Digital Fluency

For the complex research questions you’ll encounter in college, knowing where and how to search for information beyond Google will be essential to your success. Whether you are using freely available data, some of the many resources provided by UMW Libraries, or something else entirely, a digitally fluent student knows how to effectively and ethically navigate the sea of information. As you sift through information, you will learn how to evaluate sources for truthfulness and trustworthiness, critically assessing the source and getting to the facts. Many of your classes will introduce you to one of our excellent librarians who will work with you to define and refine your search and evaluation strategies, so you can get the most out of these resources. 

Your library is an excellent resource for finding reliable and accurate information.  If you don't know where to start, try searching in Quest, in the box on the left.  Quest searches all of the library's holdings -- print and electronic.  

You can also search for research using one of the libary's 200+ databases.  

Interested in the university's history, digital collections, and rare books?  Check out Special Collections and Archives.

The librarians in Simpson Library have created a number of guides to help you dig deeper into research resources in specific disciplines.  Each guide covers finding print and electronic books and articles in the discipline, as well as discipline-specific resources you might want to consult.  The guide links you to the librarian who wrote it, in case you have questions about any of the resources.  

You can also request a research appointment with a librarian to discuss you research in detail.  

Think you can spot fake news and misinformation?  Try your hand at FakeOut!

Identifying accurate, reliable information in the sea of sources we all navigate every day is difficult.  Check out Simpson Library's Evaluating Information guide for help in evaluating all kinds of information resources.