount of effort into finding something as fast as possible over the Internet rather than wait. As these students graduate and other students replace them, I often wonder how the Internet will continue to transform our society and inadvertently, future generations.
The Internet has transformed the way many institutions and organizations function, including the abilities that are required of employees. In Boyer’s book, The Life Informatic: Newsmaking in the Digital Era, he describes the changes in ‘traditional’ news journalism as the Internet becomes a driving force to make news and information available almost immediately. But I wonder, is the demand placed on journalists to be ‘on top of the news’ a reflection of a society filled with individuals who expect this information? Will human workers soon be unable to satisfy our expectations for speed and the availability of information?
