The Google Generation

In this book, largely based on the British Library/JISC-funded research project Behaviour of the Researcher of the Future, Gunter (mass communications, Univ. of Leicester, UK), David Nicholas (information studies, Univ. Coll. London), and Ian Rowlands (information studies, Univ. Coll. London) explore the relationship between advances in information/communication technologies (ICT) and the information-seeking behaviors of college students today. The findings are disappointing, as little evidence was unearthed. A few "Google generation" myths are refuted and others weakly supported. The authors focus too much on what has changed in the publishing/broadcasting marketplace, looking back at traditional media and scholarly content accessibility instead of presenting what is genuinely new and how that may affect teaching practices and scholarship. While database-browsing behaviors and search-query building is interesting to library and teaching practitioners, crowd-sourcing information and the rise of the smartphone app are potentially more disruptive to higher education practices. More search-behavior research is clearly required.