• Use the information from Wikipedia to write your own definition of a metasearch engine.
• Go to the UC Berkley library page. What reasons do these librarians have for NOT recommending the use of metasearch engines?
• Go to the ZD Net technology article. What reasons are given for recommending the use of metasearch engines?
• ANALYSE AND SYNTHESISE (or "compare and contrast") the two sets of arguments. FORMULATE your own conclusion as to whether or not YOU should use metasearch engines.
• Go to this list of metasearch tools. Select any FOUR of these, and tabulate the following: engine name, site owner, databases used for their search results.

• Here is a DIRECTORY of specialist search engines. Go to the link for Education, and from the target page list ONE specialist search engine for Education in Australia.
• Using the Education listings, according to the description, what does the The Glossarist provide?

• Using the information from Google's Definitions search for a portal, and the one for a directory, describe the difference between a PORTAL and a DIRECTORY.
• Possibily the largest subject directory currently available is the Open Directory Project. How many subjects does it cover, and how many experts contribute to its database?
• Use any search engine to find a list of NEWS DIRECTORIES. List three that could be used to find any recent news articles on the Parramatta area.

• Write down the URLs for Net Exposure, Yoseek, and the first of the Australian search engines, Web Wombat
• Now write the URL for the Australian version of Yahoo!. Apart from the domain names, what changes in the URL between the first three and Yahoo? How could you account for this?

• Go to the Kartoo Search Engine, and enter the search phrase Australian birds. DESCRIBE the page of search results.
• Go to the Clusty Search Engine, and enter the same search phrase again. DESCRIBE the page of search results. What do each of the three small icons next to the links mean?
• Do the same with Mooter. DESCRIBE how the search results are presented here (hint: make sure you check out the Next Cluster option).
• Which of the above three would you recommend for use by Year 6 students, and why?

• Go to Major Children's Guides & Directories and EXAMINE five of the search tools recommended for students. Rank them in the order you would recommend them for Primary School children, and explain why you have ranked them that way. For example, you could include ease of use and visual appeal.
  
  
• Here's something different! Go to the Ms Dewey search engine. evaluate the interface; is it user friendly?
  
  
• Go to Kids Click, and use the link at the bottom of the page to "see what this looks like though a librarian's eyes". Describe what happens to the listings.

Webcat is the name given to online, web-based library catalogues. They can help you find authoritative information that has been selected by your own library to meet your information needs.

Sometimes your teacher will have told the school's Teacher Librarian about your assignments, and your Teacher Librarian will have organised for you to access resources at your school, just for your assignment. You can search a webcat from any Internet-enabled computer.

• Does your school have an online catalogue? If it does, write the URL in your workbook.
• Use your favourite search engine, and write the URLs for two public libraries that are close to where you live.
• Using any one of the those webcats you've listed, SEARCH for the number of resources the library has on the topic of your last research assignment. RECORD your answer. Remember to name the library!

Have your work checked before you go to Part 3 >>>