On all of these questions, there are many ways to get to the answers you want. You may come up with a different strategy of your own, which is fine -- the answer is what counts. But keep in mind that different search engines will give you different answers, so it's worth your while not to stop when you find one answer -- try a different route and see what else you may find.

Remember that to find reference sources you can always go to a reference desk on the net, such as the one at Librarians' Index to the Internet (http://lii.org) or at the Internet Public Library (http://www.ipl.org/ref/RR/static/ref00.00.00.html). And remember that the web is more than web sites -- it's a delivery system for magazines, newspapers and even books, and it's a communication system; consider using newsgroups.

1. My students need information on the Delaware Watershed.

   Hint 1: Think of all the federal and state agencies that would collect information on it, and use Searchgov http://searchgov.com

   Hint 2: If they're looking for published research, use a full-text periodical database.
   
   
   

2. You'd like to use a George Bernard Shaw quote about how all progress depends on the unreasonable man. But you want to get the wording exactly right and find the source as well.

   Hint: standard search engines are hopeless for quotes because the people who put them up don't necessarily get them right and they for sure don't tell you where they came from. Try X-Refer http://w1.xrefer.com/. Use the pulldown menu to select quotations and type in unreasonable man .
   
   
   

3. I want to find what patents already exist for insulated glass.

   Hint: this is a two-stage operation. Use and standard search engine and type patents + database. Click on one of them and do your search inside the patents database.
   
   
   

4. A kid wants to know where to find Christmas clip art.

   Hint 1: This is a good time to use Ask Jeeves for Kids (http://www.ajkids.com/) to make sure you get not only kid-safe but sites chosen because they're good and appealing for kids. Ask your question in plain English, e.g., Where can I find Christmas clip art.

   Hint 2: Go to a kids directory, like Kids Click (http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/KidsClick!/) and type Christmas.
   
   
   

5. What kinds of scientific imaging resources are available on the net?

   Hint: Use SciSeek, a science search engine, http://sciseek.com/ . Type in imaging
   
   
   

6. A middle school student needs two magazine articles on terrorism.

   Hint 1: try one of the free full-text databases available to you -- if you have FirstSearch, run this in Periodicals Abstracts; if you have EbscoHost, the standard default will work fine. Search statement, terrorism

   Hint 2: If you have neither, run this search in FindArticles.com (http://www.findarticles.com/PI/index.jhtml). Use the pulldown menu to restrict your search to News/Society magazines.
   
   
   

7. A student's teacher has insisted students must use books in their research papers but all the books on his topic -- abortion -- have been checked out.

   Hint: Go to the On-Line Books Page http://digital.library.upenn.edu/books/ and type abortion in the title search. (You don't want to do a subject search, which includes entire LC classifications.)
   
   
   

8. A patron with a sunburn and lots of freckles wants to know if there's any link between freckles and skin cancer.

   Hint 1: Try Medline Plus (http://medlineplus.gov/) for medical information in laypersons' terms. Look at one of the introductory articles on skin cancer. Use the "Find in Page" instruction in the pulldown menu under "Edit" at the top of Netscape, type in "freckle" and see if it is mentioned.

   Hint 2: Use HotBot (http://hotbot.lycos.com/). Click on advanced search. Type skin cancer and freckles in the search box. From the pulldown menu, select "boolean phrase." Under "Must contain" type risk factors. Under "Pages must include" click in the box for "image." Hit enter and look through your answers. Note two things: HotBot lists the top 2 web sites for that search (Direct Hit), and allows you to search within those results. Still, Medline Plus is preferable because if the answer is yes, your patron is going to want lots more good medical information.
   
   
   

9. You've been asked to construct a pathfinder, and you need to see some examples of pathfinders.

   Hint: Go to Google (http://google.com/) and type in the topic of your choice + pathfinder. Example: literary criticism + pathfinder

   
   
   
   

10. You want to find the meaning of the name Andrew.

    Hint 1: Go the Librarians' Index to the Internet (http://lii.org/) and click on Reference; then click on Names, or type names + meaning in the search box. You can then select Baby Namer or Baby Names and look up Andrew there. (Note that Baby Names allows you to find a name to match a meaning)

    Hint 2: Go to Excite (http://www.excite.com/) or any other search engine, and type names + meaning.
    
    
    

11. You have a student looking for information on school prayer, but there are way too many sites and she doesn't know enough about it to know how she wants to narrow her search.

    Hint 1: This might be a good time to try out Northern Light (http://northernlight.com/). Type in "school prayer", and see if its custom folders help her narrow her search.

    Hint 2: Use any search engine and type in school prayer + faq. Notice they will come from a variety of viewpoints.

    Hint 3: Go to MSN search (http://search.msn.com/ and type in school prayer. Click on the Top 10 Most Popular Sites and note that not only are those top sites linked, but related Direct Hit searches are also listed, most of them more narrowly focused.
    
    
    

12. You are building a new library that's going to open three years from now, and you want to know whether the wireless applications (WAP) are reliable enough and network well enough that you can plan on using wireless technologies.

    Hint 1: Technologies change so fast that you need current sources. Go to FindArticles (http://www.findarticles.com/PI/index.jhtml and type in wap + networking + libraries, OR do the same search on your own full-text periodical databases. If you have FirstSearch, try the search in Library Literature.

    Hint 2: Go to a prime technology one-stop shop, like ZDnet (http://www.zdnet.com/) and type WAP networking. You'll get commentary, tech news, downloads, etc.

    Hint 3: Look for a discussion group on WAP networking. Google has now taken over deja.com, which indexed newsgroup postings. Go to Google Usenet Search (http://groups.google.com/advanced_group_search) and type in WAP reliabilitynetworking and choose "all the words."

    
    
    
    

13. A patron wants pictures of the World Trade Center, before and after.

    Hint 1: Use image searchers, like Ditto.com http://Ditto.com/, or FastSearch http://www.alltheweb.com/ (click on its multimedia search), and type in "World Trade Center".

    Hint 2: Type World Trade Center + image on any search engine.
    
    
    

    No more hints. You've got the hang of this by now.
    Try these questions on the search engine of your choice.
    
    
    
14. Your patron would like a pattern and directions for an Ohio Star quilt block.
    
    
    
15. Your patron can't remember how to play Spite and Malice. Can you find the rules for it?

    
    
    
    

Last updated October 29, 2001.