This afternoon, the Science Lab will play host to a demonstration of the scholarly uses of everyone’s favorite ubiquitous search engine – Google.

The event, titled “To Infinity and Beyond: A Tour of the Google Universe,” is sponsored by University Libraries and hopes to show that Google’s extensive capabilities are worthy of Buzz Lightyear’s catchphrase.

“We wanted to give everyone the idea that you can really do a lot with Google as long as you have some basic tools under your belt and are able to navigate it properly and efficiently,” said Diana Hartle, reference librarian at the Science Library.

The event will include demonstrations of better searching in the basic Google search engine and will look at Google Books and Google Scholar, two Google features that, though they might be less known than Google Earth or Google Image Search, now offer much more to students.

“The nice thing about these features in Google is that a lot of them are now compatible with library resources,” said Hartle. “There’s a feature in Google Books that allows you to see if the UGA Library owns that book. We’re going to tell people how you can do that.”

With University library resources now integrated into what has become the world’s pre-eminent search engine, students have new and convenient avenues to explore when researching a paper or seeking out information for other projects.

“I think it’s great that Google and the University are teaming up to enhance the free flow of information to students,” said Laura Patterson, a senior from Powder Springs.

If some of the resources provided by Google Books and Google Scholar seem familiar, look no further than the University System of Georgia’s GALILEO.

GALILEO offers many of the same features as these Google products and has been a mainstay of the University’s library system for some time now.

“We spend a lot of money on other resources that are available on GALILEO, and we would recommend that a student start (his or her research) in one of those resources,” Hartle said. “But we recognize that Google is a force to be reckoned with. It’s everywhere. We’re sort of realizing that it’s a losing battle.”

The simplicity Google is known for may become a real draw for students looking for an alternative to GALILEO.

“I use GALILEO sometimes, but it’s more complicated to use than Google Scholar,” said Mallory Parker, a junior from Sylvania. “GALILEO is useful, too, so I guess you can use both to get your information. It’ll be nice to have another source.”

The event is open to all University students, faculty and staff.