November 12, 2004

I. Opposing Viewpoints, Greenhaven Press

II. Vital Speeches

III. CQ Researcher http://library.cqpress.com.ez.sccd.ctc.edu:4048/index.php

IV. The Statistical Abstract of the United States, HA 202 2003, http://www.census.gov/statab/www/

V. The Law, http://faculty.seattlecolleges.com/rnelson/law3.htm

VI. ProQuest, http://proquest.umi.com.ez.sccd.ctc.edu:4048/login

VII. Web Directories

A. Yahoo http://www.yahoo.com/

B. Librarians Index to the Internet http://www.lii.org/

C. About.com http://www.about.com/

D. Internet Public Library http://www.ipl.org/

E. http://www.firstgov.gov/ FirstGov is an official US Government website that allows you to search for information from local, state, and federal government websites.

VIII Tips on Using Search Engines and Meta-Search Engines

· Learn how the search engine works. Search engines have a “help” or “about” link that explains how the search engine works. This could include search tips, strategies, special features, etc. For a chart of search engine features, see http://www.searchengineshowdown.com/features

· Search tips that the “help” or “about” page should explain:

Is there a default search, and if so, what is it?
Boolean operators (symbols or words)?
How are results sorted?
Is it case sensitive (upper or lower case letters)?
Is truncation allowed?
The following link will teach you more about Boolean operators and how to use them: http://library.albany.edu/internet/boolean.html

· Use unique keywords.

The more specific your keywords, the better you can narrow your search.
Example: “Siamese cats” rather than “cats”.

Another example: For biology searches, use the scientific name of the organism; this will narrow your search.
Use phrase searching.

For a search where more than one word is involved, use all words and put quotes around them.
Example: Use the phrase “Columbia River”. This will narrow down your search. Typing in just “Columbia” will get you Columbia University, Columbia Records, etc.

Check your spelling.

If you keep getting error messages or no results for your search, make sure you are spelling your search terms correctly. Consult a dictionary, either hardcopy or online. Merriam Webster Online is one example of an online dictionary: www.m-w.com/

Two websites which are very useful for keeping up with search engine news and tips are Search Engine Watch http://www.searchenginewatch.com/ and Search Engine Showdown http://www.searchengineshowdown.com/.