Effective Web �Searching Strategies

John J. Burke, MSLS

Ohio Library Support Staff Institute

August 4, 2003

Goals for the session

• Understand how to search the Net successfully by thinking strategically
• Identify categories of search tools
• Explore Internet search strategies for topics and types of information
• Practice searching with the tools
• Learn where to turn for help and reference guidance online
• Consider how to evaluate Internet information

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What’s your favorite �search tool?

What do you wish you could do when searching?��What should Internet searching look like?

How do patrons search?

• Internet users tend to . . .
• Use search engines (80% have)
• Have high expectations to find information on health, government agencies, news, and shopping online
• Enter two words per search on average
• Pick from the first page of results (10)
• Believe they are mostly successful in finding what they need
• Tend to unknowingly pick “paid” links (2/5)

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What do people think is out there?

• All government documents (many major sources, but not everything)
• Every book (http://digital.library.upenn.edu/books/)
• Every periodical article (free full-text at findarticles.com and magportal.com)
• All movies and audio recordings and video recordings
• Every conference paper and dissertation
• All diaries, letters, photographs, maps, etc.

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The Internet . . . revealed!

• Free, visible web
• Publicly mounted web pages
• Free, invisible web
• Content not accessible via search engines
• Subscription databases
• Commercially produced, paid services
• Includes typical library resources (indexes, etc.)

A brief history of search tools

• Once, no real way to search
• Early 90’s: “resource-specific” search tools
• Veronica for Gopher sites
• Archie for files and FTP sites
• WAIS for collected public databases
• 1994 – Web begins to grow – Yahoo is born
• 1995+ – phenomenal growth in search engines and directories and the number of sites they contained (multiple types)
• Today – fewer general engines; more specialized engines; continued growth in depth of coverage

Where do search tools come from?

• Dot-com and established IT businesses
• Practical applications of computing technology for students
• Organizations of all kinds
• Interested individuals filling gaps
• Size, quality, and interfaces vary

Search tool categories

• Search engines – software selected sites/pages
• Search directories – human-collected sites
• Meta-search engines – many tools at once
• Electronic reference sources – e-collections of traditional/new reference sources
• Active information sources – search for discussions (chat, lists, message boards) and archives
• Search tool directories – subject collections of search tools (invisible Web)

Links to search tools

www.users.muohio.edu/burkejj/ewss.html

Search engines

• Google
• AllTheWeb
• Teoma
• Hotbot (Inktomi)
• MSN Search
• Wise Nut
• Alta Vista

Search directories

• Yahoo!
• Open Directory Project
• INFOMINE
• Librarians’ Index to the Internet
• WebRing

Electronic reference collections

• DeskRef
• Internet Public Library Reference Collection
• The Best Information on the Net (“Online Reference Resources”)
• Louisiana State University Reference Categories
• Bartleby.com
• Infoplease.com

Active information sources

• Google Groups
• CataList
• Virtual Reference Desk
• Pitsco’s Ask An Expert
• Allexperts.com
• Ultimate Chatlist

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Meta-search engines

• ixquick
• InfoSpace
• Dogpile
• MetaCrawler
• Mamma
• Guidebeam.com

Search tool directories

• Beaucoup
• Profusion
• The InvisibleWeb
• The Invisible Web Directory
• Scout Report Archives
• WWW Virtual Library
• Internet Public Library “Subject Collections”

General search tips

• All tools are not created equal: use several tools
• Be as specific as possible (and backtrack or narrow from there)
• Pay attention to how words are searched in the tool (all, any, exact phrase)
• Most tools assume a Boolean AND, but OR and NOT are usually accepted
• Use quotes around phrases
• Assume, attempt, and accept misspellings

Basic search strategy

1. Identify the important concepts
2. Choose keywords
3. Pick synonyms and related terms
4. Think about truncation and Boolean
5. Choose a search engine
6. Read the instructions
7. Enter your search expression
8. Evaluate the results
9. Modify/narrow your search (if needed)
10. Move to a new search engine (if needed)

My strategic approach to searching

• Recipe: make your own:

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1. Consider the categories of tools
2. Find individual tools that fit your topic (requires an understanding of the question and knowledge of the sources)
3. Organize them and use them in an order that works (in advance or on-the-fly)
4. Try the strategy in your searches (trial and error)

Quick facts strategy

1. Search engines

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• Meta-search engines

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• Search tool directories

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• Electronic reference collections

Broad topic strategy

1. Search directories

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• Search tool directories

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• Search engines

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• Active information sources

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• Meta-search engines

Narrower topic strategy

1. Meta-search engines

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• Search engines

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• Search tool directories

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• Search directories

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• Active information sources

Health information strategy

• Standard reference source – Merck Manual (home edition)
• Consumer health guide – NOAH or MEDLINE Plus
• Periodical index – PubMED
• Search directory – Hardin Meta Directory of Internet Health Sources

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Images strategy

• AltaVista – choose the “Image” tab
• Google Images
• AlltheWeb.com– choose “Pictures” tab
• Image Finder
• WebSEEK
• Search engine search with description of image and (.jpg or .gif or .bmp, etc.)

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How do search tools work?

• Search engines use “robots” or “spiders” to index some amount of Web pages
• Proprietary algorithms
• Google claims three billion pages,
• Paid placement of links (Overture.com, LookSmart.com)
• Other tools add human-collected or human-submitted sites
• These are then searched by subject or keyword
• Tend to be smaller in size
• Relevance
• Currency

Search tool features

• Portal approach
• Combinations of directory and engine information
• Image, news, MP3, etc., searches
• Advanced searching features
• Suggested spelling corrections
• “Safe searching” features – filtering & not
• Toolbars, etc.

Sneaking suspicions

• The Internet can be an unstable source of information:
• It can be inaccurate
• It changes rapidly
• It may disappear without warning
• Leads some to distrust the Internet altogether
• Spotting scams
• Avoiding misleading pop-ups
• Medical searching: AMA Guidelines

Evaluating Web Information

• Crucial because of fluidity/lack of standards
• Some possible criteria for any source:
• Who wrote or created the source?
• What audience was the source written for?
• Where did you (or can you) find the source?
• When was the source written or created?
• Why was the source written?
• How can you verify the information contained in the source?
• Look carefully at URL (.com, .edu, etc.)

What does the future hold?

• A bigger Internet; bigger search engines
• Regular improvements to search tool relevance, currency, and features
• Loss of some free information
• Copyright concerns affecting online publication
• Privacy concerns driving personal information away
• Greater reliance on Internet information
• Fee-based expert sites: Google Answers
• Interesting free blends: Wondir.org
• Library staff helping patrons search
• Same skills, different tools

Finding help online

• Contacting library colleagues
• LIBREF-L, STUMPERS-L, LIBSUP-L
• Groups at liblists.wrlc.org/home.htm
• Stumpers-L archives
• Internet Public Library Frequently Asked Reference Questions
• Fugitive Fact File
• Ask-An-Expert Sites
• Other Active Information Sources

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More information on search tools

• Search Engine Watch
• SearchEngineShowdown.com
• ResourceShelf
• ResearchBuzz
• Updates in Online magazine
• Internet Scout Report
• Free Pint

Questions?

John J. Burke, MSLS

Miami University Middletown

Assistant Library Director

(513) 727-3293

burkejj@muohio.edu