ALA | vol3 children tables

Stage	Description/Possible Pitfalls (Kuhlthau, 1997)	WWW (Why maybe Worse on the Web)
1. Initiation	Thoughts need to turn from “what does the teacher want?” to “what do I want to know and learn?”	Evidence that children are anxious to use the computer and may be less inclined to spend time up front thinking about what they are interested in (Jacobson and Ignacio, Nahl and Harada).
2. Selection	Identify general area of interest	Will ease of locating information on the Internet become a primary determinant of what students choose to research?
3. Exploration	Users may try to collect copious/consistent information before their focus is formulated (see next stage); complicated due to inconsistent info	There is even more information, it may be even more inconsistent, and it may not have undergone a review process.Tremendous amounts of time can be spent.
4. Formulation	Important for students to “formulate a focused perspective” and to get an “understanding of what is enough . . . to avoid feeling overwhelmed” (716)”	It is almost impossible not to feel overwhelmed. Issue of “enough” is much more complex in abundant environment.
5. Collection	Gather information pertaining to focus	Evaluation of resources is more critical. As more time is spent in exploration, less time remains to peruse and evaluate critically. Librarian is not necessarily an authority, although she or he may still be perceived as such.
6. Presentation	Need to incorporate a personal perspective	Cutting and pasting makes it too easy to produce a report without incorporating a personal perspective. Complicated if formulation stage is not effectively resolved (which may be more likely to happen in digital library).