Julia Burke

June 7, 2009

SLM-521

Assignment: Search Engines

Whether searching for specific information or exploring general topics, search engines are an integral part in navigating the immense and, at times, daunting, information resource that is the Internet. The following list of search engines is one in which I have selected those search engines with direct relevance to my past courses of study which in turn have led to my current and prospective professional and personal endeavors (i. e., social studies teacher, school librarian, parent). In each category I have sought to provide what I believe to be among the most useful and reliable search engines.

Category One: General

www.google.com Perhaps one of the most ubiquitous search engines (even I, as a computer neophyte, have heard of and used

this one), Google provides an excellent starting point for conducting any sort of search. Although its initial provision of links

can be overwhelming, this search engine does provide guidance through suggestions, as well as a tutorial through its “About

Google” link on its home page. The information provided in this section gives useful suggestions in navigating google as well

as other search engine sites: for example, using quotation marks for phrasing, as well as other symbols to refine a search.

www.ask.com I selected this search engine, in part, because of the engaging way it welcomes one to just “ask” a question. A

natural impulse of both adults and children, asking questions begins the process which leads to a more sophisticated search.

The link “About” on the home page provides an excellent overview of the site with specific links to information on how to

utilize the site in a more sophisticated manner. I found it very easy to navigate this site and then to conduct searches.

Category Two: Kid Safe

www.kidsclick.org Owned and run by the School of Library Science and Information at San Jose State University, this is a

comprehensive search engine with the added benefit of being reputable and non-commercial. Although its initial

appearance seems geared toward younger grade levels it soon becomes apparent that this site is more than capable for

use with older students and more sophisticated searches.

www.ivyjoy.com Although I was initially taken aback, upon further exploration, I found this search engine site to be very

engaging (anything “Powered by Crayola” should be . . .) and useful. I thought that “selecting” books off the “Bookcase”

feature to be particularly creative. On a more serious and purposeful note, the “Search Engine Page for Kids” link on

the home page was very useful in conducting searches—clear and easy to use.

(Initially I had included www.searchedu.com which had valuable links to the Librarians’ Index to the Internet and the Library of Congress. Unfortunately, it also had links to online slot machines and video poker on the home page—very disappointing!)

Category Three: News

www.news.google.com Once again, Google provides a comprehensive and easily navigable search engine of all major news

sources. This is especially valuable when trying to compare sources and engage in critical thinking.

www.news.yahoo.com Easily accessible, Yahoo! brings to new searches what it does to general searches. As with Google, this site

is easy to navigate and provides comprehensive source listings.

Category Four: Government

www.usa.gov This official site not only provides information it also provides access and utilization of government services. This search engine site allows the user to specify requests based on the specific user’s profile (i.e. age, occupation, citizenship status, etc.) It also provides assistance in navigating the site through tutorials. Language options are another significant feature.

www.govspot.com This search engine site provides another way to access the plethora of websites that make up our federal

government. User-friendly and comprehensive, this search engine also provides links to other “spots” that may be helpful

to the user (i.e., library, museum, homework, etc.)

Category Five: History

www.historesearch.com This search engine not only provides links to history sources it also provides links to resources valuable

across the social studies curriculum: click on “current events” and it provides links to news sources. The site is well laid out

and it is fairly easy to navigate. Its links to academic sites are reliable and valuable. I do have some reservations concerning

this site: not all links are current—some can no longer be found—and the quality of links is not consistent. I still recommend

this site but with the caution that a grounding in critical source analysis for the user is a must.

http://vlib.ive.it/history/index.html This search engine provides an unbelievable number of links, and, as with the previous

search engine, the user must critically evaluate the quality of the various sites. Based on some test searches with which I

experimented, the results (various universities, the British Museum, etc.) seem to make exploring this site worth it.