Finding Information on the Web

Subject Directories

Subject directories are collections of Internet resources organized into subject categories, usually arranged from general to more specific subjects. They are an efficient means to locate Web resources by topic. Subject directories are useful if you are looking for a broad or general topic, or if you are unfamiliar with a topic and you want sites recommended by subject specialists. Many directories also provide evaluations of the sites they index, and/or allow you to perform a keyword search to find indexed sites.

Since they are compiled by people rather than by computers they cannot include more than a miniscule fraction of the Web, but a well done directory will do a good job of covering the most significant sites relevant to a topic. Subject directories do vary widely in quality, though, so it is important to evaluate the quality of the directory as well as the sites it lists.

General Directories (cover many subjects)
	Yahoo!	-	When the Web was young, the creators of Yahoo envisioned a subject index that would include all pages on the Web. That's not even remotely possible now that the Web comprises billions of pages, but Yahoo is still he most comprehensive subject index. However, it does not evaluate sites.
	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.
	Academic Info	-	An independent, non-profit organization which "aims to be the premier educational gateway to online high school, college and research level Internet resources."
	BUBL Link	-	From Strathclyde University in Glasgow, Scotland, providing annotated lists of Internet resources, with a European slant.
	Scout Report Archive	-	Searchable and browseable archive of the Internet Scout Project's Scout Report, a weekly publication from the University of Wisconsin Computer Sciences Department. The project's goal is to find, evaluate, and link to the best Web sites for academic research.
	INFOMINE	-	"intended for the introduction and use of Internet/Web resources of relevance to faculty, students, and research staff at the university level." Begun by librarians at the various University of California campuses, it is now maintained by many other academic libraries in conjunction with UC libraries.
	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.
	Resource Discovery Network	-	A cooperative effort from academics in the UK to provide "effective access to high quality Internet resources for the learning, teaching and research community." Also includes guides to finding subject specific resources and indexes of Web sites.
	Voice of the Shuttle	-	Searchable database of links to academic resources on the Web for humanities and humanities related subjects.
	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."
Indexes of Subject Specific Directories
	Pinakes	-	A "subject launchpad" which lists directories for specific subjects, including art, chemistry, history, philosophy, physics, and many more fields.
	Argus Clearinghouse	-	An index of indexes: index of guides to Internet resources to specific subjects; compiled, evaluated, and maintained by librarians.
	Academic Resources.Net	-	Extensive annotated list of directories for specific academic subjects. Also includes links to directories of academic books, journals, and other publications available online.
			See Wesleyan Library's list of Research Sources by Subject for lists of subject specific indexes to Web sites.

Next: The Invisible Web

Contents - Internet - Searching - Search Engines - Subject Directories
Invisible Web - Listservs and Newsgroups - Evaluating - Citing