Internet FAQs--and the Answers
Get the answers to questions about the Internet. You can find more information about the Internet on the Find Internet page and the Find Internet Guide. Still have questions?

Questions about the Internet

I am new to the Internet. Does COM Library have help for beginners?
How can I find the definitions for computer/Internet terms?
Can I access the Internet in COM Library? What if I'm not a student?
What is the difference between a directory, search engine and meta search engine?
What are the best directories, search engines and meta search engines on the Internet?
How can I search more effectively on the Internet?
How do I cite Internet resources?
How do I evaluate Internet resources?
How do I print and save Web pages?
Does COM Library collect links to good Internet sites?
How can I find full text articles on the Internet?
How can I access full text books on the Internet? What about NetLibrary?

1. I am new to the Internet. Does COM Library have help for beginners?

Yes. COM Library has created Internet Basics, designed to introduce users to the basics of the Internet.

2. How can I find the definitions for computer/Internet terms?

Try COM Library's Internet & Technology Dictionaries page to access searchable online dictionaries to look up your term in.

3. Can I access the Internet in COM Library? What if I'm not a student?

Yes. You can access the Internet on the Online Library (OL) computers, and you do not have to be a student. If all computers are being used, however, our students are given priority over other users.

4. What is the difference between a directory, search engine and meta search engine?

Very briefly, most directories collect Internet sites and include descriptions of the sites created by people who have accessed them. Many directories list only those sites deemed to be of value. Search engines collect Internet sites through the use of computer programs. Descriptions are extracted from the site, and there is no attempt to address the quality of the site. Meta search engines search many search engines simultaneously. The Internet is so large and changes so fast that there is no single comprehensive list of Internet sites. For more detailed explanations, try COM Library's Library Jargon Guide for directory, search engine and meta search engine.

5. What are the best directories, search engines and meta search engines on the Internet?

COM Library has collected links to some of the very best directories, search engines and meta search engines on the Internet. Access them on the Search page. Even on this page some resources are better than others. Look for the Best Bet symbol and try those resource first.

6. How can I search more effectively on the Internet? Search Tips

COM Library has created a list of Search Tips that are the most likely techniques to make your searching more effective.

7. How do I cite Internet resources?

That depends on the style of citation your instructor wants you to use. At COM the most frequently used style is the Modern Language (MLA) Association Style. English papers generally require this style. The American Psychological Association (APA) is also used at COM. Nursing papers require this style. COM Library has created a guide for each of these styles. The guides include specific examples of resources from COM Library, as well as the call numbers for the APA and MLA style guides available in print in COM Library. There is a handout for each available from the handout rack located near the front entrance of COM Library. They are also available online: access the MLA or APA style guides. If your instructor wants you to use a different format, try COM Library's Citations page.

Something to keep in mind: Internet sources have special requirements for citation. For instance, did you know that you must include the URL of the Internet source you use? If you use an article from an online database, you need the name of the database and the database vendor. Look at the MLA and APA style guides before you do your research so you know what information you are required to include. That way you won't have to come back and try to find the same site or article again.

8. How do I evaluate Internet resources?

It's a big World Wide Web out there, with diverse organizations and individuals publishing Web pages. How do you know if what you found is good information? Use the techniques discussed in COM Library's Research Strategy Guide, Evaluate Your Resources. You can also go to COM Library's Evaluation of Web Sites, a page that has links to several sites that can help you learn how to evaluate the information that you have retrieved. Evaluating Web Resources is a particularly good site for Web evaluation.

9. How do I print and save Web pages?

COM Library's Find Internet Guide describes Printing and Saving Web pages.

10. Does COM Library collect links to good Internet sites?

Yes. Internet by Subject. COM Library has collected many links to good quality Web sites, and plans to include even more subjects than are currently covered. Once you have accessed on of the Web Sites categories, look for the Best Bet symbol and try those resource first.

11. How can I find full text articles on the Internet?

COM Library's Database page is the best resource to try first--you can access thousands of full text articles with one search, and you're much more likely to get the kinds of college level research that your instructor considers appropriate for your assignment. Full text database are indicated on the page with the full text symbol: . When off campus, a login page will come up with instructions for how to login. You may also want to try:

COM Library's Journals Online, through which you may access TexShare Electronic Journals, news or library science journals collected by COM library, or other sites that collect links to online journals.

Articles on the Web, which collects the best places on the Internet to find publicly accessible full text articles, quick search tools, fee sites that have full text articles for a price.

If your assignment is on a current or controversial topic and requires you to find Internet resources, try Yahoo! US Full Coverage from which you can get limited full text articles, the latest news stories, editorials, and Internet sites on your topic.

12. How can I access full text books on the Internet? What about NetLibrary?

You can access full text books, or eBooks from COM Library's eBooks page. The free eBooks listed on the page are available to anyone with Internet access. COM Library eBooks include encyclopedias: Britannica Online, EBSCO: Animals, EBSCO: Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia, Facts on File: World Almanac Encyclopedia, the Gale: Texas Almanac and over 32,000 full text NetLibrary eBooks. Our best single resource for eBooks is NetLibrary.

COM Library's eBooks can be accessed remotely by clicking on a link and logging in with your COM Patron ID #. To find out more about NetLibrary, try COM Library's Getting Started with NetLibrary, which answers frequently asked questions about NetLibrary and provides an online tutorial.

Questions?

If you still have questions after reading this guide, try some of COM Library's FAQs, or you may ask the Reference Librarian for assistance. The Reference Office is located on the ground floor of the library near the Online Library.

Add Library @ COM Blog:

To you your email

To your newsreader

Internet FAQs--and the Answers Get the answers to questions about the Internet. You can find more information about the Internet on the Find Internet page and the Find Internet Guide. Still have questions?

Questions? If you still have questions after reading this guide, try some of COM Library's FAQs, or you may ask the Reference Librarian for assistance. The Reference Office is located on the ground floor of the library near the Online Library.

Internet FAQs--and the Answers
Get the answers to questions about the Internet. You can find more information about the Internet on the Find Internet page and the Find Internet Guide. Still have questions?

Questions?

If you still have questions after reading this guide, try some of COM Library's FAQs, or you may ask the Reference Librarian for assistance. The Reference Office is located on the ground floor of the library near the Online Library.