Tips & Tricks

Using the Library

Reference Books in your library can give you authoritative dependable information quickly. Your local library keeps on hand medical and pharmaceutical handbooks, consumer buying guides, subject-specific encyclopedias, atlases and many more information-at-your-fingertips materials. Reference books cannot be checked out of the library, so they are always there for you to use. Ask your librarian for help; that is what librarians like to do most.

 

Evaluating Web Content

Check that:

1. The author has expertise on the topic.

2. The source of the content is stated.

3. The content can be independently verified from other sources.

4. The information is current & the site maintained.

5. The site includes contact information.

Source:Cohen, Laura and Trudi Jacobson. 2008.Evaluating Web Content, library.albany.edu/usered/eval/evalweb/

 

Safe Surfing Tips

Usually people who request personal info use this to send you ads. But sometimes predators use this info to begin indecent or illegal relationships or to harm a person's or family's well-being. So:

  1. Remain as anonymous as possible. Never give out your full name, address, phone num., social security #, passwords, name of family members, or credit card info.
  2. Create an email or screen name with random numbers & letters that don't identify whether you're a guy or a girl.
  3. Meeting online friends in the real world carries more risks because people can easily pretend to be something they're not.
  4. If you get involved in a chatroom conversation that makes you feel uncomfortable for any reason, tell an adult right away so they can report the incident. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children has a reporting form called CyberTipline.
  5. Cyberbullying refers to cruel/bullying messages sent to you online - maybe from former friends or others you know. It's better to ignore the messages than to answer them. If ignoring them doesn't make them go away, tell a parent, school counselor, or trusted adult - especially if the emails contain threats.
  6. If you don't recognize the sender of a document or file that needs to be downloaded, delete it without opening it. And make sure your virus protection software is up-to-date.