Welcome to “From Our Shelves” where I read a book from our library collections and write a short review about it. This week I am featuring Verified: how to think straight, get duped less, and make better decisions about what to believe online (link to library catalog) by Mike Caulfield and Samuel S. Wineburg.
This book is an essential guide everyone using the internet needs to have handy. This book teaches how to be skeptical of what you see online and how to evaluate it. In a time when the internet and social media are full of scams, click bait, rage bait, and other deceptions, this book gives you the tools to separate the crap from the few good things that remain.
Caulfield, one of the two coauthors, created the SIFT method (Stop, Investigate, Find other coverage, Trace the claim). This is one of the research methods we teach here in library instruction to empower our students to evaluate what they find online and act accordingly. Their lessons are relatively easy and teach you how to assess quickly, so you can find the information you need and navigate the web efficiently.
Locally, this book may be of interest in writing classes that require research. It may also be of interest for some journalism classes.
If you read this book, or any other book in our collections or just any interesting book, feel free to leave a comment and let us know.
