Audrey Wright--searching examples

Take a step back-- with all these components, how do I find what I need? Do I have to know beforehand where to go for what type of information? Think flexibly, creatively. Good searching skills make you self-sufficient.

• Searching -- detective work; think of all possible avenues.
  • Controlled Vocabulary -- (Library of Congress) Search the Online Catalog
    • Example: search for books which might include discussion on terminology used in anthropology (fin k concept? anthropology)

  • Non-controlled -- Web search engines
    • There is always an element of serendipity
    • search for "Uses of the word 'tribe' as applied to African tribes" using Infoseek (africa word tribe terminology)

    • Argos: Limited Area Search of the Ancient and Medieval Internet

    • Browsing pre-classified subject groupings such as found in yahoo is also effective in certain situations (e.g., when you don't know what terms might be used to describe your topic, or when your topic is very broad.)
      • computer problems? Use the web itself to answer questions about the technology--how to make a gif transparent, various error messages, how to sign onto a listserv.

    • contact a person, find out how to use a database, find out what other people are using for syllabi, bibliographies

    • But which search engine should I be using? A lot of it is trial and error! Comparison of search engines

                  Search Strategies

    • searching only within newsgroup archives--use dejanews