Searching the Internet - Subject Catalogs

go to text version

Yahoo
LookSmart
Librarians' Index to the Internet

Library Classification:
BUBL LINK--Dewey Decimal
INFOMINE--Library of Congress Subject Terms

Included here are selected services that provide extensive resource directories organized by subject. Users can browse the subject hierarchy for a single link to a resource that fits a specific need, or gather multiple links on a particular topic. The resources are collected and placed in the hierarchy by people, as opposed to electronic robots as in the Searchable Indexes section of the Toolkit. In most cases the Subject Directories are also searchable, but the major benefit of each tool in this section is the ability to review multiple resource titles related to specific topics.

Yahoo
http://www.yahoo.com/
Provider: Yahoo, Inc.
Browsable index: Yes
Search capabilities: Yes
Item submission method: Human, also uses a robot that looks for new announcements
Selection of Resources/Who Selects?: No
Annotated: Yes, by the submitter
Intended Audience General
FAQ:Yes, for the product.Yes, for the searching system.
Originally written by 2 graduate students at Stanford, Yahoo is now provided by Yahoo, Inc. The service consists of a subject catalog divided into 14 top level categories and hundreds of sub-categories. Yahoo alerts users to how many links are under each category and if any new ones have been added recently. Short annotations are provided. Yahoo is very large and well known, and is the first place many people go for a subject catalog. A tip for using Yahoo: Because there are hundreds of categories, finding a specific topic may present a problem if you don't know where your topic has been filed. Therefore it may prove useful to first do a cursory search to find where your subject is, and then go to the category and browse it.
[Return to Top]

LookSmart
http://www.looksmart.com
Provider: Reader's Digest
Browsable index: Yes
Search capabilities: Yes
Item submission method: Human
Selection of Resources/Who Selects?: Yes/LookSmart editors
Annotated: Yes, by Looksmart editors
Intended Audience General
FAQ: Yes, for the product and the searching system.
LookSmart sites are arranged in thirteen major subject categories, with numerous subcategories.The main advantage to the site is a layout that allows the user to see subcategories for each category while the main categories are still on the screen, which aids navigation. All web sites contain short annotations. LookSmart also contains a "favorites" section, which users can personalize. Note that while Java or Javascript capable browsers enhance functionality, they are not necessary to the functioning of the site.
[Return to Top]

Librarians' Index to the Internet
http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/InternetIndex/
Provider: Berkeley Digital Library Sunsite
Browsable index: Yes
Search capabilities: Yes
Item submission method: None
Selection of Resources/Who Selects?: Yes/librarians
Annotated: Yes, by librarians
Intended Audience General
FAQ: Yes, for the product. Yes, for the searching system.
Formerly known as the Berkeley Public Library's Index to the Internet, this index, now maintained at the Berkeley Digital Library Sunsite, contains over 40 major categories, with many subcategories under each. It is searchable by subject, title, or annotation and the subject list is "loosely based on the Library of Congress Subject Headings." It is a relatively small, but very selective index, which is well known for the quality of its resources.
[Return to Top]

Library Classification:

BUBL LINK
http://bubl.ac.uk/link/
Provider: BUBL Information Service, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland.
Browsable index: Yes
Search capabilities: Yes
Item submission method: None
Selection of Resources/Who Selects? Yes/academic librarians
Annotated: Yes, by academic librarians
Intended Audience Research and education
FAQ: Yes ,for the product. Yes, for the searching system.
BUBL LINK is an Internet resource catalog organized according to the Dewey Decimal Classification. The Dewey system has been in continuous use for 120 years, is used in more than 135 countries, and has been translated into over 30 languages. The system breaks all knowledge into ten major numerical schedules in order to arrange knowledge by topic. Each of the major categories is divided into ten subcategories, resulting in 100 divisions. Each of these sub-categories can be further delineated by adding a decimal point and additional numbers as described in the multi-volume Dewey manual. The result is a hierarchical classification scheme with like items placed in proximity to one another. BUBL LINK is an excellent example of the use of this classification scheme to build an Internet subject-oriented resource list. BUBL LINK is known for its selectivity and the quality of its resources.
[Return to Top]

INFOMINE: Scholarly Internet Resource Collections
http://lib-www.ucr.edu/
Provider: University of California, Riverside Library
Browsable index: Yes
Search capabilities: Yes
Item submission method: None
Selection of Resources/Who Selects? Yes/academic librarians
Annotated: Yes, by academic librarians
Intended Audience Research and education
FAQ: Yes, for the product. Yes, for the searching system.
INFOMINE is a collection of scholarly Internet resources that is arranged in 10 major categories. Each category can be searched, or browsed by keyword, title, or LCSH subject headings. Resource description is avalable via subject and keyword access. It maintains large "What's New" sections for each major category. INFOMINE is known for its selectivity and the quality of its resources.
[Return to Top]