BARE BONES 101:

"Trends, like horses, are easier to ride in the direction they are going. "
             --Anonymous


A BASIC TUTORIAL ON SEARCHING THE WEB


INTRODUCTION

So, you're still getting those 1,670,000+ responses to your search queries on the Web, and you're still too busy to do anything about it, like reading the lengthy, and sometimes confusing, "help" screens to find out how to improve your searching techniques.

Look no further! Real help is here, in the USCB Library's BARE BONES Tutorial.

You can zip through these lessons in no time, any time. They are very short and succinct; each can be read in a few minutes. Feel free to jump in wherever you like, skip what you don't want to read, and come back whenever you need to.

The information contained in the following lessons is truly "bare bones," designed to get you started in the right direction with a minimum of time and effort. For more comprehensive and detailed help on searching the Web, consult our recommended list of sites in Lesson 18 at the end of this tutorial.

NOTE: If you just want some quick SEARCH TIPS,
skip everything else and go directly to Lesson 7.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Lesson 1: Search Engines: a Definition

Lesson 2: Metasearchers: a Definition

Lesson 3: Subject Directories: a Definition

Lesson 4: Library Gateways and Specialized Databases: a Definition

Lesson 5: Evaluating Web Pages

Lesson 6: Creating a Search Strategy

Lesson 7: Basic Search Tips

Lesson 8: Searching with Boolean Logic and Proximity Operators

Lesson 9: Field Searching

Lesson 10: Troubleshooting

Lesson 11: All the Web (Fast): A Closer Look

Lesson 12: Alta Vista: A Closer Look

Lesson 13: Google: A Closer Look

Lesson 14: Ixquick Metasearch: A Closer Look

Lesson 15: Yahoo!: A Closer Look

Lesson 16: Final Exam

Lesson 17: Beyond "Bare Bones"

 

User Agreement


"Bare Bones 101" has been created by Ellen Chamberlain, Head Librarian at the University of South Carolina Beaufort campus. She is the co-author of BCK2SKOL ("Back to School"), an introductory Internet course for librarians and other serious searchers, initially offered on the Net in 1995 as a listserv, with lessons delivered to over 6,000 subscribers in 62 countries around the world.

Library Home Page                           Search Engines


[Search Engines] [Metasearchers] [Subject Directories] [Gateways & Databases] [Evaluating Web Pages]
[Search Strategies] [Search Tips] [Boolean Operators] [Field Searching] [Troubleshooting] [All the Web (Fast)]
[Alta Vista] [Google] [Ixquick] [Yahoo!] [Final Exam] [Beyond Bones] [User Agreement]


Links and text checked regularly. Latest update on 15 January 2002.
This tutorial was first created in January 2000 by Ellen Chamberlain, library webweaver.
Copyright © the Board of Trustees of the University of South Carolina.
URL: http://www.sc.edu/beaufort/library/bones.html