Cornell library as good as Google Answers

free university email service better than pay model?

[amznVibe]

The university compared its free e-mail reference service with Google Answers, a research service created by the operators of the popular search engine

newswire article [newsday.com]

Here is the Cornell page on the subject:
[library.cornell.edu...]

html version of pdf response table [216.239.39.104]

[vitaplease]

Quite a growth for Google answers.

500 specialists. For certain areas such as sports, I would guess it would be difficult for an "academic" librarian to compete with a Google answers specialist.

[amznVibe]

I've never used Google Answers but it looks well done.

I used to love looking up stuff for my older friends who were weren't so savvy with their PC's and impressing them. Then I switched to encoraging them to at least try to do it themselves via Google. Now I just tell them to use Google Answers. For a few dollars it's not worth my time to keep doing it for them.
The few that have tried it have been very pleased with the results.

[CCowboy]

I'm Cheap! Free is Good! They must be using students!

[Marval]

Unfortunately, if you go through the paid answers for the Google version, in some cases the answers are just plain wrong when it comes to topics covered on this board. Shame because someone is earning money giving out false info