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| Instruction > Web Resources |
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My Favorite Scholarly Sites: Fun Sites: |
The World Wide Web is a vast, confusing, unorganized resource! Yet, it has changed the way information is obtained and will remain an essential element in all libraries. The advantages of the web outweigh its flaws. When users learn the true nature of this important resource and how to search it effectively, they will excel in navigating the information maze! Advantages: The web provides free access to an infinite amount of information. Users can obtain both scholarly and personal data with anonymity. The web constantly grows as does the amount of scholarly sites, many journals offer free access to articles, proceedings, and reviews. The web expands scholarly inquiry by providing easy access to societies, conference proceedings, papers of leading intellectuals and study aids. The web serves as a valuable starting point for researching any discipline. Searching Tips: Authority is essential The biggest problem on the web is its lack of authority. Checking for the sponsor is important. A good site will include a site ID that makes this clear. If a site ID is not present, users must be wary of the information's veracity. Anyone can put up a site. Misinformation on the web represents a problem of information age. Not all search engines are created equal Users should rely upon search engines to navigate through the web. These attempt to provide the organization that is otherwise nonexistent. Yet, search engines have different rules and provide different results. Yahoo and LookSmart are subject guides. Internet Service Providers, such as AOL and AT&T have their own own subject guides as well. These are useful for browsing, but search engines are better. My favorite search engine is Google, the librarian's choice. AltaVista, Excite, HotBot, and Lycos are also useful. Many combine the features of a search engine and subject directory. As they search the web in different ways, using more than one engine will ensure better recall. As in databases, specificity leads to the best precision. Therefore, using the most unique words and putting quotes around phrases will produce results. The Web caters to simplicity Searching the web requires knowledge, but traditional searching techniques are not employed. Keyword searching drives the web. Yet, entering the authority heading for an author, a complete title or a Library of Congress Subject Heading will be effective. Web Sites change constantly The web is always changing. A web site found today can disappear tomorrow or look completely different. Users should not rely upon any information remaining the same and always retrieve it immediately. Search strings may obtain far different results when attempted at another time, but they are still worth remembering. |