Before Google Reflection

At first, I found the Before Google assignment to be incredibly intimidating. Regardless of the course, never before had I been assigned to collect information on a specific topic without utilizing online resources. Regardless of the search engine, the internet and other online scholarly sources had always been applicable to by studies. This project was challenging because I simply did not know where to begin.

Although relatively short, my time at the Rose Library helped me to appreciate the work and skill of the Emory librarians. Upon my arrival, I was able to sit down and talk about what my research hoped to achieve. I told the librarian that I was searching for documents that could help me learn more about Emory’s history as a major university. We spoke for about fifteen minutes, working to narrow my research question. With her help, I realized that it would be useful to look over the journals of former Emory president, Henry L. Bowden. During his 16-year tenure as Emory’s seventeenth president, Bowden helped to significantly grow the school’s endowment, helping to transform Emory into the highly-regarded institution it is today.

I found the Before Google exercise to be incredibly worthwhile. Although online resources are extremely helpful, and provide millions of individuals with access to a plethora of critical information, I learned that physical documents are also helpful from a research prospective. By participating in this micro project, I now realize that the term search engine does not necessarily relate only to computers. Instead, physical documents such as journal entries, and essays, are also forms of search engines because they provide interested parties with important first-person information and prospective, which in turn can aid in the development of strong conclusions.