Module 11
Internet Searching
About Subject Directories
About Search Engines
Search Engine Techniques

Contents:
Introduction
Module 1: How to Solve an Information Problem
Module 2: Search Techniques
Module 3: SD Library Network
Module 4: Proquest
Module 5: Infotrac
Module 6: Lexis-Nexis
Module 7: OCLC Firstsearch
Module 8:
Module 9: 
Module 10: 
Module 12: Evaluating Internet sources
Module 13: Scholarly vs. Popular
Module 14: Citing sources
Module 15: How to Get Material Not Available Online

Module 11 About Subject Directories

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Subject directories group lists of web sites into subject categories and sub-categories, and you can browse these subjects to find links to web sites of interest. Yahoo is an example of a subject directory.

Web site owners/managers can request a subject directory to include a link to their sites. Less selective subject directories will accept most submitted sites. Subject directories with more stringent quality standards will be more selective and will, therefore, more consistently lead to better quality material. Selective subject directories are created by humans because computers cannot evaluate the quality of the web sites.

A search engine, on the other hand, consists of a a large database created by a "robot" that travels the 'net on a regular basis. That database is searched by the engine when you submit words to be searched. A search engine will frequently provide subject categorization of the sites in its database. This may look similar to a selective subject directory, but no selection for quality is involved in this process. The links in the database are simply organized into subject categories.

Browsing or searching a subject directory provides an effective alternative to using search engines when researching broad topics. Whereas search engines may produce an unmanageable number of results for a broad topic, directories generally yield fewer items. Because subject directories have fewer items in them, they are often less effective than search engines when looking for very narrow topics or for specific people, organizations, etc.

Most directories have a "search" feature which saves you from navigating from category to sub-category to sub-sub-category (and so on) within the directory. The search feature lets you jump directly to the relevant topic area in the directory.

Subject directories provide a good place to start when searching for information about broad topics or when browsing the Internet. Examples include:

• AlphaSearch -- academic "gateway sites." By Hekman Digital Library, Calvin College (MI)
• Argus Clearinghouse -- guides to web resources, with each rated for quality
• Britannica -- classifies, rates, and reviews web sites. By Encyclopedia Britannica.
• Infomine -- scholarly web sites
• Magellan -- reviews of the web sites it includes.
• WWW Virtual Library -- oldest catalog of the web, started by Web creator Tim Berners-Lee
• Yahoo -- the best-known subject directory. Not selective so quality is inconsistent.

The fastest way to a list of these Web sites is to go to the Mundt Library home page and click on "Search the Internet" -- a link in the white section on the right side of the library home page. If you have not used the subject directories listed above, take time to explore a couple of them.

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