Search Engines

Search engines make it possible to sift through the information on the Web and, with luck, find those sites that will provide the information you are interested in.  Depending on how comfortable you are searching the Internet, you can spend as little or as much time as you need  reviewing the following information on Internet search engines, meta-searchers, subject directories and gateways.* 

If you would like to see how one search engine or meta-searcher compares to another, you may want to look at the Search Engine Showdown.  This site compares the features of the various search engines and  provides information to help you choose which tool to use. 

Examples of individual search engines: Alta Vista AlltheWeb Google	Examples of meta-searchers: Dogpile Ixquick MetaCrawler
Examples of subject directories: Excite LookSmart Open Directory Project Yahoo!	Examples of library gateways and specialized databases: Academic Information BUBL Infomine Internet Public Library Librarians' Index to the Internet Living Web Library PINAKES WWW Virtual Library

 *A more detailed description of search engines, meta-searchers, subject directories, and library gateways can be found on the excellent Bare Bones Web tutorial by Ellen Chamberlain at the University of South Carolina.