Searching the Hidden Internet

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Searching the Hidden Internet

• Lecture 17
• Daniel Stuhlman
• Libr 244

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Tricks of Searching 1

• Search engines index all the words in the body of
  the web page and in the keyword section.
• There are no rules for choosing keywords. The
  page maker can put any word they want without any
  authority or controlled vocabulary.

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Tricks of Searching 2

• The writer can choose the title of the page.
  This title is displayed on the top line of the
  browser page and when the search engine gives
  matches.

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Tricks of Searching 3

• Examples http//www3.ns.sympatico.ca/allegrow/cat
  .htm

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Library Cataloguing Aids Lynnes Web pages - 1

• This web page by Lynne LeGrow gathers links for
  catalogers. The page includes active links and
  illustrations. There is more information than
  can fit into one screen.

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Lynnes Web pages 2

• This is the header information for this web page.
  Note the title .
• content"text/html charsetiso-8859-1"
• en (Windows NT 5.0 U) Netscape"
• aids, cataloguing help, cataloging help,
  cataloging aids, cataloguer's help, AACR2R,
  AACR2, library, libraries, library cataloguing,
  MARC, Dewey Decimal System, DDC21, free-floating
  subdivisions, cataloguing tools, AUTOCAT"
• the library cataloguer! Also, listserv
  addresses, and code lists etc."
• Library Cataloguing Aids - Lynne's
  WEB

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Search for Lynnes Web Pages - 1

• Lets go backwards and search for Lynnes pages
• Search cataloguing aids Note the
  British/Canadian spelling. The author is from
  Nova Scotia, Canada.
• Results
• Cataloguing... Library Cataloguing Aids compiled
  by Lynne LeGrow contains a variety of links,
  many of which are of particular interest to
  Canadian teacher-librarians. ...
  www.rupert.net/rtoor/Library_Cataloguing.htm -
  9k -
• Cataloging Library Collections... the Dewey
  Classification. Library Cataloguing Aids - Links
  to a great many useful site compiled by Lynn
  LeGrow. Cataloging Tools ... www.sldirectory.com/
  libsf/resf/catalog.html - 6k -

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Search for Lynnes Web Pages - 2

• . Libero Links .... Cataloguing Aids -
  compiled by Lynne LeGrow The National Library of
  Australiacataloguer's Toolbox Acronyms
  Dictionary Bartlett's Familiar Quotations. ...
  www.libero.com.au/eng/links.htm - 13k -
• Library technical service home pages
  professional, academic, ... ... to accessible
  information Cataloguing aids / Lynne LeGrow
  Auburn University Libraries Cataloguing Dept.
  Bates College Cataloging ... www.mun.ca/library/c
  at/techwebs.htm - 17k -

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Search for Lynnes Web Pages - 3

• Lynnes actual site was not in the first 12 pages
  that Google found.
• New search cataloguing aids tools
• Again the first 12 pages Google found did not
  have Lynnes page

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Search for Lynnes Web Pages - 4

• Search cataloguing aids tools lynne
• The results give lots of references to her page
  but the first 12 do not give the exact page.
• Search library cataloguing aids lynne
• The first item is the exact page

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Search for Lynnes Web Pages - 5

• www3.ns.sympatico.ca/allegrow/cat.htm

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More Hidden Pages - 1

• Search Stuhlman San Jose
• You will find a page with all the courses listed.

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More Hidden Pages - 2

• Of the 115 hits five on the first page were
  relevant and most have nothing to do with me.
  There was no hits for other pages on the SJSU web
  site.
• Search stuhlman_at_slis.sjsu.edu
• No hits. This is because I the exact address has
  been hidden from viewers.

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More Hidden Pages - 3

• You can use Google to search for phone numbers
  and e-mail addresses.
• I searched 888-293-0272 for a company I found
  advertised in American Libraries.

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(No Transcript)
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This is the company web page. It has no phone
number,
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More Hidden Information -1

• Look at this web page http//home.earthlink.net/
  ddstuhlman/lbr244-1.html
• The page has hidden information.
• In the key words are names of all the students in
  the class. However, I doubt any search engine
  will find this page.
• See you can find the hidden lines.

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More Hidden Information -2
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HTML Code for Previous Page

• Transitional//EN"
• This is a test page Libr 244-11 Jan
  2003
• page for Libr 244-11"
• BRIDGES,COLBURN,DIXON-YANEZ, EBEY, EMPIZO,
• FLUD,GEORGER,HERNANDEZ, HUMPHREY,MACIAS,MARTINEZ,M
  CFARLAND,MOORE,NEINAST,NIGHTINGALE,
  PARADISE,PARKER,PASTCAN,PEPPERS,PERRUSO,PHILPOTT,S
  HALIN,SLIM,WICKSTROM,Wong "
• vlink"551a8b" alink"ff0000" bgcolor"White"
• This is a test page for Libr 244-11.
  
• Names of class members are in the hidden keyword
  section.
  
• 
  
• There is also a hidden section on this page.
  Can you find it?
  
  

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Interviewing

• Especially for online searching

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Interviewing for Web Searching

• Interviewing the client or reader as part of the
  reference process is important preparation for
  every method of searching.
• For on line searches there are some special
  things to add to the interview. Everything
  youve ever learned in your reference classes
  about doing a good interview is still applicable.

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Interviewing for Web Searching 2

• A client has a question and comes to you, an
  information professional for help in answering
  it. It is important to find out why the
  question/need exists.
• When we understand the problem context it is
  easier to formulate a good search strategy. Ask
  what the person is going to do with the
  information. Are they just exploring an
  idea/subject or do they have a particular fact or
  group of facts they need. Are they interested in
  grounded research information only or are they
  just as interested in opinion pieces. Do they
  need articles for continuing research or is the
  final answer what they need without a care as to
  the source.

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Interviewing for Web Searching 3

• What does the client already know about their
  question? Ask them to tell you about their topic
  or interest. Do they know an author who writes
  on this topic or a researcher who does work in
  this field?
• Is an online search the best approach to the
  problem? This is a decision you make. This is
  your area of expertise. Does the client
  understand the general nature of their topic? If
  not, perhaps they would be better served by using
  some print sources first and then if needed go
  online. If the search involves looking for a one
  word subject a CD-Rom encyclopedia or a print
  resource would be more appropriate.

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Interviewing for Web Searching 4

• Understand the problem. You and the questioner
  must have a meeting of the minds. Any
  information problem is a statement partially of
  what is known and partially of what is unknown.
  It involves concepts and relationships between
  concepts. These concepts have to be represented
  by the search in words or phrases or symbols that
  can be understood by the computerized database
  system. Then the relationships or logic of the
  search must be stated using the expressions that
  the database system search can recognize.

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Interviewing for Web Searching 5

• The proper database must be searched.
• The best vocabulary and terms for the search must
  be chosen. In general, the most specific terms
  possible should be chosen that express the
  clients meaning. This usually means breaking
  the question down into searchable segments and
  choosing the right logic to put the segments
  together.

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Interviewing for Web Searching 6

• For an online search of a commercial database but
  also on the WWW, some special things to discuss
  with your client include the following.
• Desired form of output If the client needs the
  full text of articles they will not be pleased
  with abstracts or bibliographies. If they need
  financial data, they may not want a lot of
  narrative to hunt through.
• Cost Commercial databases have costs. Be
  upfront and totally honest with the client about
  these costs and the fact that you can only give
  them an estimate of the charges because of the
  variety of cost factors involved. You may be
  able to work with a not to exceed cost limit.
• Time period to be searched Does the client want
  only recent items or is there a number of years
  that would be relevant.
• Language In many databases articles may be in a
  variety of different languages. Often the title
  and abstract will be in English but the article
  itself in a different language. You need to know
  whether your client can read other languages.

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Interviewing for Web Searching 7

• Define the type of literature desired Journal
  articles? Research reports? Clinical trials?
  Financial data only?
• Suggestions of alternate language Especially in
  a field that you do not search regularly or have
  personal knowledge of, you need to get a variety
  of synonyms, antonyms, acronyms, and similar word
  varieties from your client. This will help you
  deal with situations in which your initial search
  strategy yields either too large or too small of
  set of records.

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Interviewing for Web Searching 8

• Format options The client needs to be informed
  if the type of format option chosen will effect
  the cost of the search. With systems like Dialog
  they may choose a bibliography as it will be much
  cheaper than the full text format, or they may be
  very willing to pay for the full text for its
  convenience.
• Will the client be present during the search?
  This is highly recommended because you can change
  strategies in the middle of a search. When the
  client is present they can watch what is
  happening and guide the search so that it is most
  likely to be relevant to their particular needs.