Course Modules:
Comprehensive
Web Search
Strategies
Specialized web directories
In the Basic Web Search Module, you explored some of the popular Web Indexes. These general web indexes are very useful tools. However another strata of web directories exists that many casual web users never discover.
These specialized web directories have been developed by research librarians, research professionals and users with specialized interests. Often they are just collections of hypertext links which lead to other collections of hypertext links.
Since these web directories have been developed by experts and enthusiasts in the narrow topics that they cover, they can be incredibly useful.
The web directories require a different approach than the search engines. Seeing a search box often confuses the casual user. The real value of the indexes/directories lies in the categories below the search box.
They work best with hierarchical searching (similar to browsing the stacks in a physical library or bookstore). This is quite different than the analytical searching that is used by the search engines (similar to using the card catalog in a physical library).
Just as we often find related books when we get in the vicinity of the books that we set out to find, we can find related subcategories in the web indexes/directories.
Spend some time exploring the web directories on the course website.
Continue adding observations to your digital logbook and collecting bookmarks.
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