I. SEARCH ENGINES:
- Search engines provide a means of searching the
World Wide Web for a topic similar to keyword searching in the library
catalog.
- Search engines operate software programs called
robots or "bots" which retrieve results for you. Retrieval
robots are programmed to place more relevant information at the top
of the result list.
- Search engines are robot-built and robot-operated
and these sites are not evaluated or organized by people.
- All search engines are different in terms of
size, content, speed, search options, and ranking mechanisms. It may
be worthwhile to use different engines to compare results and do a
thorough exploration of a topic.
Examples of Search Engines:
Google
(google.com)
AltaVista
(av.com)
Hotbot
(hotbot.com)
2. METASEARCH ENGINES:
- Metasearch engines search numerous sets of individual
search engines and subject directories simultaneously.
- Metasearch engines do not return all the results
retrieved from the individual engines they are searching.
- The results of searches tend to be quite relevant
because the results are compiled from the top of the various search
engine lists.
- However, metasearchers are run by programs and
are not selected or evaluated by people.
- Metasearch engines offer only snapshots of the
contents of the search engines, not all of the sites contained in
each individual engine.
Examples of Metasearch Engines:
ixquick
(ixquick.com)
Vivisimo
(vivisimo.com)
Profusion
(profusion.com)
3. SUBJECT DIRECTORIES:
- Subject directories are developed and maintained
by human editors, not electronic robots.
- The editors review and select sites to include
in their directories. The resources they list usually have a descriptive
annotation.
- Directory editors usually organize directories
into browsable subject categories and sub-categories.
- With people actually maintaining the subject
directories, these directories usually deliver a higher quality of
relevant results than search engines do.
- The directories are not likely to contain an
abundant number of sites and links, but rather a select important
few.
- Subject directories are best for browsing a broad
topic.
Examples of Subject Directories:
Open
Directory Project (dmoz.org)
LookSmart
(looksmart.com)
Yahoo
(yahoo.com)
4. LIBRARY GATEWAYS AND SPECIALIZED DATABASES:
- Library gateways are collections of informational
web sites, arranged by subject, that have been recommended, evaluated,
and organized by librarians or other specialists.
- These gateways identify academic and scholarly
web pages.
- The gateways are likely to have less web sites
to chose from but each site will likely have relevant information
on the topic.
- Specialized databases are a collection of sites
pertaining to a single subject, created by professors, researchers,
governmental agencies, and individuals who have a knowledge of a particular
subject and have compiled resources on this subject.
Examples of Library Gateways:
Internet
Public Library (ipl.org)
Librarian's
Index to the Internet (lii.org)
Examples of Specialized Databases:
Internet
Movie Database (imdb.com)
PsychCrawler
(psychcrawler.com)
For further information, please visit the
very helpful and detailed web site:
Bare
Bones 101: Basic Tutorial for Searching the Web (http://www.sc.edu/beaufort/library/bones.html).
*The Bare Bones 101 web page was created by Ellen
Chamberlain, Head Librarian at the University of South Carolina Beaufort
Campus and is linked here with her permission.
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