Truth: Can You Handle It?

All of these examples are signs of the times.

And all of them get at a big question: For the Google generation, what happens to the concepts of truth and knowledge in a user-generated world of information saturation?

Librarians for Truth

"We're losing him! We're going to lose him!" Chad Stark frantically clicks back and forth between two windows on his computer screen.

Stark is the sweater vest-wearing, 30-something Hyattsville librarian currently manning AskUsNow, a 24/7 online chat open to Maryland residents who need research help.

A few minutes ago, his computer, located in the grubby employee workroom, had gone ping. A question, from an anonymous user:

"how big do iguanas get?"

AskUsNow, developed four years ago, helps patrons find accurate online information so they don't have to fumble blindly in Google. Librarians: reliably on the front lines of truth protection.

Stark types that he'd be happy to help, but he's not fast enough for the user:

"dude u r boring me."

Stark scrolls quickly through several sites, searching for reputable iguana info.

"u respond slow. please consider taking a typing class."

More pi ngs . Questions that will be answered by other librarians logged on to the system flash up on the screen: