There are many ways to find sources on the Internet:

1. Address, or URL (uniform resource locator) - If you have the address of a site, you can type the address in your browser's "Location" or "Address" box and go directly to it. Get Internet addresses for interesting sites from professors, friends, review articles, and many other sources.
2. Subject directories - Databases that organize Internet sites into subject categories with links to the listed sites. Many also provide reviews of the sites.
3. Search engines - Databases that allow you to do keyword searches for Internet sites.
4. The "Invisible Web" - Database contents and other online information not indexed by search engines.
5. Listservs and Newsgroups - Electronic discussion groups in which people interested in a topic share information and ideas.
6. Subject guides maintained by the library or academic departments, such as the library's Useful Resources by Subject or a departmental homepage (note: not all department pages include links to subject related sites)

About the Internet - some sites to visit for more extensive information on the Internet … what it is, how it works, and how to use it.

• Wesleyan Library's Finding Information on the Web
• All About the Internet - A collection of articles on the Internet and its history from the Internet Society.
• Finding Information on the Internet - An extensive tutorial on using the Web, from the University of California, Berkeley library.

In the "Location" (Netscape) or "Address" (Internet Explorer) box of your browser (just above this window) is the URL for this page you are now viewing:

http:// - Access method (in this case, HyperText Transfer Protocol)
www.wesleyan.edu/ - Name of server (Wesleyan [an educational (.edu) institution])
libr/tut/ - Directory and subdirectory on the server
rst10.htm - Requested document to be displayed by browser

This is the address in cyberspace where this web page is located. If you know the URL of a page you want to visit, type it in the Location box. In this example, the address tells your browser to use the HyperText Transfer Protocol and go to the computer named 'www.wesleyan.edu', then go to the directory 'libr', then to the directory 'tut', and retrieve the document named 'rst10.htm'.

Internet subject directories are collections of Internet resources organized into subject headings, usually arranged from general to more specific subjects. Many directories also provide evaluations of the sites they index, and/or allow you to perform a keyword search to find indexed sites. Subject directories are useful if you are looking for a broad or general topic, or if you are doing a quick search for a few recommended sites. If you are doing a thorough search of Internet sources or if you are researching a narrow or specific topic, use a search engine.

For tips on how to do searches in a computer database, see the page on Searching Indexes and Databases.

Some things to keep in mind when using subject directories:

• They list only a tiny fraction of everything available on the Internet.
• Due to the ever-changing nature of the Web, it is likely that some links will be out of date.
• The quality of the indexing and evaluations varies with the quality of the indexers and evaluaters, even within the same directory.

Some useful subject directories:

• Yahoo - The most comprehensive subject index, but no evaluation of sites linked.
• WWW Virtual Library - A cooperative effort of many librarians and subject specialists from many institutions. Includes evaluations of sites indexed. Generally high quality indexes, but quality can vary widely depending on the indexer.
• britannica.com: The online version of Encyclopedia Britannica includes a selective collection of Web sites reviewed and recommended by Encyclopedia Britannica editors. The default option is to search the entire EB database, but you can limit search to "Websites only."
• BUBL Link - From Strathclyde University in Glasgow, Scotland, providing annotated lists of Internet resources, with a European slant.
• INFOMINE - "intended for the introduction and use of Internet/Web resources of relevance to faculty, students, and research staff at the university level," maintained by librarians at the various University of California campuses.
• Librarians' Index to the Internet - From the California State Library - annotations and evaluations for Internet sources selected for their usefulness to the public library user's information needs. Useful for academic library users, though not aimed specifically at them.
• Academic Info - Index of college and research level Internet resources.

For more on subject directories, see the Subject Directories page of the Finding Information on the Web tutorial.

Search engines allow you to perform keyword searches for Internet sources. Search engines continually send "spiders" through the Web, which compile information on what is available and load that information onto the search engine's database. You can then search these databases to find sites that match your keywords. Search engines are useful if you are doing a thorough search of all the Internet sources you can find on a topic, or if you are researching a narrow or specific topic. To quickly find a few recommended sites, or to find good starting points for broad or general topics, use a subject directory.

For tips and strategies on how to use search engines effectively for both simple and more complex advanced searching, see the section on Searching Indexes and Databases.

Some things to keep in mind when using search engines:

• No search engine is perfect … each has strengths and weaknesses relative to others.
• No search engine covers the entire Internet; using more than one will increase your results.
• Each search engine works differently; read their help pages to see how to use each effectively.
• Search engines use different criteria to determine the relevancy of each hit, and all relevancy ratings are imprecise.
• Search Engines are constantly being revised and updated, and new ones are being developed. Check out the Search Engine Watch to find updated reviews, tutorials, and tips on search engines and how to use them.

Some useful search engines:

• Google
• Ask.com
• AltaVista
• Go
• Excite
• AlltheWeb

For more on search engines, see the Search Engines page of the Finding Information on the Web tutorial.

Search engines do not cover everything that is available on the Web. A search engine's spiders often cannot index graphics, CGI scripts, PDF files, and information in online databases. Databases are a particular problem for search engines, since they create "pages" dymanically on demand for an individual user, and thus are not even available in principle for a search engine's spider to scan. But since these databases are so versatile at providing customized content for users, more sites are putting content into online databases rather than on static pages. Thus, a growing portion of the Web cannot be indexed by standard search engines. There are, however, directories which help you find online databases and other sources for finding information that a search engine could not retrieve. Typically, the directories allow you to search or browse for a general topic to find a list of databases likely to contain specific information.

• InvisibleWeb - a directory of over 10,000 databases, archives, and search engines.
• Direct Search - list of online academic or scholarly databases.
• WebData.com - Annotated index of online databases of all types.
• Complete Planet - bills itself as "the complete source for search engines and databases;" large index of resources, but it includes many "visible web" sites along with databases and other resources for invisible information.
• Refdesk.com - In addition to databases, Refdesk.com includes sites for news and current events, and an extensive list of sites of all types for finding information on a wide range of topics. 

Internet Archive - Another part of the invisible Web is the former Web, i.e. pages that are no longer available. Once a page is taken down, or even altered, its former content is not just inaccessible, it's gone. But the Internet Archive has been copying Web pages since 1996 and maintaining those copies in its database. If you know of a page that used to exist but that is no longer available, search the Internet Archive for it. 

For more on the invisible Web, see the Invisible Web page of the Finding Information on the Web tutorial.

Listservs are e-mail mailing lists centered around a given topic. When one person sends an e-mail message to the list, that message is sent to everyone subscribed to the list. All you need to participate in a listserv is an e-mail account. To find and subscribe to a listserv of interest to you, use one of the databases listed below.

USENET Newsgroups are like bulletin boards where you can post and read messages on particular topics. Unlike listservs to which individuals subscribe, newsgroups are subscribed to by an institution or Internet service provider. So not all newsgroups are accessible at a given institution or Internet service provider. In addition, you need news reader software to access newsgroups (included in Netscape and some other browsers).

Finding Listservs and Newsgroups

• Directory of Scholarly and Professional E-Conferences - "screens, evaluates and organizes public as well as private discussion lists, newsgroups, MUDS, MOO'S, Muck's, Mushes, mailing lists, interactive Web chat groups etc. (e-conferences) on topics of interest to scholars professionals for use in their scholarly, pedagological and professional activities."
• Tile.Net - gives you a list of listserv discussion groups, usenet newsgroups, and ftp sites on the Internet. It is arranged alphabetically by description, name, and subject, and also grouped by host country and sponsoring organization. For each listserv, it gives you the information you need to subscribe to the list. For newsgroups, it also includes links to documents that relate to the purpose of the group.
• Google Groups - allows you to search the entire archive of Usenet discussion groups dating back to 1981.
• E-Mail Discussion Group/Lists and Resources - provides background information about the software that supports the discussion groups, an introduction to listserv commands (e.g. how to subscribe and unsubscribe to discussion groups), and links to other websites where you can search for discussion groups on any subject.

For more on listservs and newsgroups, see the Listservs and Newsgroups page of the Finding Information on the Web tutorial.