Subject search directories curate websites by subject and organize them into hierarchies, providing a more structured search experience than general search engines. Directories are selected and annotated by humans rather than algorithms. They are best for browsing, finding specialized information, or when reliability is important. Examples include Ipl2 and Infomine. Specialty search engines also focus on specific subjects like health, science or real estate. The deep web contains information not indexed by general search engines, and Complete Planet is a tool that can help access some of it.

1. SUBJECT SEARCH
DIRECTORY AND
INVISIBLE WEB

2. Subject Search Directories
v.

3. Search Engines v. Subject Search Directories
Search Engines Subject Search Directories
• Websites selected by “spiders” • Websites selected by humans
through automated searching • Small number of sites selected,
• Goal is to have as big an index indicating “the best”
as possible
• Many have annotations, written
• Not much information about
site except URL; some have by humans
small descriptions • Generally well-organized in
• Order of websites unknown to hierarchies of subjects
user; metadata can be • Little or no advertising on most
tampered with for higher rating, sites
pay for higher level
• Sponsored links and
advertising on sites

4. Subject Search Directory Definition
Directories are a collection of web sites that are organized
by broad subject categories. When you search a directory,
you are only searching the web sites identified and
included in that directory. Directories may be broad
(covering all subject areas), or subject specific (focusing on
a particular subject).

5. When to Use?
Search Engines Subject Search Directories
• When you want to see • When you want
everything something that has been
• When you are looking for reviewed
something specific • When you are browsing

6. Examples
Search Engines Subject Search Directories
• Patron A: • Patron B:
I would like to know the I would like to know good
address of the Proctor & resources on the web that I
Gamble company. could use with my high
school business class that
will allow them to search for
businesses. I want to be
able to give them
something I can trust.

7. Other Examples
• If you know very little about the subject that you are being
asked about, start with a subject search directory such as
ipl2.
• If you are needing annotated sites.
• If you are trying to find a database on some kind of
information. Before everyone knew about IMDB (Internet
Movie DataBase) it would have shown up here (which it
still does, and with even further breakdowns.)
• If you are working with a student whose teacher doesn’t
want them to use the “internet.” These are more reliable
sites than what a student could find on their own.

8. How to Use
• Entering a search term.
This is sometimes less successful because you have to hit the right
term. (I tried to come up with a term I couldn’t hit, but I think too
much like a librarian now. Your customers could definitely stumble
with the wrong words.)
• Drilling down.
Drilling down involves clicking on the subject that you want from the
main page, and selecting where you next want to go. For instance, I
selected Resources by Subject on the front page of ipl2. Then I
selected Business & Economics, then Business & Economic News,
then on Advancing Women, a site that is for advancing women in the
workplace as well as other diversity issues. This is a site that I could
get to, but someone has indicated that it is unusual enough to make
it on this list.

9. Keyword v. Drilling;
a Final Word
Sometimes you will get different sources from using keyword
versus the drilling down methods. Best suggestion is to do both
until you see how your search goes and you become more
familiar with the tool.
In the past, half the students walked away feeling this was
almost the best thing they learned during the semester; others
felt like it was a total waste of time that they would never use.
My final word: It depends on the search and the searcher. It
takes patience to drill down and you have to set your frustration
meter to 0. That’s because you don’t have the directory of terms
to use that the person who created the search directory.
Read the About section of each subject search engine and see if
it gives you criteria for inclusion.

10. Perfection? No…
Some of the sites included require you create a user name
and password.
However, the individuals who created the subject search
directory work through criteria and decided that this was
good information or unique enough information to make it
important to include it.
You will also see websites that you have never seen
before. These may be websites that would appear on the
fourth and fifth page of a search, beyond the normal depth
a searcher would go.

11. Subject Search Directories of Choice
• Ipl2 (Internet Public Library)
• Infomine
• Open Directory

12. Specialty Search Engines
• Healthline.com (health)
• Scirus.com (science)
• Knowledgestorm.com (computer industry)
• Trulia.com (real estate)
• The Find (shopping)
• And many, many more
Specialty search engines are vertical search engines and
instead of searching the breadth of the world wide web,
they search one subject area in great depth.

13. Deep Web, Non-Public Information
As you learned in the last lesson, there is a lot of
information that is not “showing” in regular search engines.
You learned about some of the ways to find information in
the Deep Web for government information.
There is one other source that will help find information in
the Deep Web.
Complete Planet
There are others that are more specific, like the specialty
search engines, but this is the lone survivor of the Deep
Web tools.

14. Readings
• Digital Resource Images on the Deep Web
• 100 Useful Tools and Tips to Research the Deep Web