There is a "clash of civilizations" going on in the information field--a clash characterized by a brash upstart, Google, and its attendant creations, Google Scholar and Google Books, and the old guard represented by the library world. Librarians who deprecate Google Scholar or simply ignore the Google phenomenon do so at their own risk. Google Scholar, along with Google Books, is the 800-pound gorilla standing in the middle of the room that cannot be simply wished away. In this article, the author talks about Google Scholar and how it can be used for library instruction classes as well as a research tool appropriate to use as an adjunct to other library resources.