Using The Right Tools Information Searching by using the right tools. by Dolores Jordan August 1,2006

If you want to … Build a house, you need the right tools. Bake a cake, you need the right tools.

Tools For Information Searching… Search Engines Meta search engines Subject Directories Specialized Databases subject/gateways/portals/subscription Other tools

What are they? searchable database of Internet files collected by a computer program How they work? “crawl" or "spider" the web identifies web pages to be included in the database indexes the text, links, and other content in the page an interface, which scans, for keywords within the index. return results by term relevancy,peer ranking, and concept processing. Search Engines

Examples: Google Wisenut WiseNutWiseNut Ask.comhttp:// m/?o=0http:// m/?o=0 When to use them: When you have a narrow or obscure topic or idea to research When you are looking for a specific site When you want to search the full text of millions of pages When you want to retrieve a large number of documents on your topic

Metasearch Engines What are they? Simultaneously search multiple search engines. Have no database of own How they work- return a single list of results from multiple sources duplicate files removed. collates the results in a predetermined maximum "number" such as 10 or 20

Metasearch Engines When to use: when you want relatively small number of relevant results for obscure topics when you want to get an overall picture of what is available on your topic you want to search a variety of sources on the same topic simultaneously Examples: Clusty clusty.comclusty.com Dogpile dogpile.comdogpile.com KartOO kartoo.comkartoo.com Mamma mamma.commamma.com

Subject Directories What is it? Directory is a collection or database of web sites classified in a meaningful way Subject directory is a listing of subjects organized into categories. Allows for searching Invisible Web. How they work- created and maintained by HUMANS organized into hierarchical subject categories Often annotated with descriptions only main page of a Web site is included. Can browse subject categories or search using broad, general terms

Subject Directories When to use: When you are starting out or have a broad topic When you want to get quickly to the best sites on a topic When you are looking for a group of similar sites on the same topic when you are more interested in categories than specific sites Examples: Yahoohttp://yahoo.com/ Librarian Index to the Internet WWW Virtual Library KidsClick sunsite.berkeley.edu/KidsCli ck! sunsite.berkeley.edu/KidsCli ck!

Specialized Databases Explores the "invisible web" or "deep web." Databases devoted to specific information including special areas,images, news, multimedia Very selective and organized collections of recommended links Also known as resource guides,portals, gateways, subject specific databases and subscription databases

Portals what variety of tools (search engines, directory, news, weather, stock information, etc.) all on a single page when “start page” or “home” page that can be personalized to individual interests Gateways subject directory specializing in web pages compiled by some expert. starting place for getting to the most relevant material on the Web on a specific topic Subscription databases services including newspaper, magazine, and encyclopedia article databases, which are not available for free on the Internet. Access is limited want access to selected, evaluated, and annotated collections prefer quality over quantity

Specialized databases Gateways/PortalsSubscriptions examplesFirstGovforkids PowerLibrary HighSchoolAce MSN.com Gateway for Educational Resources Internet Movie Database Pics4Learning- image database Awesome Library Searchasuarus Kids Infobits Ebscohost Biography Reference Bank

Other tools Listservs discussion carried on by professionals or specialists within a field, mailing lists that automatically send to your address Groups are generally devoted to a specific interest, accessed by visiting a Web browser Webrings connected group of Web sites, a collection of affiliated pages with a common subject or theme Blogs ongoing conversations that can be open to anyone or a group of people with passwords. can be visible to all or can be maintained on a school server

So go ahead- Bake something…. Build something…. Search for something… You have the tools!

Works Consulted Elkordy, Angela. Web Searching, Sleuthing and Sifting.February 18, July Finding Information on the Internet: A Tutorial Ed. Joe Barker UC Berkley Library. Regents of the University of California. 29 July Google. “Google Logo” Google.com Hock,Randolph. The Extreme Searcher’s Internet Handbook. New Jersey: CyberAge Books, Internet Tutorials. Ed. Laura Cohen.2006.University Libraries. University at Albany. 29 July

KartOO. “KartOO Genie Image”. Kartoo.com KidsClick. “ KidsClick! Image”. Lilly, Vickie. lab003.jpg. 3/1/1996. Pics4Learning. 31 Jul Pezzulo, Judy. Information Searching, Retrieval, and Presentation Strategies. Course Home Page.May –August School Library and Information Technology. Mansfield University. July 2006 Search Engine Watch. Ed. Danny Sullivan.2006.Incisive Interacting Marketing LLC. July Tools. “Tools Image” freephoto1.com Young, Terrence E., Jr. "The Invisible Web." Book Report. May/June Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost.