Library Department

Search Engines
All the Web   Alta Vista   Ask.com   Excite   Google   HotBot   Infoseek

Subject Directories
Kathy Schrock’s Guide for Educators   KidsClick!   Librarians’ Index to the Internet
Lycos   Yahoo   Yahoo! Kids

Metasearch Engines
Ask for Kids   Dogpile   Ixquick   Mamma   MetaCrawler   Vivisimo

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• Acceptable Use Policies–A Handbook…an overview of the creation of an AUP including links to pages containing components, samples, and templates.
• Barry’s Clip Art Server…a great list of clip art sites.
• Best Search Tools…recommended search tools; an InFoPeople Project.
• Choose the Best Engine for Your Purpose…from Debbie Abilock, Nueva School: in-depth searching strategies and recommended search tools and Web sites.
• Clip Art for Teachers…some of the best educational clip art images from the Web, all copyright-free.
• Evaluating a Web Site Worksheet…teachers can print out this worksheet from Carolyn Gundrum and mikids.com to help students evaluate select web sites.
• Finding Information on the Internet : A Tutorial…an introduction to the Internet including search strategies.
• GetNetWise…parents and children can learn about using the Internet safely.
• Harnessing the Power of the Web…this tutorial shows K-12 teachers how to harness the power of the Web for classroom use.
• How to Tell if You Are Looking at a Great Web Site…excellent tips for teachers to use with their students in evaluating sources on the Web.
• Internet 101…a beginner’s Internet tutorial.
• Kid’s Tools for Searching the Internet…recommended list of search tools for students that is easy to use; an InFoPeople Project.
• NetLingo…an Internet language dictionary; includes a page of emoticons.
• NetMechanic…an online site that allows you to check the links on your Website to make sure they are active.
• pics4learning…site of images that students and teachers can use legally for class projects and reports.
• School-Related Clip Art Links…useful educational graphics.
• Search Engine Showdown…compare and learn about search engines and directories, with statistics and tips.
• Search Engine Watch…search engine tips, tutorials, and up-to-date information.
• Search Engines Quick Guide…comparison chart of major search engines, listing their size, operators, and strengths; an InFoPeople Project.
• Search Tools Chart…comparison chart of major subject directories and metasearch engines; an InFoPeople Project.
• Shareware.com…a service from CNET that lets you search for, browse, and download software.
• Site Seeing on the Internet…a site to help introduce middle schoolers to the Internet, as well as learn about safety and privacy online.
• Spider’s Apprentice…great tutorial on using different search engines and strategies for successful searching.
• Things to Know about the Internet…basic information and links about the Internet, e-mail, and electronic searching from Taft Library Media Center.
• WebMonkey for Kids…a fun tutorial site to help students develop Web pages; includes a teacher/parent planning guide.
• WebTeacher…your source for Web knowledge: all about Web browsers, internet addresses, navigation, e-mail, telnet, FTP, finding things, image files, sound files, movie files, newsgroups, mail lists, chat groups, teleconferencing, distance learning, HTML, and more.
• Worlds of Web Searching…an interactive Web searching tutorial appropriate for students in grades 5-8.
  

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  Search Tips:

Spelling counts!
Avoid using articles: do not use “The” or “A” or “An” when it is the first word in a title.
Avoid using prepositions.
Put most important word first; be specific, start with specific terms or phrases, then choose more general terms or use fewer terms.
Make a list of possible keywords — use synonyms.
Use Boolean operators (AND, NOT, OR) to narrow or broaden searches.
Enclose phrases in quotation marks.
Use multiple search engines; they all give different results!
Enter proper names with capital letters.
Use lower case letters unless directions say “case sensitive”.Use the Help section on the search engine page - it will have additional tips.
Use the Advanced Search function to find out how to use the Boolean operators.
Always plan to search with more than one search resource!
Watch for the following:
bias, reliability, authority (author expertise, author contacts), list of resources or bibliography, timeliness of material (how current is the information and when was the site last updated)

Know the Domain Names: (they provide clues to the quality of information)
com: companies and commercial sites
edu: educational institutions
gov: government organization
mil: military organizations
net: Internet service providers
org: non-profit organizations
ac: university or college
k12: school 

Search Strategies:

1. Select “operators” to connect search words: Boolean (AND, OR, NOT) or mathematical ( + or - )
2. Identify phrases: use quotation marks to enclose an exact phrase.
3. Use Boolean operators such as NEAR or ADJ to indicate proximity of words.
4. Include variant forms of search words: use singular and plural form of word; use wildcard feature to find variant forms of search words.

SEARCH STRATEGY	SEARCH STRATEGY	PURPOSE	EXAMPLES
Boolean Operator	AND	narrows your search: finds webpages in which both words occur	cats AND dogs France AND cooking
Boolean Operator	+	words must appear with +	Saturn +car vitamin +A bass -music
Boolean Operator	OR	expands your search: finds webpages in which either or both words occurs	email OR e-mail Chanukah OR Hanukkah car OR automobile
Boolean Operator	NOT	narrows your search: finds webpages in which the word cat appears but not dog	pets NOT cats cowboys NOT Dallas
Boolean Operator	-	words must not appear with -	+Saturn -car
Natural language		can type in questions as you would think or speak	Why is the sky blue? What are the battlefields of the Civil War?
Phrases	” “	use for phrases; searches for words as a single unit	“Boston Tea Party” “indoor soccer”
Wildcards	*	truncate words; cuts word short to allow for a variety of endings	teen*: will get teen, teens, teenage, teenager, teenagers colo*r will get color and colour wom*n will get woman or women
Capital letters	CAPITAL LETTERS	use with proper nouns	Pennsylvania
Case sensitivity		most search engines are case insensitive by default	Baker (retrieves name & eliminates reference to bread & cake makers)