Guide to Internet Search Tools

Guides and References

Internet Search Tools

Scope (or what you can expect to find here): This guide is designed to identify resources on the Internet that can be used to help one find information more effectively. The resources discussed in this guide are organized according to the following categories:

  1. Search Engines and Searchable Indexes
    1. Bibliographies to Sources of Information on Search Engines
    2. Information on Specific Search Engines
    3. Search Engine Tutorials
  2. Subject Catalogs and Directories
    1. Guides to Subject Catalogs and Directories
    2. Specific Subject Catalogs Useful for Academic Research
  3. Sources for Information on Evaluating Internet Sites
    1. Bibliographies on How to Evaluate Internet Sites
    2. Guides to Evaluating Internet Sites
  4. Current Awareness Sources
    1. Bibliographies of Current Awareness Sites
    2. Selected Current Awareness Sites

Search Engines and Searchable Indexes

This section contains links to sites that provide information on "searchable indexes." They are commonly called search engines and meta-search engines (such as AltaVista, Excite, or MetaCrawler).

Bibliographies to Sources of Information on Search Engines

  • Literature about Search Services
    A regularly update bibliography of articles and web sites on search engines and search engine comparisons.
  • The "Searching About" page at the Librarians' Index to the Internet contains very useful annotated links to sources of information on various search engines, including several links to sites that offer charts that compare various search engines.
  • The "Search Engine Reviews" page at Search Engine Watch
    Contains lengthy annotated links to articles and web sites on search engines.
  • Understanding and Comparing Web Search Tools

Information on Specific Search Engines

Search Engine Tutorials

Internet Tutorials - University at Albany Libraries
The "Search Engine Tutorials" page at the Search Engine Watch Site
Provides a guide to a variety of sites and sources for tutorials on using search engines.

The "Searching About" page at the Librarians' Index to the Internet
Web Searching, Sleuthing and Sifting (a tutorial designed for newer users)
webTEACHER Tutorial

Subject Catalogs and Directories

The links in this section are to Internet sites or guides to these sites that use human intervention to create directories of Internet sites. These directories can be searched by subject or by a classification system. Most of the sites listed in this section have been chosen because they are recognized as some of the better sites for locating academic material on the Internet.

Guides to Subject Catalogs and Directories (sites which provide information on or links to Internet subject catalogs and directories)

Specific Subject Catalogs Useful for Academic Research

  • Academic Info
    Designed as a guide to resources for the college and university audience. There is a link to this site from our home page. The path is Library Home Page/Internet Resources/General Reference Sources/Internet Guides and Catalogs/Academic Info.
  • Argus Clearinghouse
    Topical guides of recommended sites developed by individuals, some of whom are subject specialists. Each site is rated on a 1 to 5 scale.
  • BUBL LINK: Libraries of Networked Knowledge
    UK site created as a national information site for the UK higher education community. Uses the Dewey Decimal System as one of organizing the links to resources.
  • INFOMINE: Scholarly Internet Resource Collections
    Maintained by librarians in the University of California system, this site is known for its selectivity and the quality of its reviews.
  • Librarians' Index to the Internet
    This site is designed for public library users. It contains over 40 major categories, with many subcategories under each. The annotations for a site are quite lengthy and evaluative.
  • Scout Report Signposts
    This site is designed to permit browsing and searching of the best Internet resources, as chosen by the editorial staff of the Scout Report. Links to Scout Report reviews of the site provided.
  • SOSIG
    UK-based site (with a mirror site housed at the Internet Scout Project) that provides direct links to high quality social science education and research sites.
  • WWW Virtual Library
    The oldest directory on the Internet, the WWW Virtual Library was started by Tim Berners-Lee and is now overseen by Gerard Manning. Subject experts compile many of the directories.

Sources for Information on Evaluating Internet Sites

The links below are to sites that provide assistance in evaluating Internet sites (see the Search Engine and Search Indexes section above for sites that provide assistance in using search engines).

Bibliographies on How to Evaluate Internet Sites

Guides to Evaluating Internet Sites

Current Awareness Sources

These links are to sources that help one keep abreast of information resources on the Web.

Bibliographies of Current Awareness Sources

Selected Current Awareness Sites

  • AC&RL NewsNet Internet Resources
    Reviews of 15 to 20 resources, each month from the ALA College & Research Libraries News.
  • Internet Publications
    Another site maintained by the Internet Scout Project that provides reviews of the major magazines and webzines that focus on the Internet.
  • Internet Resources Newsletter
    A free current awareness newsletter published by the Heriot-Watt University Library staff.
  • LJDigital WebWatch
    Reviews from the Library Journal column on web sites on a particular topic.
  • Scout Report Current Awareness Metapage
  • Web Tools
    Maintained by the Internet Scout Project, this site provides links to sites that provide current information on web tools such as Web Browsers, Web Browser Plug-ins, and Web Authoring Tools.

 

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Last Update March 1999