LIBRARIES VS. SEARCH ENGINES: CULTIVATING CRITICAL THINKING IN THE DIGITAL ERA

Libraries have an underappreciated position in an era where tools like Google are the prerogative digital search engine. In this paper, we will emphasize the distinct roles libraries play in providing access to reliable, curated content and developing critical thinking skills and working toward lifelong learning. It stitches together a comparison between the segmented, algorithmically-ordered content we find on search engines and the organized, expert-pedagogically direct study spaces we find in libraries. It addresses challenges such as limited funding and evolving user expectations, alongside examples of innovative responses such as digital literacy programs and AI-assisted services. It ends with a re-emphasis of the continuing relevance of libraries, and a call that policy should be directed towards strengthening their role in equitable and meaningful dissemination of knowledge.