Introducing the Internet

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Introducing the Internet - The Wider Web

What are Search Engines?

Search engines differ in detail in the way they "collect" and catalogue Web pages and other resources but most operate by using "robots" (or "knowbots") which search the Web automatically and collect URLs and limited information about the pages into databases. Some also make greater or lesser use of human beings to provide a qualitative element in cataloguing, ordering and describing resources to form virtual libraries with subject and category headings, and/or descriptions and reviews. The way the results of your search are presented differ greatly too.

You will need to try out some of the other different search engines and assess which are most suited to your needs. When you have explored them for a while, go back and look again at the UK HE resources you may have already used (SOSIG, NISS etc) and compare their ease of use, response times and relevance of resources available. You will then be in a position to begin to develop strategies for integrating your portfolio of networked information sources with your general strategies for supporting your teaching, research and administration and to formulate information handling techniques (constructing search terms, collating and citing references, saving and printing files etc) so that you can keep pace with this ever- (and rapidly-) changing environment.

Finding more information about Search Engines

There are several sites offering comparative and descriptive data about the variety of search engines and virtual libraries now available on the Internet. Your own institution's home, library or computing service pages may offer links and background information. These are just two of a selection of sites offering details of search engines:

Manchester Metropolitan Search Tools Page

This is a useful summary provided by Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) of Internet search tools and may act as a useful pointer to other Internet resources on searching and search engines.

http://www.hlss.mmu.ac.uk/dic/main/howto.html

Ariadne - Search Engines Corner

Tracey Stanley, Networked Information Officer at the University of Leeds, writes a regular article in the Web version of Ariadne, a print and electronic newsletter. She covers various aspects of search engines in each issue of Ariadne. See:

http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/

Follow links to the current and previous issues of Ariadne and seek out the Search Engines Corner

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