Internet Searching

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Internet Searching
To Surf or not to Surf
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Internet Searching

• The Internet versus the Library
• Complementary
• Current Events vs. Historical Research
• Popular vs. Scholarly
• Copious vs. Selective

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Internet Searching

• The Internet versus the Library
• Content
• Haphazard vs. Standardized Organized
• Unscrupulous vs. Scrutinized
• Transient vs. Permanent

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Internet Searching

• Surface Web
• Deep Web (Invisible Web)
• Search Engines
• Subject Directories
• The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

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Surface Web

• Only 30 of the entire Internet
• Accessed by
• search engines
• subject directories
• Content
• Popular, Personal, Public Domain
• Static fixed Web pages

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Deep Web (Invisible Web)

• 70 of the Internet
• Accessed by direct query or authorization
• Content Information stored in Databases mounted
  on the Web
• Scholarly resources targeted topics
• Library OPACs, subject specific databases
• News, Business, Directories Phone Books,
  Multimedia, Graphic Files, Digital Exhibits

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Deep Web (Invisible Web)

• Search engines cannot/will not index this
  information.
• Some subject directories will link to these sites
• For more information see http//library.albany.ed
  u/internet/deepweb.html

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Internet Searching

• Search Engines
• Specific site wanted (e.g. Lord of the Rings,
  Lakers, CNN)
• 40 overlap among them
• No quality control

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Internet Searching

• Search Engines
• Uses robots, web crawlers, spiders, etc. to match
  characters in specific fields
• Hit lists ranked based on paid inclusion programs
  (except Google which has a separate sponsor list)

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Internet Searching

• Subject Directories
• Topical searches (e.g. movies, sports, news)
• No particular site in mind
• Some are created and maintained by librarians,
  scholars and subject specialists

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Identify Reputable Internet Sites

• Separate the wheat from the chaff
• Use Subject Directories created and maintained
  by scholars, subject specialists and librarians

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Identify Reputable Internet Sites

• Scout Report
• http//scout.wisc.edu/
• INFOMINE Scholarly Internet Resource
  Collections http//infomine.ucr.edu/
• Encyclopaedia Britannica Online
• ? Britannica Internet Guide

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Identify Reputable Internet Sites

• The Digital Librarian
• http//www.digital-librarian.com/
• The Internet Public Library
• http//www.ipl.org/
• BUBL Link (British)
• http//bubl.ac.uk/

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Identify Reputable Internet Sites

• TMC Library OPAC
• TMC Library Web Resources
• WorldCat (FirstSearch)
• See next slide for instructions

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Intelligent Searching
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Clues of Caution when searching the public
Internet in the URL

• A name reflects a personal site representing
  a personal viewpoint

• A .com or .org typically provides biased
  information

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Intelligent Searching
on the site itself

• Lack of ownership or author

• Comic or incendiary language

• Lack of currency

• Bias towards audience, or slant of information
  positive without the negative one sided

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Intelligent Searching
Search Smart

• Check underlying pages, top level pages, and links

• Check domain names with a registry agency
  register.com
• More about domain names http//florin.syr.edu/web
  arch/domains.php3

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Look up the domain registry page at the
appropriate registry agency

• For .com, .edu, .net, .org www.networksolutions.
  com/cgi-bin/whois/whois
• For .gov (U.S. government) www.nic.gov/cgi-bin/w
  hois
• For .mil (U.S. military)
  www.nic.mil/cgi-bin/whois

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Look up the domain registry page at the
appropriate registry agency

• For Asian-Pacific www.apnic.net/apnic-bin/whois.
  pl
• For European www.ripe.net/cgi-bin/whois
• The rest of the world www.uninett.no/navn/domreg.
  html

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Intelligent Searching

• Visit web sites that post hoaxes
• Does it have the HON seal Health on the Net
  foundation
• Look for Web site awards or other organizational
  seals of approval
• Professional associations

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Evaluate EverythingPhysical AND Electronic

• Consider the following
• Purpose and Scope
• Source, Authorship, Publishing Body
• Content and Currency
• Style and Functionality
• Bias
• Verifiability

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Evaluating Resources

• These Research Guides will be helpful
• Evaluating Resources www.masters.edu/rgevaluatingr
  esources
• An easy way to help evaluate the usefulness of
  research resources both paper and electronic
• Covers purpose, source, content, style and
  functionality
• Web Page Evaluation www.masters.edu/rgwebpageevalu
  ation

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Evaluating Resources

• Use Subject Directories to find Web sites that
  teach how to evaluate resources
• Library Web site ? Web Resources ? Topic
  Research/Writing ? Type All Types ? Sub-topic
  Evaluating Resources

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Evaluating Internet Resources

• Evaluating Web Pages Techniques to Apply
  Questions to Ask, UC Berkeley - Teaching Library
  Internet Workshops http//www.lib.berkeley.edu/Tea
  chingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html
• Evaluating Information Found on the Internet,
  Johns Hopkins University - http//www.library.jhu.
  edu/researchhelp/general/evaluating/

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Evaluating Internet Resources

• Evaluating Internet Resources, University at
  Albany, SUNY,- http//library.albany.edu/internet/
  evaluate.html
• Evaluating Web Pages, Duke University -
  http//www.lib.duke.edu/libguide/evaluating_web.ht
  m

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Evaluating Internet Resources

• Librarians' Internet Index - http//lii.org/
• For annotated descriptions of many good guides to
  evaluating Web pages search the subject
• Evaluation of Internet Resources

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Research Strategies Internet Searching Helps
• Search Engines
• Subject Directories
• Evaluating Resources

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Research Strategies

• Badke. Research Strategies finding your way
  through the information fog. Lincoln, NE Writers
  Club Press / iUniverse.com, 2000 ISBN
  0595100821 Price 15 est.
• DDC 001.42/B142r/2000
• http//www.acts.twu.ca/LBR/research.htm

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Internet Search Helps

• UC Berkeley http//www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLi
  b/Guides/Internet/FindInfo.html
• University of Albany http//library.albany.edu/in
  ternet/searchnet.html

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Internet Search Helps
How to choose a Search Engine or a Subject
Directory http//library.albany.edu/internet/choo
se.html
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Search Engines Subject Directories
University of Tennessee Search
Engines http//www.lib.utk.edu/refs/search.html  S
earch Engine Watch http//www.searchenginewatch.co
m SearchIQ http//www.zdnet.com/searchiq/
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Search Engines
Go to University at Albany http//library.albany.e
du/internet/engines.html for an abstracted list
of Search Engines, Meta Search Engines, Deep Web
Collectors, Specialty Search Engines, Domain
names, Multi-media Images finders, New Page
Trackers
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Subject Directories
Go to University at Albany http//library.albany.e
du/internet/subject.html for an abstracted list
of Academic Professional Subject Directories
Commercial Directories Portals
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Evaluate EverythingPhysical AND Electronic

• http//milton.mse.jhu.edu8001/research/education/
  net.html
• http//www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Eva
  luation.html

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The end.
Questions?
From the library Web site select Library
Services ? Ask-A-Librarian or go to
http//www.masters.edu/libraries/AskALibrarian.asp