Libraries and workspaces

[Taran]

I was looking for some info on a library in one of my campaigns and found an official grading system for Libraries which is consistently used throughout Canada and the U.S.

I know that, often, people are asking how 'work spaces' work in DFRPG and that the Internet is underrated as a quality 'workspace' for research.

Anyways, Whether or not you use workspaces (I do), I thought people might find this interesting:

http://www.mcgill.ca/library/about/collections/collection-policies/levels/

I'd put the Internet at a level 3a, at the very most. 

Level 5 actually has original artifacts.

[Tedronai]

The vast majority of respectable scientific journals are available online (though typically behind paywalls for content past a paper's 'abstract').  I suspect their inclusion would push the internet's hypothetical rating to at least a 3b, if not a mid-4.

[InFerrumVeritas]

I think for most people, the internet is a level 2. 
University students, those with access to databases like JSTOR have level 3.
Most Universities themselves have level 4 for most subjects.
Level 5 would be reserved for things like a university's area of focus or museum collections.  National libraries, the Library of Congress, the Vatican, they're level 5 for every subject.

[Tedronai]

Internet vs Universities
If you've got access through the relevant online paywalls, the only areas a university is likely to surpass your access is in current research projects that specific university is directly involved in.
I don't think that relatively minor failing is enough to drop the internet a full step down the ladder.

re: 'internet for most people'
Wikipedia alone has a wealth of information far surpassing what the Encyclopedias of the mid-90s could ever hope to including in their fill-your-entire-bookshelf dreams.  And that's one website.
The modern non-paywalled internet is solidly beyond a tier 2 library for someone with the knowledge, skill, and/or contacts to find its treasures.
Heck, I'd suggest that the growing body of information resources on youtube is likely threatening to breech beyond tier 2, if it hasn't already.

[Ulfgeir]

And you have things like the Khan academy. And Museums and lots of univerisites put up lots of material for free.

What people forget is research is not just for PhD's, they are also for things a the thesis for a Masters's degree. When I studied here in Sweden, we were told that a Master's Thesis (equivalent to 10 weeks work) should give new information on a national level.

/Ulfgeir

[Taran]

re: 'internet for most people'
Wikipedia alone has a wealth of information far surpassing what the Encyclopaedias of the mid-90s could ever hope to including in their fill-your-entire-bookshelf dreams.  And that's one website.
The modern non-paywalled internet is solidly beyond a tier 2 library for someone with the knowledge, skill, and/or contacts to find its treasures.
Heck, I'd suggest that the growing body of information resources on youtube is likely threatening to breech beyond tier 2, if it hasn't already.

Wikipedia is a good place to start research but I'm not sure how in-depth it is.  The great thing about Wikipedia is the references.  Without those, the articles aren't worth much.  I'm not saying they aren't informative, I'm just saying that, to get in-depth research, you then have to follow the references and read those as well.

Depending on how many of those  you can find on-line or how many need to be ordered or bought is going to influence how high the internet rates on the scale.

I think for most people, the internet is a level 2. 
University students, those with access to databases like JSTOR have level 3.
Most Universities themselves have level 4 for most subjects.
Level 5 would be reserved for things like a university's area of focus or museum collections.  National libraries, the Library of Congress, the Vatican, they're level 5 for every subject.

Looking through that university's collection, it was 3's and 4's down the board.  There was a couple 2's for subjects that don't seem to be that university's speciality.

[InFerrumVeritas]

And you have things like the Khan academy. And Museums and lots of univerisites put up lots of material for free.

What people forget is research is not just for PhD's, they are also for things a the thesis for a Masters's degree. When I studied here in Sweden, we were told that a Master's Thesis (equivalent to 10 weeks work) should give new information on a national level.

/Ulfgeir

You're not going to find detailed information on museum collections from most of their websites.  You'll get highlights and general information.  Hell, half the time you can't get a complete list on their websites. 

The internet, without paywalls, certainly cannot support a masters' thesis that is giving national level new information.  With paywalls, it's a pretty strong maybe.  Hence, internet 2.  Journal databases like JSTOR can make it a 3 (supporting undergraduate and masters' courses). 

[Sanctaphrax]

If I had to do a DFRPG conversion, it'd probably go something like...

1 = Fair
2 = Great
3a = Fantastic
3b = Epic
4- = Legendary
4 = Legendary +1
4+ = Legendary +2

A qualified scientist can generally answer Great questions off-hand, and it looks to me like a level 2 library answers questions of about that level. I extrapolated from there.