Chapter 8 Exercise: Find and Evaluate a Web Page Using a Subject Directory

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lii.org is Librarians' Index to the Internet. Put together by librarians, all of the resources are pre-selected and of high quality.

Use fairly broad terms when you do your searching at lii.org.

The Librarians' Index to the Internet <lii.org> is an annotated subject directory of Internet resources that have been evaluated by librarians.

lii.org is a relatively small database of Internet resources, but the quality of the information selected for inclusion makes it a good choice for many topics.

As with any smaller database, you should use broader, more general terms to represent your topic. lii.org only shows you records that contain all of your search terms unless you use OR between the words.

Tips Use fewer words than you would use in a search engine. Use broader, more general words. For example, if you were interested in Monterey Bay otters as a subject, don't look for Monterey Bay otters, but look for otters instead.

To get to lii.org

1. From the Cabrillo College Library homepage, select Search the Internet, then select Subject Lists and Directories
2. On the next screen, select LII Librarians' Index to the Internet. Or, type http://www.lii.org/ into the location box on any computer with Internet access and a browser.

Click on the Advanced Search option, to get to this advanced search interface:

Type the words that represent your topic into the text boxes. You can use Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) to combine words, add words, or eliminate words to refine your search statement.

Exercise: Use lii to search for a high quality Internet resource on your topic.
Once you have found it, go to the Bulletin Board for this class. Click on , and type in your name. Write a message about what you found, following these points:

1. Give the title and URL for the high quality Web page you found on your topic

2. In one or two sentences, tell us why you selected this resource. Apply evaluative criteria such as the following:

a. Accuracy Does the information appear to be reliable and error free?

b. Authorship Who or what entity is responsible for the information? Is the source reputable?

c. Currency How recently was the site created or updated?

d. Objectivity Is the site designed to inform, persuade, or sell? Is personal bias apparent?

e. Coverage What will this page contribute to your research? Are there more links to related sources?