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Internet Search Engines

Standard Search Engines | Directory Search Engines | Meta Search Engines
Searching for Search Engines | Other Useful Directories/Search Engines

Our Top 4 Recommended Search Engines:

  1. Google
  2. Vivisimo
  3. Yahoo
  4. Ask

This is not an exhaustive list of search engines that are available on the web. To find other useful search engines, look through the listings found under the category "Searching for Search Engines".

Standard Search Engines

A standard search engine contains an index which is created using computer programs which are commonly known as robots (bots), harvesters, worms or spiders.

Directory Search Engines

Directory search engines contain an index (subject directory) which is created by using human intervention rather than by relying on computer programming or Robots.  LookSmart, Open Directory and Yahoo are examples of directory search engines.

Meta Search Engines

A meta search engine allows the user to query more than one search engine or subject directory at one time. DogPile, Surfwax, and Vivisimo are Meta Search Engines.

Searching for Search Engines

Want to find a search engine not listed on one of our pages?  You can search for the URL of search engines worldwide using Search Engine Colossus.

Other Useful Directories/Search Engines

These are directories or search engines identified by Oboler Library staff as useful in finding information on the web.  These sites have been developed by professional organizations or educational institutions. 

BUBL Information Service
http://bubl.ac.uk/

The mission of BUBL is to "provide value-added access to Internet resources and services of academic, research, and professional significance to the UK Higher Education community. To help meet these objectives, BUBL aims to offer fast, easy-to-use and reliable access to selected high-quality resources of academic relevance, both on its own servers and worldwide." -BUBL Subject Guide

INFOMINE: Scholarly Internet Resource Collections
http://infomine.ucr.edu/

"INFOMINE is intended for the introduction and use of Internet/Web resources of relevance to faculty, students, and research staff at the university level. It is being offered as a comprehensive showcase, virtual library and reference tool containing highly useful Internet/Web resources including databases, electronic journals, electronic books, bulletin boards, listservs, online library card catalogs, articles and directories of researchers, among many other types of information." -INFOMINE

The Internet Public Library
http://www.ipl.org/

"Our mission directs us to serve the public by finding, evaluating, selecting, organizing, describing, and creating quality information resources." Thousands of Internet resources are included in the IPL collections. "Each item in the IPL collections has been carefully selected, cataloged and described by a member of the IPL staff. This means that you can be assured of the quality of the resources that you will find within the IPL" -Internet Public Library

Librarians' Internet Index
http://www.lii.org/

"The Librarians' Internet Index is a searchable, annotated subject directory of Internet resources selected and evaluated by librarians for their usefulness to users of public libraries. It's meant to be used by both librarians and non-librarians as a reliable and efficient guide to described and evaluated Internet resources." -Librarians' Index

Scout Report Archives
http://scout.wisc.edu/Archives/

"The Scout Report Archives is a searchable and browsable database to nearly seven years' worth of the Scout Report and subject-specific Scout Reports. It contains critical annotations of carefully selected Internet sites and mailing lists. Each annotation seeks to provide an overall analysis of each site including general content, attribution (authors, etc.), currency, availability, accessibility and presentation. The majority of items reviewed are free and freely accessible." -Scout Report

WWW Virtual Library
http://www.vlib.org/

"The VL is the oldest catalog of the web, started by Tim Berners-Lee, the creator of html and the web itself. Unlike commercial catalogs, it is run by a loose confederation of volunteers, who compile pages of key links for particular areas in which they are expert; even though it isn't the biggest index of the web, the VL pages are widely recognized as being amongst the highest-quality guides to particular sections of the web." -WWW Virtual Library

Last Modified 08/10/2011 kk