How to Search

What is " the Internet? "

What does "search the Internet" mean?

The Internet is a series of digital paths  that connect computers around the world.  People  speak of the Internet as a highway, the Information Highway

This online information travels electronically and very, very quickly.

Online resources include such services as encyclopedias, dictionaries, magazines and many searchable databases.  There are also millions of web pages that have been created by people, organizations, and institutions.

 Each of these services and web pages has an Internet address (url) that must be entered in the address line of the computer browser  (Internet Explorer, Netscape, etc.) in order to "visit" that site.

Searching the Internet can be a misleading phrase. All Internet sites do not need to be searched for.  They have already been found! These sites are widely accepted as  basic sources of information and are the places to begin. (See links from Reference page and from Using the Internet/ Favorite Web Sites, and ask your library media specialist and teacher to suggest other links.) 

A Guide to Online Resources

 

Online Encyclopedias include 

  • Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia

  • New Book of Knowledge

  • Encyclopedia Americana

  • Britannica Online

  • Encyclopedia Mythica

 

 

General Services include

  • Scholastic Network

  • SIRS Discoverer (magazines & newspapers)

  • INFO Track (magazines & newspapers)

  • Web Resource Library (connected to our library catalog)

  • Knowitall  (SCETV resources for students & teachers)

 

 

 

Basic Sites to Use

  • NASA   (for space technology)

  • Thomas   (for U.S. government)

  • SCIway   (for S.C. information)

  • Wunderground   (for weather)

  • Discovery Online   (for science)

  • America's Library (Library of Congress for Kids)

  • World Fact Book   (for countries)

  • dictionary.com

  • thesaurus.com

  • maps.com

 

 

 

About Web Resource Library (WRL)

  • WRL provides access to pre-selected web sites through the Spectrum library catalog

  • Use both keyword and subject search when entering search terms to insure more hits.

  • The materials list will include library materials and internet sites; web sites will show WRL in the call number column and Abstract as the material type.

  • Select a resource, click on detail screen, then Web Connect to link to the site.

  • To return to the library catalog, close the web page (x) and click on Back.

 

 

A Guide to the World Wide Web

 Important Things to Remember

  • No one is "in charge" of the Web.
  • All kinds of information are "out there."
  • Some information is accurate; some is incorrect or even harmful.
  • You can spend a lot of time searching and find nothing useful.
  • Advertising banners and graphics can be very confusing when you look at a page.

 

 

Looking at a Web Page
 
  • The URL appears in the menu bar address box http://www.nationalgeographic.com/kids/
  • Advertisements  often are included near the top of screen. (Don't be confused by these.)
  • Name of the site may appear in a banner.  
  • (Look for a reliable source, or authority.)
  • Eye-catching graphics may be distracting. (Stick to your purpose)
  • A Site index tells what's included

        (This can save you time if you know what you are   looking for)

A sidebar includes links to pages in the site: Amazing Facts,, Pen Pal Network, 

and . (Fun to browse and discover)

  • Down the middle of the page are topics to click on. (These change a lot)

And often something to buy! (The Web is free to use, but…)

 

 Steps to an Effective Search

  • Know the tools for searching.
  • Plan your search
  • Use the tools wisely
  • Keep track of what you've done
  • Don't accept any information without thinking about it

 

 

Know the tools.
  • Indexes, or search directories, list web pages by subject. 
  • These  categories and pages have been selected and organized by people, not just a Web Crawler. 
  • None of the different indexes finds all possible sites.
  •  

Index Examples: The Internet Public Library Youth Division  &Yahooligans
  • Search Engines do keyword matching with terms entered by the user.
  • Non-human internet devices (Spiders, Crawlers, Worms) find new Web pages and build lists of web addresses (urls)
  • Harvesters analyze the content of pages by counting keywords.
  • Commercial companies run these electronic search devices, so search engines are constantly changing and competing for business.

Search Engine Example:  Ask Jeeves
Plan your search.
  • How much time do you have to do the assignment?
  • What are your other resources besides the World Wide Web?  (Have you used print materials or basic online services?)
  • Do you just need a picture?
  • Which Internet search tool (index or search engine) seems most appropriate for this search?

 
Use tools wisely.
  • Start with an index unless you have a very specific question.
  • Select broad categories and narrow your search.
  • Think of related categories if you don't find anything. For example, look under Environment for endangered animals, not just under Animals.
  • Try more than one term in a particular search engine.
  • Try the same terms with a different search engine.

 
Keep track of what you've done.
  • Make a list of words you try and the indexes or search engines used (even the ones that didn't work).
  • Bookmark or save sites in your Favorites folder. (It's easier to delete them  than to try and find them again.)
  • Write down the date you accessed a site.

 
Don't accept any information without thinking about it.

AUTHORITY

OBJECTIVITY

RELIABILITY

Who says so?

Just the facts, please, not opinion.

How complete, how recent, how accurate?

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