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LIR 10 Week 5

LIR 10 Week 5. Searching and Evaluating Information on the Internet. This week’s class. Class announcements Internet directories Search engines Evaluating Internet Sources The “hidden’ Internet?. Finding Information on the Internet. What is the Internet?. Not just World Wide Web

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LIR 10 Week 5

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  1. LIR 10 Week 5 Searching and Evaluating Information on the Internet

  2. This week’s class • Class announcements • Internet directories • Search engines • Evaluating Internet Sources • The “hidden’ Internet?

  3. Finding Information on the Internet

  4. What is the Internet? • Not just World Wide Web • Communication from user to user: telnet, ftp, Usenet, MUDs, e-mail • “Web” and “Internet” interchangeable? • WWW only one way to communicate • HTTP

  5. How is the World Wide Web Organized?

  6. It’s not!!!

  7. Not designed to be organized, searched Tools developed: Subject Directories Search Engines The Internet is not organized!

  8. SubscriptionDatabases created for searching Many searchable fields Browsable subject Free text searches Sophisticated search strings Subscription Databases vs. Internet Subject Directories, Search Engines …not found in Internet IFTs

  9. Internet Directories and Search Engines A “Quick” Guide

  10. WWW Subject Directories • Organized collections of web sites, sources • Browsable, searchable • Resemble indexes (somewhat) • Hierarchy of categories • Definition/scope note • Selected by humans (usually)

  11. Directory Elements directory.google.com • Search box • Help Link • Browsable categories, subcategories • Advertising (possibly)

  12. WWW directories are handy… • Browse selective lists, review high quality sources • Narrow broad topics, investigate subtopics • Timesaving

  13. Subject Directories tour…

  14. Noncommercial Reliable sites, well organized Focus on topics for research No fun and games! Research Directories

  15. The Librarian’s Index to the Internet (LII): searchable, annotated subject directory Developed, organized, maintained by librarians http://www.lii.org Internet Public Library: www.ipl.org Intute http://www.intute.ac.uk GDN http://gdnet.org/index.php Research Directory Examples

  16. Academic WWW Directories • Focus on research areas • Institutionally supported • Created by librarians, subject specialists • May have site annotations, scope notes

  17. Examples of Academic Directories • SRJC: http://www.santarosa.edu/library/Refs/index.shtml • UC System and beyond: infomine.ucr.edu

  18. Commercial WWW Directories • Broad subject areas • Popular categories • Semi-selective sites • Sites based on producer information, $$$ • Unknown criteria

  19. When to use: Scan broad subjects Need current information Caveats: Can be overwhelming Sites not filtered, evaluated Mystifying results? Advertisers may influence ranking Commercial WWW Directories

  20. Examples of Commercial Directories • dir.yahoo.com • directory.google.com • www.about.com • For kids: www.yahooligans.com

  21. Yahooligans, before & after:

  22. Governmental Directories Good sources, wide range of topics • Library of Congress International Portal: http://www.loc.gov/rr/international/portals.html • National Network of Libraries of Medicine: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/hinfo.html • Kids.gov: http://www.kids.gov/

  23. Cooperative Directories • Volunteers create, edit topic areas • Information without promoting/ranking individual websites • Updated constantly?

  24. Examples of Cooperative WWW Directory • Open Directory Project: http://www.dmoz.org • Wikipedia (kinda sorta): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page • Don’t use Wikipedia for your Internet source • Wikipedia assignment notes

  25. Wikipedia Notes • What is it? • Acceptable as a source? • Strengths & weaknesses http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8O-hv3w-MU

  26. Using Search Engines

  27. Handy Search Engine Sources • SRJC’s Search Engine page: http://www.santarosa.edu/library/Refs/engines.shtml • Infopeople’s Best Search Tools Chart http://www.infopeople.org/search/chart.html • Search Engine Watch, for the completely obsessed: http://searchenginewatch.com/

  28. Search Engines The Ugly Truth

  29. How not to use Google: “A quick Google search of “liberalism on college campuses” brings a wealth of good evidence that what is being taught on many of them is anti-American, anti-religious, anti-Israel, pro-gay rights and pro-abortion, often to the exclusion and ridicule of opposing views” -Cal Thomas in his syndicated newspaper column, 4/2/2005 “Don’t make me Google it!” -Jessica Simpson, after Nick Lachey refused to tell her how to spell the word “wounded”

  30. A Google search is not research! Research • Finding, evaluating, understanding variety of reliable sources from number of viewpoints • Good sources reveal where, how information was gathered

  31. A Google search is not research! • You are smarter than an algorithm • How you phrase search determines results • “A site's ranking in Google's search results is automatically determined by computer algorithms using thousands of factors... Sometimes subtleties of language cause anomalies to appear that cannot be predicted.” Explanation of Google's Search Results

  32. A Google search is not research! • Thomas begins column by referring to academic study, published in conservative online journal • Study follows guidelines for academic research • Google search does not!

  33. Also… • “The Internet” can’t spell! • Google can provide definitions: Google Search: define:wounded

  34. Searching with Search Engines

  35. What’s a Search Engine? • Search for web pages, files, documents • Through specific set of sites (not the entire WWW) • Updated by crawlers (spiders, robots) • Search for new content, “report” findings

  36. Limitations of Popular Search Engines • In general… • Link to the linked • Ignore disconnected URLs • “Popularity” a factor • Won’t find dynamic pages However… “we need the eggs”

  37. When to use a search engine… • Time to review how best to search • Survey a lengthy results list • Examine many sites • Evaluate quality • Some knowledge about topic

  38. Common Features of Search Engines • Search boxes • Options to refine searches • Advanced search techniques • Help …use them!

  39. “Mall map,” Help or Advanced Search AND: Japanese AND camouflage AND skirt +Japanese +camouflage +skirt NOT: “hip hop” NOT bunnies “hip hop” -bunnies How to Outsmart Google

  40. How to Outsmart Google OR: (north bay OR Sonoma county) +conservation …simple synonyms? (women OR females) AND marketing (women OR females) +marketing

  41. Phrase searching: “vampire poodles” “night terrors” +sleep disorders Additional limiters: Domain extension Date range Language Truncation? http://www.google.com/advanced_search More Boolean-esque Options

  42. Best Bets • Phrase search (but be careful) • “oldest profession” example • Limit to .edu or .org or .gov • Use + • http://www.google.com/help/refinesearch.html

  43. Google toolbar options (not on Lecture Notes) • Highlight search terms • Find word in site • term site:santarosa.edu

  44. Examples of Popular, Quality Search Engines • www.google.com • www.altavista.com • www.ask.com

  45. Evaluating Internet Sources

  46. Internet Sources • Evaluate! • No standards • Compare to peer-reviewed journals, academic journals • Excellent Internet evaluation source: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html

  47. Applying STARTScope/Coverage, Treatment/Reliability, Authority, Relevancy, Treatment to Internet Sources

  48. Content of information What’s covered? Overview? Detailed information? Subtopic? Evaluating Internet Sources: Scope/Coverage

  49. Scope/Content of Website Example: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/robinson/index.html

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