 |
|
|
| TUTORIALS | SEARCH TOOLS | METASEARCH | SPECIAL | TIPS |
New to the Internet? Avoid frustration! Take a few minutes to work through one of the many Internet tutorials that can be found on the Web.
Finding Information on the Internet - Berkeley online teaching guide.
Netscape Tutorial - Written for the Southwest Library Services by Judith Murray Griffiths.
(up
to top of page)
(up
to top of page)
(up
to top of page)
(up
to top of page)
SEARCHING TIPS
by Judith Murray Griffiths,
Southwest Regional Library Service System, Durango CO
The information on the Internet is not neatly organized like the information in a library. Beginners may find it easier to browse a hierarchical subject index like Yahoo!. While Yahoo does allow you to enter keywords for a search, it is only searching the pages it has categorized in is subject index.
There are hundreds of keyword search engines that are freely accessible on the Web. Seven of the most popular search engines are listed on this page. A good, overall strategy is to learn three search engines well and to use them all each time you search. Each of them works in a slightly different way and your search results will be different in each.
It is also a good idea to learn the advanced search features of the search engines you choose to use. You can find this information in the search engines' online HELP files. For example, you can limit your results significantly on most search engines by enclosing phrases in quotation marks instead of searching phrases as strings of keywords. Using the phrase "civil war" enclosed in quotes yields more precise search results than just using the words, civil war, without quotes.
Metasearch engines can be useful because they perform searches with several or more engines at the same time. The disadvantage is that they do not usually take advantage of the advanced search features of the various engines.
(up
to top of page)
| MAIN PAGE | ABOUT US | LIBRARY CATALOG | OUR CALENDAR | FRIENDS | KIDS |
library@fone.net
Last revised May 2003