Power up your search!
Posted in Databases, Information literacy, Information quality, Web searching on Feb 22nd, 2010
"There's got to be a better way..."
Finding information online can be like mining for gold – it’s hard to know where to look for the good stuff. Here are a few tips to get there quickly.
Use a database – These large collections of magazine articles and reference works aren’t available on Google or other search engines. Check out biographies, current events, Boston Globe articles, and more at the library’s web site.
Take quick video tours of Pike’s CultureGrams and eLibrary databases here.
Search with power – Specific search terms give you better results. Include all important key words and eliminate unwanted terms. Looking for information about where dolphins live? Using the minus sign signals the search engine to ignore web sites about the Miami Dolphins football team.
Voila! More results you can use!
Use a directory – an aggregated set of links that has been reviewed, organized, and annotated, such as Pike’s Teaching Resources.
