I belong to a wonderful medical librarian discussion list which provides a forum for members of the Medical Library Association and other health sciences information professionals to discuss issues of mutual interest.  In early May, a library manager from Wales shared that Iceland’s tourist agency just launched a project called “Ask Gudmundur” – an extremely creative and clever way to encourage potential visitors to ask questions about Iceland via social media.  Their marketing message is simple — “If you’ve got a question about Iceland which the Internet can’t answer, a new “human search engine” might be able to help.”  Their video clip illustrates the type of questions posed to the great and all-knowing Gudmundur (by the way, Gudmundur is actually seven people with each member of the team coming from one of Iceland’s seven regions).

What wasn’t lost on me is the value that comes with having a “human search engine” or librarian answer your research question.  While “googling the answer” has become the norm for many individuals, don’t forget that Google might not always be the best first choice. Google will certainly return the largest number of search results for you to peruse, but if you want targeted results that have a high level of relevance to what you need to know or want to learn – partnering with your reference librarian will definitely deliver better results.

So the next time you want to just Google it… think about your question and the resources available to you. There are several ways to reach reference and all library staff – our ASK US page outlines your options. And while we don’t have a “Gudmundur”, I can share that your experience partnering with us will make you glad that you did! As Neil Gaiman, author and honorary 2010 speaker during National Library week at the McFadden Memorial Lectures Series (Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library) stated, “Google can bring you back 100,000 answers, a librarian can bring you back the right one.”  

Donna Gibson
Director of Library Services