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Best Bet for a great resource.
Directories
Internet directories are sites that maintain an index of other
Internet sites. The data in these directories has generally been input by
people. Since the Internet is growing every day, it is not currently possible
to have a comprehensive directory to the Internet. Most directories can be
browsed by subject, or searched. See search engine and meta
search engine.
 About.com
This searchable site consists of guides with site reviews, feature
articles and discussion areas created by a qualified, company-certified
subject specialist. In spite of the qualifications, the quality of the
guides can vary greatly, from excellent to not as good (formerly miningco.com).
Web Sites
From COM Library. Access resources gathered by topic. Selection is based on
the value of the content of the site or its collection of links to other
sites.
The Scout Report
The Internet Scout Report Project is based at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Contents may be searched or browsed and include descriptions of sites.
Voice
of the Shuttle
Based at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
This searchable site has an excellent collection of Humanities
links.
The WWW Virtual Library
This searchable directory is a subject catalog of the World Wide Web, with
pages maintained by various individuals (frequently college professors) who
have collected links in specific subject areas. Although the quality of the
guides vary, they are generally considered to be among the better ones to
be found on the Web.
Yahoo!
Yahoo! is a searchable hierarchical subject-oriented guide for the World Wide
Web and Internet. It is the most extensive directory on the Internet and
makes no attempt to judge the quality of Web sites. Yahoo!
Help.
Yahoo!
Web Search Engines & Directories
Access to even more search engines and directories.
What are they?
Internet search engines are sites that maintain an index of
other web sites, as directories do, but the index is obtained in a different
manner: search engines have robots or spiders (computer
programs) that search other sites on the Internet. Some robots only index
the main page of an Internet site, and others index every page of every site
they encounter.
Search engines are not always as easy to use as directories,
but sometimes they can find sites that have not been indexed in a directory. Even search engines cannot keep up with the explosive growth
of the Internet, however, so more than one might have to be used to find
specific information. Many of these search engines maintain separate pages
for simple and advanced searches. Don't be afraid of the advanced searches--usually
it just means there are more options to use--so results are frequently better.
Most search engines use pull-down
or pop-up menus for their search options. Click on them to see what options
exist. Most search engines also include their own browsable directories
that are easier to use, but like other directories, do not keep track of
as many sites.
Google Rules
OK, let's just say it: Google is the best. It's the quickest and easiest way to get good results. What you may not know is that you can get a lot more out of Google than a quick search. For instance, did you know that:
- you can set Google up to alert you for new results in a search?
- save Word documents to Google?
- edit docs on Google and Blog it?
- Take your favorites and bookmarks with you?
Google Guide
Check out COM Library's Google Guide to learn: Google Top Tips, Google Advanced Search, Google Book Search, My Google, Google Search History, Create a Google Search Alert, Google Docs & Spreadsheets and Google Toolbar.
AltaVista
AltaVista is updated daily and is one of the largest
search engine index on the web. Try browsing the directory. AltaVista
also has some Specialty Searches such as Images, MP3/Audio and Video designed
to make searching easier on those subjects.
Google
Google is one of the quickest and largest search engines on the Internet and
returns ranked results. Like many search engines, Google also has a directory. FAQ | Help
Central | Special Features.
LYCOS
This search engine is one of the easiest to use and has its
own directory as well. It searches it's own directory first, Web sites,
News Articles and Shopping sites. HotBot and LYCOS are
partners, so you can get a "second opinion" by searching HotBot.
Note: LYCOS is especially good at finding pictures. Lycos
Advanced Search | Lycos Help.
Northern Light
Search the Web and Northern Light's Special Collection of books,
magazines, databases, and newswires. Results are prioritized and organized
into folders that help narrow your searches. Note: Full text articles returned
in searches labeled Special Collection are available for a fee.
Yahoo!
Web Search Engines & Directories
Access even more search engines.
Meta Search Engines
Meta search engines (also known as All-in-One search pages) allow the user to
search multiple engines from one location. Since no search engine or directory
of the Internet is comprehensive, you may have to use more than one to find the
information you want. Disadvantages? Most meta search engines do not allow the
user to take advantage of a search engine's options, which can make a search
much more effective; some also require that a search term be entered repeatedly
for each engine it searches. See directory and search
engine.
Dogpile
Search multiple engines at once.
excite
Search multiple engines at once, or restrict your search to excite's directory
of Web sites, news or photos. You can also browse
excite's directory.
Meta
Crawler
Search multiple engines at once. MetaCrawler, one of the fastest
Meta search engines, ranks results by relevance and eliminates duplicate
hits.
Search.com
Search.com is
currently the most customizable of all the META Search Engines. A search
performed in the first search box, with no customization applied
uses the default search engines and directories. It can be customized
to search for specific types of information, which can be further
customized by choosing which specific search engines/directories will
be used.
Yahoo!
All-in-One Search Pages
Find more Meta search engines.
US Government Search
Engines
Copyright
Copyright Office records, including registration information and recorded documents.
FedStats:
FedStats Search
Search for statistics from more than 70 Federal statistical agencies.
FedWorld.gov: FedWorld
Databases
FedWorld was established by The National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
to serve as the online locator service for a comprehensive inventory of information
disseminated by the Federal Government. From this portion of the FedWorld site,
you can search 20 government databases.
FirstGov, Your
First Click to the U.S. Government
FirstGov is a free search engine that searches U.S. local, state
and federal government agency web sites. Through FirstGov you can do
things like apply for government jobs, renew passports, apply for social
security benefits and more. Español.
GPO Access
Services
From the U.S. Government Printing Office. GPO Access provides free electronic
access to a wealth of important information products produced by the Federal
Government. The information provided on this site is the official, published
version and the information retrieved from GPO Access can be used without restriction,
unless specifically noted. This free service is funded by the Federal Depository
Library Program and has grown out of Public Law 103-40, known as the Government
Printing Office Electronic Information Enhancement Act of 1993.
LOC: Thomas
The Library of Congress' excellent site for finding US legislative
information. The searchable databases include: Congressional Record,
Floor Activities - House and Senate, Major Legislation, Enacted into
law, Bill Summary & Status, Bill Text, Public Laws By Law Number
and much more.
Supreme Court Databases
There are a number of databases that archive Supreme Court decisions, cases,
background, analysis and opinions; most of them are not comprehensive. Some
good databases to try: FedWorld:
Historic File of Supreme Court Decisions (1937-1975), Legal
Information Institute: Selected Historic Decisions of the Supreme Court (dates
vary), Legal Information Institute:
Supreme Court Decisions (1990-current), OYEZ (dates
vary: aims to to include all leading constitutional law cases into their
database and includes multimedia), USSC+
OnLine: The 1000 Cases Most Cited by the Court.
US
Census Bureau: Data Access Tools
The US Census Bureau offers a number of databases to access the information
they collect. Select sets that are already created, or create your own with
the Data Extraction System (DES).
Invisible Web
The Invisible Web, sometimes called to as the Deep Web, refers to content that
many directories and search engines can't index. It's not a new problem, but
some
sites have come up with new solutions. In order to access this information
you will generally not be
performing a direct search for content but for the resources that may access
the content--and you can expect to spend more time doing it. The advantage?
You may not be able to access this content any other way.
Complete
Planet
From BrightPlanet. Complete Planet is a directory of 22,000 deep and
surface Web search sites. When you search CompletePlanet, you are
not performing a direct search--you searching for the best search engines
to search for your topic, or you can browse by category.
www.invisible-web.net
This site is a directory of links to the search interfaces of resources
that contain data not easily or entirely searchable/accessible from general
search engines. Browse categories by clicking on the pull-down menus.
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