Is Google becoming the only research tool for our next generation?

There is an article at guardian.co.uk where they compare google as a mean of finding specific information against various methods such as library or calling a friend. Rather interesting non-technical read, and brings us to our main question: are we overly dependent on google, or rather, the internet as a mean of research? Will google (or any other search engine topping google in the future) be the 'one-stop-shop' for your next generation to find what they are looking for? And is that something we really want?

I'm sure older junkies like me had the experience of researching for term paper / project with nothing but a library full of dead-tree materials. These tiny rectangular boxes we call books used to be the only sources we gather materials, information and knowledge. It was tedious, but at the same time, it was satisfying when you found what you're looking for.

Google as a research tool, in my opinion (and this being my blog, my opinion rulez), makes things a little too quick and easy for school children and teenagers. When you want to write an essay on the causes of second world war, one go at google will get you thousands of essays from other people, information and numbers on the war that would normally take hours or even days to gather from the library. Simple "cut-n-paste" makes it even easier to brainlessly combine efforts from other authors into their own little masterpiece.