The Digital Scholar

In “Serendipity, Lost in the Digital Deluge,” Damon Darlin of the New York Times argues that even though we have gained greater access to information and entertainment in the digital age, information technologies are stamping out serendipity–“the fortunate discovery of something we never knew we wanted to find.”

The great thing about the Web is that you can find a website for practically anything you have an interest in; the downside is that you will find exactly that. The vastness of the Web and our ability to access it gives the impression that we are taking advantage of this depth whenever we enter a term in a search engine. The reality is that too often people only find what they want to find on the Web. Keyword searching only gives back a list of websites that are shaped by your particular search term. Any exploration of this list will be shaped by the concept that started your search in the first place. More often than not, though, your search usually stops once you find the piece of information you were originally seeking.

This kind of searching isn’t bad. In fact, it is necessary if you want to pinpoint the information you need within the morass that is the Web. The problem is that you are less likely to find that “something you never knew that you wanted to find” if you solely rely on keyword searching in search engines when exploring a topic.

Librarians have long lamented the loss of serendipity in the digital age, and scholars should as well. You probably have your own story of stumbling upon a book or other information resource you never knew existed that suddenly opened up a whole new field of exploration for you. These are the kinds of moments that make research so exciting. But when was the last time that you can honestly say this kind of moment has happened to you while sitting at your computer?

The practice of serendipity is more art than science, but it still involves using a system or a plan of attack. It is not a totally random act. If you have absolutely no interest in science or political science, say, surrounding yourself with resources on these topics will be a fruitless endeavor–although you may want to stop and explore how these seemingly unrelated topics may actually apply to your area of interest. You might be surprised by what you find.

Reference librarians can often give the impression that they magically have all information at the fingertips. The reality is that they use a kind of serendipity to help guide the person seeking information with the principle, “Go to where you are likely to find the information you need, then look around.” Older research methods were built on this principle, which is why they can still be incredibly valuable for researchers today, if they take the time to practice them.

In his article, Darlin profiles a few search websites that are trying to utilize serendipity in the digital age, although he isn’t satisfied with their results. Here is my own list of seven ways that you can add serendipity to your research. Some of them involve using a computer, but some of them ask you to put it aside and explore the world of information in a different way.

1. Go to a library and browse the stacks. Books in libraries are organized by subject specifically to encourage serendipity. If you don’t know where to start browsing, pick a book that you happen to like and get the call number. Then go to where it should be on the shelf (even if it is already checked out) and start looking around. The great thing about this method is that you can easily pull a book off the shelf to see what it is all about, and you don’t have to wait for it to load onto a computer screen.
2. Surf the Web. Older scholars probably remember the first time they encountered the Web and how much fun it was to follow the links embedded on each website. When was the last time you did this? Again, start with a website you happen to like, and then start following the links.
3. Use the Browse function in a database, rather than the Search box. We usually go to a database and plug our search terms into the search box, because we are looking for something specific. But if the database has a browse function, try to find what you are looking for that way instead. For example, if you have a citation for a journal article, rather than keyword search the title in a database, use the browse function to pull up the journal issue. That way, you can see what other articles were published along with your article and even explore other issues of that journal.
4. Rather than go to Amazon.com for information on a book, go to a library catalog and start exploring the linked subject headings. By clicking on a linked subject heading in a library record for a book, you will usually find yourself in a browsable list of subject headings. (If not, copy the subject heading and enter it into the “Browse subject” or “Subject beginning with . . .” search box.) Start exploring this list and clicking on other subject headings in other book records.
5. Click around in the subject categories on Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, and Borders. Rather than enter a title or subject in the search box, use the Browse categories and see what books appear.
6. Track down sources listed in the notes or bibliography of a book or journal article. Pull out a book or journal article you like and start tracking down the resources that it cites. You can even start “surfing” the citations in the resources you find.
7. Go and talk with a reference librarian. Go to the reference desk or make an appointment with a reference librarian and tell him or her about your area of interest. I bet he or she can guide you to some resources you never knew existed.