1. A Module of the CYC Course Online Search and Information Literacy
Search Techniques
A Module of the CYC Course
Online Search and Information Literacy

2. Common Terms
Internet is a series of computers connected together to share information. The World Wide Web is a subset of the Internet.
A “URL” or “Web Address” is where a page is located.
A browser (such as Internet Explorer or Firefox) is a software program that allows easy use of the web.
“Home Page” is a start page or 1st page of a website.
These are definitions of common terms that will be used.

3. First Mistake to Avoid Typing the wrong things in the wrong boxes.
Use the address box when you have a web address.
Use the subject search box when you don’t know a specific web address for the information you’re looking for.
Beginners often make two very common mistakes.
The address line and the search box are two very different things.
Addresses go in the address box. Search words or phrases (what you want to find) go in the search box.

4. The Address Box
The address box is at the top of the screen. It is labeled: Address
The subject or search box will be to the right of the address bar or lower on the screen. It will not always be clearly labeled.

5. The Search Box
Once you’ve typed in your subject, you may either click “Google Search” or simply press the Enter Key on your keyboard.

6. Search Methods Search Engines From search results:
Trim back a URL
Follow links from a search result
Search within a website
A few common search methods – The most popular is searching with a search engine like Google. Don’t think of your search as ending with the search engine. The results you get may not be what you needed. We’ll review each method quickly.

7. Search Engines Search Engine Examples
Google -
Bing –
Use keywords (not full sentences) to search millions of pages.
In Google results, “sponsored links” are advertisements. Sometimes they are useful, sometimes not, but always keep in mind they showed up in your results because they paid to be there.
Each search engine has a help page if you need suggestions on how to conduct your search.

8. Trim Back a URL Activity – Conduct any search
Choose a result with a long URL and remove all text in the address bar after the top level domain (such as .com, . org, .net)
Press your enter key.
What did you find?
If your searching leads you to a site that is almost what you are looking for, try removing everything in the address bar that comes after the top level domain (such as .com, .org, .net)

9. Search Within a Website
Activity – find out what is meant by “urban legend”.
Search for “urban legend”.
Choose the Snopes result.
Click around inside snopes.com to see if you can find an explanation or definition.
Often a particular website will seem likely to have what you are looking for but requires a bit of wandering.

10. Find it! Who won the world cup in 1978?
Instructor – Customize the search activities to be of most interest to your class.

11. Find it!
What are the symptoms of diabetes?

12. Find it!
Find the nearest outlet stores.

13. Sources
This curriculum was adapted from a workshop created by N. Riesgraf for the Hibbing Public Library (MN). Funding provided by IRRRA Do I.T. Community Technology Awareness Program. Updated March Revised for Jacksonville Public Library Dec 2005 by Kate Holmes.
Additional content created by Connect Your Community, a project of OneCommunity, funded by the federal Broadband Technology Opportunities Program.

14. Creative Commons License
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