When to Use Google
Google is easy to use and a great way to get quick information, especially the following:
Google News
Computer-selected stories from top online news organizations
Stock Quotes
Example: [pep]
Retrieves stock values for Pepsico (ticker symbol: pep), on 20 minute delay. The information is also linked to a company profile from Yahoo! Finance.
Search by File Type
Example: [income statement filetype:xls]
For spreadsheet files formated for MicroSoft Excel (.xls files), that contain the phrase "income statement". Other file types can also be searched (.pdf, .doc, .jpg, etc.).
Search by Numbers
- UPS, FedEx & USPS tracking numbers
- Vehicle ID numbers
- UPC codes
- Telephone area codes
- Zip codes (5-digit)
- Patent numbers
Google Dictionary
Example: [define econometric]
For definition of "econometric" in several online dictionaries.
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Phone Numbers and Contact Information
Example: [ mars, incorporated ]
A keyword search on a company or organization name will often lead to contact information.
Street Maps & Local Information
Example: [map state college, pa ]
For a State College, PA, map provided by Google Maps. Other local information is available through Google Local.
Weather
Example: [weather pensacola, fl]
For a quick weather report.
Advanced Keyword Searching
For simple instructions for searching phrases, using search operators, searching synonyms, searching specific domains, using numerical ranges, see Advanced Search Made Easy.
Other Information
Other special search features are describe at Googles Services & Tools page. |
How Does Google Work?
Google is a fully automated search engine that employs robots known as "spiders" to crawl the web and find sites for inclusion in the Google index.
Google currently looks at more than 8 billion URLs during such crawls. The
crawl process is algorithmic. Computer programs determine which sites to crawl, how often, and how many pages to fetch and index from each site.
Certain types of information receive special search formatting treatment to provide the features listed above, such as stock quotes, file type, special numerical searches, dictionary, maps, weather, and others detailed by the Google Help Center.
User Beware . . .
. . . that Google does not distinguish between types of information when executing a keyword search. Much of the information available on the Web, and retrievable with Google, is unverified information. In other words, much of what is seen is information that has not been subjected to any kind of quality review. Many Web users have learned to be very careful using information found on the unrestricted areas of the Internet.
Searching Challenges for Google Users
- Precision - Using the Internet is comparable to drinking water from a fire hose. Search engines often retrieve too many hits, most of which are barely relevant. The library's electronic resources offer a more focused universe of resources, and better tools to narrow your search.
- Coverage - It's easy to find bits and pieces of information about a topic. Often, Web pages do not include college-appropriate information. The information you get can be used to find additional information in other library services, but they won't lead to a top-ranked paper without further digging.
- Incomplete content - Print and electronic library resources provide references, tables, illustrations, and sidebar information that the author intended. For additional investigation, these features will help. Library resources also help to fill in the gaps in statistical information.
- Reliability of information - Search engines, like Google, do not distinguish between factual and fabricated information, or between carefully collected data and carelessly compiled figures. Be sure to check the reputation of the source of information.
- Permanence - Web sites come and go with surprising frequency. Some have been around for a while, but some of the well established sites do not guarantee that the information you used yesterday will be there next month when your prof is grading your paper.
Library Resources . . . on the Web, in Print, in Person
- The CAT - library catalog to find books, journals, videos, and other types of materials
- Indexes to journals
- Dictionaries, encyclopedias, manuals and other reference resources
- Selected Web sites known to provide high quality content
- Information experts (also known as librarians and library staff) who know where to find the information you need
Using the following tools to help you select electronic resources that are appropriate for your information need:
- Database Comparison Chart
- Database Descriptions
