TOOLS FOR SEARCHING THE WORLD WIDE WEB

Search Engines

Yahoo! [http://www.yahoo.com]

This is great for easy searches when you know that there will be a lot of information on the Web. Example subjects include finance, travel, and news. Use Yahoo! like a telephone directory to see what is available under your general interest.

Google [http://www.google.com/]

This is an uncannily precise search engine. Use this when you know the exact name of the thing you are looking for, for example, "California lemon law".

NorthernLight [http://www.northernlight.com/]

NorthernLight is a large search engine that allows you to look at the open, or free Web along with article databases. The open Web resources are free; the "special collection" documents will cost you one to five dollars. NorthernLight also offers a special search of the news of the last two weeks.

FastWeb [http://www.alltheweb.com/]

This is the largest search engine, but it is not precise. Use it to find every mention of obscure or rare items on the Web, for instance "solar safari hat".

AltaVista [http://altavista.digital.com/]

This site is useful because it allows precise "boolean" searching. This means that you can type "+" if a word has to be in the results, and "-" if it must not be there. Example: +blowfish -Hootie (if I wanted to know about fish and not rock groups). Also, you can group words inside quotation marks, if you want them to be searched as a phrase.

Metasearch Engines

CNET Search.com [http://www.search.com]

Use this site to search several reference resources at once. Other subject search areas include business, health, news, travel, shopping, and more.

Ixquick [http://www.ixquick.com/]

An easy interface for searching several engines at once.

Open Text Query Server [http://www.queryserver.com/web.htm]

Search generally, or do subject-oriented meta-searches in finance, medicine and health, or the United States government.

Directories

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

You need quality information from the Internet? You will find it here, classified, annotated, and signed.

The Internet Public Library (IPL) [http://www.ipl.org]

Every link in this searchable collection have been carefully selected, cataloged, and described by a member of the IPL staff.

About.com [http://about.com]

This is a great place to get an expert's view of almost any topic on the Web.

Specific Subject Guides

University of Michigan Documents Center [http://www.lib.umich.edu/libhome/Documents.center/index.html]

This is central reference and referral point for government information, whether local, state, federal, foreign, or international.

FedStats: One Stop Shopping for Federal Statistics [http://www.fedstats.gov]

More than 70 agencies in the United States federal government produce statistics. This site provides easy access to the full range of statistics and information produced by these agencies.

Hoovers Online [http://www.hoovers.com]

There has never been a better site for reliable, and often free, business information on the Web. They must have librarians on their staff, don't you think?

FindLaw [http://www.findlaw.com]

This is the first-stop, premier law resource on the Web. It features a legal subject index, access to cases and codes, information about law schools, law reviews, and legal associations and organizations.

Legal Information Institute at Cornell University [http://www.law.cornell.edu/]

Find state laws, federal laws, and laws from around the world. This is the research tool of choice to find the text of laws.

The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy [http://www.merck.com/pubs/mmanual]

Completely searchable, this online publication lists the causes, symptoms, and prognosis of just about everything that can go wrong with you.

MayoClinic.com [http://www.mayohealth.org/home]

The famous Mayo Clinic in Minnesota offers this resource, which gives reliable, general information about many different ailments and conditions.

InteliHealth [http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH]

This site aims to offer you the Web's most comprehensive collection of consumer health information from the best possible sources.

MEDLINEplus Health Information [http://medlineplus.gov]

The National Library of Medicine has assembled its resources onto one attractive portal designed for general health consumers.