Searching the Web Better: Strategies for Natives and Fluent Foreigners

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Searching the Web BetterStrategies for Natives
and Fluent Foreigners

• Rachel Fleming
• 2007 Information Literacy Workshop
• Central College, Pella Iowa

Adapted from Weare, William H Jr. Beyond Google
Tips Tricks Teaching Web Search Strategies to
the Digital Natives ILA/ACRL Spring Conference
2006
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Google Tips Tricks

• Find a definition
• Find a phone number
• Check the performance of a stock
• Check the weather
• Get movie show times
• Do simple math calculations
• Convert currency rates
• GOOGLE

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Digital Natives
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The Internet Has Everythingish

• Google
• Keywords
• Random
• Frustrating
• Abandon Searches
• Needs?
• The Wheel?

• Scott, Thomas J., and Michael K. OSullivan.
  Analyzing Student Search Strategies Making a
  Case for Integrating Information Literacy Skills
  into the Curriculum. Teacher Librarian 33, no. 1
  (2005) 21-25.

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So

• If students are easily frustrated, and fail
  frequently, why do they continue to use search
  engines to find information?

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The Web Satisfices

• OED
• To decide on and pursue a course of action that
  will satisfy the minimum requirements necessary
  to achieve a particular goal.

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Information Literacy Competency Standards for
Higher Education

• The information literate student determines the
  nature and extent of the information needed.
• The information literate student accesses needed
  information effectively and efficiently.
• Information Literacy Competency Standards for
  Higher Education. Chicago Association of
  College and Research Libraries, 2000.

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Major Search Providers
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Overview Four Major Search Providers

• Google
• Full-text search engine http//www.google.com/
  
• Directory http//www.google.com/dirhp
• Yahoo!
• Searchable subject index http//dir.yahoo.com/
  
• Clean screen (search engine) http//search.yahoo.
  com/
• MSN
• Clean screen (search engine) http//www.live.com/
  
• Searchable subject index http//www.msn.com/
• Ask
• Full-text search engine http//ask.com/

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Isnt it all the same?

• If we did the same search in each of these four
  search providers, what is the likelihood that a
  site will show up on the first page of all four
  providers?

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Not Really.

• 1.1
• Dogpile Search Engine Overlap Study(July 2005)

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Not the same at all.

• 84.9 of results were unique
• 11.4 of results were found using two
• 2.6 of results were found using three
• 1.1 of results were found using all four

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Diversify

• Try another Search Engine
• Try different terms
• Limit your frustration

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Comparing Search Engines

• Langreiter.com
• http//www.langreiter.com/exec/yahoo-vs-google.htm
  l
• Thumbshots Ranking
• http//ranking.thumbshots.com/
• Jux2
• http//www.jux2.com/
• Gooyaglehoo
• http//www.gooyaglehoo.com/
• Dogpiles Search Comparison Tool
• http//comparesearchengines.dogpile.com/

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Search Tools

• Everyday Search Tools
• Web (Google) Powertools
• Blueprints

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Everyday Tools

• Phrase Searching
• Natural Language
• Boolean Operators
• Nesting
• Truncation
• Wildcards
• Proximity

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Phrase Searching

• Des Moines River 1,760,000
• Des Moines River 218,000

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Natural Language Searching

• What is the population of Des Moines?
• Who won the Preakness?
• Who sings backup on Alan Jacksons Monday
  morning church?
• What were the main causes of WWI?
• ASK

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Boolean Operators Nesting

• Boolean Operators
• AND OR NOT

• Nesting
• A AND ((B OR C) NOT D)

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Using AND

• Spinach 12,500,000
• Fresh Spinach 1,960,000
• Fresh Spinach 551,000
• Fresh Spinach e coli 71,600
• Fresh Spinach e coli safety 40,200
• Fresh Spinach e coli
• safety guidelines 10,100
• Fresh Spinach e coli
• safety guidelines 314

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Using OR

• Adoption 132,000,000
• Adoption birth parents 713,000
• Adoption biological parents 346,000
• Adoption (birth parents OR
• biological parents) 958,000

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Using NOT

• Gettysburg 6,370,000
• Gettysburg -battle 1,950,000
• Gettysburg -address 1,990,000
• Gettysburg -college 1,980,000
• Gettysburg -battle -address college
• 1,810,000
• Gettysburg ship 677,000
• USS Gettysburg 17,700

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Truncation / Wildcards / Proximity

• Truncation
• Librar
• Wildcards
• Wom?n
• Proximity
• Within or near
• Tax NEAR Reform
• GOOGLE

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Power Tools

• Advanced Search
• Limiters
• Domain or site
• File format
• Field
• Related sites
• Preferences
• GOOGLE

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Limit the Search by Site or Domain

• Syntax
• site
• frank deford 783,000
• frank deford site.si.com 9

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Limit the Search by File Type

• Syntax
• filetype
• MLA EBSCOhost help filetype.pdf

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Limit Search Fields

• Syntax
• intitle restricts the search to the title of the
  page
• inurl restricts the search to the URL
• intext restricts the search to the text only

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Search Fields Limiting example
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Find Related Sites

• Syntax
• related
• relatedwww.central.edu
• GOOGLE

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Preferences

• Language
• Number of Results per page
• GOOGLE

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Search Strategy Questions

• What is it exactly that I am looking for?
• What form might that be in?
• Where might I find this information?
• What terms will be on that page?

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What form might that be in?

• Books
• Journals
• Archival materials
• Biographical information
• Conference proceedings
• Government publications
• Literary criticism

• Photographs
• Maps
• Interviews
• Magazines
• Newspaper articles
• Primary source materials
• Statistics/ statistical databases
• Tabular data

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Where might I find this information?

• Is there a government agency that is associated
  in some way with my question or data?
• Can I name an organization that is associated in
  some way with my question or data?
• Do I know the name of an expert in this field?
  Does she have a website? What organization is
  she affiliated with?

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What terms will be on that page?

• What would someone use to describe the
  information?
• Think of synonyms/alternate terms
• What kind of indicator words might appear on the
  page?
• Links Membership
• News / Newsroom About / About us
• Press Releases Archives
• Information Books Journals
• Publications Contact us
• FAQ Directory
• Search Education
• Site Map Fact Sheet
• Start narrow and broaden.

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Examples

• Topic the reintroduction of DDT in Africa as a
  way to combat Malaria.
• Average
• Africa DDT 731,000
• Africa DDT malaria 328,000
• Kenya DDT malaria 107,000
• Better
• Africa DDT malaria sitebbc.co.uk 158
• DDT malaria sitego.ke 2

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On target

• PDF STATE OF ENVIRONMENT (SoE) REPORT
• FOR KENYA, 2003
• File Format PDF/Adobe Acrobat - View as
  HTMLMalaria accounts for over 30 of morbidity
  making it a leading cause of death. ...
  polychlorinated biphenyls, PCBs, dioxins,
  pesticides, DDT and heavy ...www.nema.go.ke/downl
  oads/SOE03summary.pd
• PDF NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
• File Format PDF/Adobe Acrobat - View as HTMLof
  use of DDTs to fight malaria. We must again ...
  shut out Kenya's exports out of their markets if.
  we attempt to use DDT. We have got flowers
  ...www.bunge.go.ke/downloads/hansard/RDRAFT25.pdf
  -

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Examples

• exotic pets 1,070,000
• exotic pets fact sheet 556
• exotic pets fact sheet sitepeta.org 4

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Examples

• Vioxx 5,720,000
• Vioxx (risks OR side effects) 1,230,000
• Vioxx (risks OR side effects) sitegov
  845
• Vioxx (risks OR side effects) sitefda.gov
  182
• Vioxx (risks OR side effects) press release
  sitefda.gov 24

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Questions?

• Google
• Full-text search engine http//www.google.com/
  
• Directory http//www.google.com/dirhp
• Yahoo!
• Searchable subject index http//dir.yahoo.com/
  
• Clean screen (search engine) http//search.yahoo.
  com/
• MSN
• Clean screen (search engine) http//www.live.com/
  
• Searchable subject index http//www.msn.com/
• Ask
• Full-text search engine http//ask.com/

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Contact

• Rachel Fleming
• Collection Development Librarian
• Geisler Library
• Central College
• 812 University Street
• Pella, IA 50219-1999
• 641-628-5221
• flemingr_at_central.edu