Thing 34 Is it a competition? Online answer sites

Well, you don't know what you don't know. This can be good or bad for librarians. People may just blindly trust that they are finding the best information out there. Or they may get frustrated by conflicting information or overwhelmed by the amount of information and turn to an expert... their librarian. In the school setting, however, we are in a position to teach the evaluation of online resources and about the reliability of databases and where to locate trustworthy information. They can also teach how to do a efficient search.
In defense of the library, I had the opportunity to point out to our school board that the abundance of information actually introduces a necessary new skill set for our students and faculty.

Some people, including myself, don't like to ask for help, especially if we can "do it ourselves". On the other hand, I love helping people. So I think part of the trick to staying relevant is to be as approachable as possible and be willing to approach someone who may not realize they need your help... yet. I think this openness is easier in the school setting when the topic is school work versus personal research. I have also thought of making myself available online which might be more possible when your audience is a little more finite in the school setting.

I love the idea of Slam the Boards because it is going where the people are going for answers. Many of these people wouldn't consider the library as a place for answers... just because they are wrapped up in their own busy lives... this could be a great reminder and aha moment for some.

Wow, Metafilter... it's just so random... I see the tags and search. This is a site I had never been to before. Who is sitting around waiting to answer all of these questions? I understand better the original premise of this Thing.

I would definitely not want to field some of the questions I saw on these sites. I also was surprised at some of the young people who gave their age and were asking some pretty mature questions. It makes me think again about balancing curiosity and being a careful monitor of computer use of children. If only communication lines were open enough that there were always trusted adults kids could go to.

I also looked at questions about Children's Literature, an area of interest. Most of these questions were about looking long lost books vaguely remembered by their now adult readers.