Answering Reference Questions Using the Internet
Someone asks a reference question...
Is it a ready reference question? Can the answer likely be found by checking one or two handy sources?	If so, try: ready reference print materials Internet ready reference tools Internet directories for finding people quickly searching Yahoo! for a tool referral to an outside agency or organization
If the question is more complicated or complex...
Get a Handle on the Question Start in on the reference interview. Ask yourself , do I know exactly what it is I'm looking for?	Aspects to consider: subject area (get as specific as possible) type of information (statistics, articles, etc.) amount and scope of information date or time frame desired format user level
Select a Resource Based on your experience, where is the best place to look for the answer? Do you know of an individual or organization that produces the sort of information you need?	Options include: your library's collection (including staff members) referrals to outside agencies local museums, government offices, social agencies the Internet, especially the Web
Undertaking an Internet Search
Focus Your Efforts Start constructing a search strategy and search terms. The goal should be to increase search precision without inadvertently eliminating potentially valuable resources.	Identify: Principal search terms: primary keywords, phrases or concepts secondary keywords, phrases or concepts necessary truncation synonyms, related terms, alternate spellings antonyms or excluded terms Additional search qualifiers Boolean logic, proximity operators, nesting date restrictions host machine restrictions (e.g.: .com, .edu, .bc.ca) field searching (e.g.: title, URL) format (e.g.: text, image, sound clips)
Start Searching
Rapid Strike! Try an educated guess as to where you will find the answer. Don't look for the answer per se, but rather consider where the answer could probably be found. If you can't find a useful source in one or two guesses, stop.	Possibilities: guess using standard URL convention: www._______________.com/edu/gov/bc.ca (e.g.: www.ibm.com or www.gov.bc.ca) try your bookmark list or librarian-produced homepages quick search a broad subject directory
Specific Types of Information
Recent or Breaking News Very current information is invisible to regular search engines. They can take up to several weeks to find and incorporate new information.	Try: News sites Web versions of major newspapers Newsgroup (Usenet) archives
Searching the Web
General Searches Is your goal to locate a few good sources of information to get you going? Do you need a general overview of a subject? Do you need to browse a subject area or narrow a broad topic?	Try: broad subject directories specialized subject directories
Specific Searches Are you after the answer to a specific question? Do you need to research a topic in more detail or collect information from a variety of sources?	Try: general search engines specialized search engines meta search tools
And when all else fails...
Tips and Tricks of Last Resort No luck? Nothing working? Desperate?	Some possibilities: check your spelling re-examine search terms and qualifiers use a variety of search tools Selete subdirectories from URLs starting from the right good for bringing life to dead links look for links to good (but not perfect) sites ask another librarian for help subscribe to Stumpers-L beware: this is a high volume group

Internet Sites for Reference Librarians

Internet Ready Reference Tools

Web-based ready reference tools still pale in comparison to their print cousins. Trusted titles are generally best used straight from the shelf. If, however, your library has a sudden unexpected need for an Estonian-English dictionary, try the sites below. Yahoo!, it is worth noting, have categories for common reference tools.

• DeskRef
  • easy-to-use quick reference guide maintained by Ramapo Catskill Library System
• Martindale's The Reference Desk
  • can be a s-l-o-w loading site for anyone with dial-up access
  • try "World Wide Overview" for a selection of ready reference tools
• Ready Reference Collection (Internet Public Library)
  • lots of ready reference titles sorted by subject
• Yahoo! Canada Reference
  • includes a few Canadian sources that are hard to track down elsewhere

  Go back to: Ready Reference or Top of the Table

Internet Directories (E-mail and Telephone)

Anyone who has searched for an e-mail address or phone number using a free online directory knows they aren't quite the greatest invention since sliced bread. Still, it's possible you'll have luck if you try more than one directory.

• Canada411
  • Canadian phone listings
• Infospace Canada
  • Canadian directories for personal and business listings and fax numbers
  • for American listings, try Infospace
• TelDir / Telephone Directories on the Web
  • phone books from around the world

  Go back to: Ready Reference or Top of the Table

Librarian-Produced Homepages

It should come as no surprise that some of the best for reference work are designed by librarians. These resources don't necessarily provide the answer; rather they help point you in the right direction. Such sites are good for finding links to frequently used and reliable sources.

• Digital Librarian
  • comprehensive list of librarian-selected sites arranged by subject
• Lii.org / Librarians' Index to the Internet
  • works sort of like Yahoo! but developed by a librarian

  Go back to: Rapid Strike or Top of the Table

Internet News Sites

• BBC News, World Service
  • News with a British twist
• CBC News
  • Local, national and international news from the Canadian perspective
  • Site includes audio and video broadcasts of news programming
• CNN
  • news headlines (and details) from the people who invented cable news

  Go back to: Recent or Breaking News or Top of the Table

Online Newspapers

Some online newspapers provide full text versions of their print editions, while others are much more selective. A few, such as the New York Times, require free registration. Most have very limited archives.

• OnlineNewspapers.com
  • Links to hundreds of international publications
• Newspapers.com
  • links to newspaper sites around the world, including trade journals and other speciality papers
• Yahoo! Canada - Newspapers
  • Canadian newspapers by province

  Go back to: Recent or Breaking News or Top of the Table

Newsgroup (Usenet) Archives

Newsgroups have fallen out of favour in recent years, though they can still be a good source of information. Unfortunately, there simply aren't many archives to choose from.

• Google Groups
  • searchable archives of newsgroups
  • remember the option of an advanced search interface

  Go back to: Recent or Breaking News or Top of the Table

Broad Subject Directories

• Galaxy
  • a basic directory built on the Yahoo model
• Google Directory
  • perhaps Yahoo's closest rival
• Yahoo!
  • best known of all directories and the best place to start
  • to search Yahoo! more effectively, click on the "advanced search" link beside the "Search" button
• Yahoo! Canada
  • probably the largest directory covering Canada, but sometimes it's hard to tell if you're in Yahoo! or Yahoo! Canada -- be careful!

  Go back to: Rapid Strike, General Searches, or Top of the Table

Specialized Directories and Engines

Finding specialized directories or engines can be time consuming if you don't know exactly what you're looking for. Try the sites below for starters. Remember that Yahoo! has country and city specific versions, as do many of today's search engines.

• About.com
  • a directory of more selectively chosen sites than Yahoo (though watch out for annoying pop-up advertisements)
• Invisible Web
  • a great source for finding databases on the Web whose contents are not indexed by search engines
• Complete Planet
  • over 100,000 searchable databases and specialty search engines

  Go back to: General Searches, Specific Searches, or Top of the Table

General Search Engines

• All The Web
  • often number two in rankings of search engines, behind Google
• Google
  • the current king of search engines
  • remember to try the advanced search feature to tailor searches more specifically
• Internet Search Engines
  • a massive list of search engines and other Web tools from the University at Albany libraries
• Search Engine Showdown
  • all things search engine related, from links to reviews to comparisons

  Go back to: Specific Searches or Top of the Table

Meta Search Engines

Unfortunately, meta engines aren't nearly as wonderful as they often claim. Results can be inconsistent, especially if searching for multiple terms or for phrases. But they can still be a lifesaver when regular engines like Google and All the Web don't turn up much.

• DogPile
  • retrieves and displays results from each engine separately
• Ixquick
  • searches engines, directories, news and MP3 files (separately)
• MetaCrawler
  • good, basic meta engine that attempts to remove duplicate results

  Go back to: Specific Searches or Top of the Table

This Web page was produced by Joel Minion under the auspices of the British Columbia Library Association and the Library Services Branch of the Ministry of Community, Aboriginal and Women's Services, British Columbia.

Last Updated: 03 September 2002

Copyright 2002. All rights reserved.