Searching the Web

Searching the Web
Skokie Public Library | http://www.skokielibrary.info/ | April 14, 2010

Browsers
Internet Explorer (PC)
Firefox (Any)
Safari (Mac)
Google Chrome (Any)
Many others
Search Engines
Essentially a program that sends out requests to the Internet for information, then returns that information in index form.
Proprietary: Searches are different for every search engine depending on their program
Search engines do not find the same information
Navigating the Internet

Common things found in Web sites
URL screen
A URL is the address of a Web site. It shows where the site is located.
Menus
History
Bookmarks / Favorites
Find / Find of page
Search box
Ads
Main content
Additional menus
Examples
http://www.amazon.com/
http://www.newsweek.com/

Navigating the Internet URL enter screen Advertisements Main Content Other options / Search Menu Find on a page Tabs History / bookmarks

Internet Safety
Maintain a healthy suspicion
Unknown email / spam
Purchasing things from unknown companies
Signing up for things / registering
“ Too good to be true” advertising
Cosider purchasing anti-virus software (Norton, McAfee, etc.)
Be involved with children’s Internet usage
More information:
Web Wise Kids
http://www.webwisekids.org/index.asp?page=parents
Microsoft’s Online Safety and Privacy Education
http://www.microsoft.com/protect/
Snopes (website dedicated to debunking online frauds, scams, etc.)
http://www.snopes.com/

General Search tips
Some search strategies are almost always useful
Different sites treat the same search actions differently
However, the same principals can be applied
Most search engines and databases have a <Help> option (When in doubt, check <help>!)
Usually located in one of the search engine’s menus
Try guessing the url (ex: www.microsoft.com )
Generally, more words used in a search give fewer results and less words give more results.
Additional Resources with search help
UC Berkley tutorial
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/FindInfo.html
Pandia tutorial
http://www.pandia.com/goalgetter/
Search Basics

Boolean Operators ( AND , OR , and NOT)
AND:
Limits the number of ‘hits’ (results) you receive
In many search sites, this is implied (if you type two or more words, it assumes you want x AND y AND z, etc.)
OR:
Increases the number of ‘hits’ you receive
Synonyms for words can be used
NOT:
Limits the number of ‘hits’ you receive
Useful for getting rid of words that have more than one meaning
Ex: Sun NOT Microsystems
Sometimes a (-) sign (like for Google)
Advanced Search

Phrase Search
Usually quotation marks are used: “ “
Useful for a specific search (song lyrics, part of a poem, etc.)
Ex: “ fly me to the moon”
Truncation and Wildcards
Used as placeholders for additional characters - usually ( * )
Truncation = finds any characters that come after the placeholder
Ex: Red* --> red, reds, redwood, redding, etc .
Wildcards = finds different characters within a word
Ex: Wom*n --> woman, women
Stop Words
Small words that are used often
Some stop words include: and, the, a, not, to, be, etc.
Ex: Give me a cookie and Give me cookie would yield similar results
Most search engines and databases ingore these
Advanced Search

Limiters
Most search engines and databases provide other ways to narrow your search
Often found under Advanced Search
Varies greatly!
Search limiters
Keyword (usually default)
Title
Author
Subject
Multiple search boxes
Other limiters
Date
Language
Type ( book, dvd, magazine, etc.) OR (web: .gov, .edu, .org)
Google Advanced Search
Wilson Select Plus
Advanced Search

Search Engines
Popular Search engines
Google
Bing
Yahoo! Search
Meta search engines
Search multiple search engines at once
Not all search engines search the same information
Unique features
Popular Meta search engines
Dogpile
Clutsy
Surfwax
Skokie Public Library databases
Access to information not available for free on the Web
Business / company info
Scholarly articles
Geneology
And more
Search Engines
http://www.searchengineoptimizationcompany.ca/Regina-SEO.html

Search Engines

Google
By far the most used search site (76% of searches on the Internet are done using Google).
Simple one line search box
Phrase completion function
Did you mean function
I’m Feeling Lucky!
Other search options
Images, Videos, Maps, News, Shopping (limiters)
Search strategies
Search Engines TYPE INCLUDED? HOW Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) Yes AND = [default] OR = OR (capitalized) NOT = [-] Phrase Search Yes Quotation marks [“ “] Wildcards / Truncation Some No truncation (Google automatically searches other endings) Wildcards = [*] Advanced search Yes Limit by Language, File type, Domain, etc.

Search Engines

Bing (Microsoft’s latest search engine)
Starts out with a simple one box search, but becomes more complex
Phrase completion function
Web site review function
Related searches
Images , Videos , Maps (localized), News, Shopping, History (limiters)
Search strategies
Search Engines TYPE INCLUDED? HOW Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) Yes AND = [default] OR = OR (capitalized) NOT = NOT (capitalized) Phrase Search Yes Quotation marks [“ “] Wildcards / Truncation No No truncation or wildcard options Advanced search Yes Limit by Terms. [under Preferences] Domain, Country/Region, Language, Filter

Search Engines

Yahoo! Search
Much more than a search engine ( search.yahoo.com for ONLY search)
Search Assist / Also try:
Sponsored results
Related searches
Images, video, local, shopping, jobs, news , sports, weather, etc. (limiters)
Search strategies
Search Engines TYPE INCLUDED? HOW Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) Yes AND = [default] OR = OR (capitalized) NOT = [-] Phrase Search Yes Quotation marks [“ “] Wildcards / Truncation No No truncation or wildcard options Advanced search Yes Limit by Terms, Last updated, Domain, Country, Language, Filter

Meta Search Engines

Dogpile
Meta search engines search multiple other search sites
Phrase complete function
Images, video, news, white and yellow pages (limiters)
Search strategies
Meta Search Engines TYPE INCLUDED? HOW Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) No * Advanced search terms function in a similar way Phrase Search No * Advanced search terms function in a similar way Wildcards / Truncation No No truncation or wildcard options Advanced search Yes Limit by Terms, Domain. [under preferences] Filter, Bold search terms, # displays

Meta Search Engines

Clutsy
Clusters function (groups results into subjects)
Sources and Sites function
News, Images, Wikipedia, Blogs , Jobs (limiters)
Search strategies
MetaSearch Engines TYPE INCLUDED? HOW Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) Yes AND = [default] OR = OR (capitalized) NOT = [-] Phrase Search Yes Quotation marks [“ “] Wildcards / Truncation No No truncation or wildcard options Advanced search Yes Limit by Host (domain), Language, Type, # Results in a Cluster, Filter

Other Search Sites

Surfwax (meta search engine)
Can view contents of your search in a sidebar (Snap)
Is very cluttered / complex
Can broaden or narrow your search (Focus)
Sort by and results functions
Useful if you are ‘browsing’ the Web without a clear topic
Wikipedia (online encyclopedia)
Encyclopedia in which anyone can edit content
Vast amount of information on practically any subject
Reliability somewhat in question
List of references
Best if you are looking for specific information or as a place to start a search
Useful if you are ‘browsing’ the Web without a clear topic
YouTube (videos posted by anyone)
Video of practically anything you can think of
Anyone can post a video clip
Difficult to find information. Cluttered.
Many others
Just search the words “ search engines” in your favorite search
Other Search Sites

Skokie Public Library Databases

Benefits of using SPL’s Databases
Access to unavailable information
A lot of information on the web is not available for free
Search engines don’t look through every web page
Often more reliable than free Internet information
Usually up-to-date
Organized
FREE for Skokie Public Library cardholders

Where do I find these databases?
Library Web Site ( http://www. skokielibrary .info/ )
Research & Homework
The Answer
Articles from magazines and newspapers
Databases A to Z
Homework help for teens
Homework help for kids
Resources by subject
Library Catalog (AquaBrowser)
Find books
By location
Refine search by subject, type, Language, etc.
By “Cloud”
Skokie Public Library Databases Image: http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://riverdaughter.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/question-mark-button-thumb30497471.jpg&imgrefurl=http://riverdaughter.wordpress.com/2009/11/14/debate-club-the-use-of-animals-for-testing/&usg=__poR4G4tlC5aLEMgE2-nKoVUrEuE=&h=303&w=300&sz=27&hl=en&start=3&itbs=1&tbnid=y5MtNIb-lH31JM

Some Popular Databases at the Library
Ancestry Library Edition
Britanica Online
Career Help
eLibrary
ERIC
Factiva
Gale - Virtual Reference Library / General One File
Home Improvement Reference Center
Hoovers
Live Homework Help
Novelist
ReferenceUSA
Skokie Review
Wilson Select Plus
WorldCat

Remember : A librarian will be happy to help you if you have questions! Phone: 847.673.3733 Email, Instant message, or set up an appointment: http://ask.skokielibrary.info The reference desk at the library is located on the 2 nd floor.

Searching the Web

by Skokie Public Library on Apr 09, 2010

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