Search Tools

Our Top Choices

• Best Search Tools Page - Search form with the best search tools on one page. Bookmark this page for efficient searching.
• Search Tools Chart - Chart of the best features of the best search tools. Print this for yourself and your patrons. Available in PDF for printing to two pages.

Current News and Weather

• Google News - Information culled from approximately 4,500 news sources worldwide and automatically arranged to present the most relevant news first. Topics are updated continuously throughout the day. Trace the history of a developing issue by clicking the "sort by date" function on the page containing all reports on a given topic.
• NewsCenter: Up to the Minute News Resources - This directory includes links for: major wire services; one-stop shops; search for news; U.S. news; business news; international news; technology; entertainment; and more.
• Weather Underground - The heart of the site is the Weather Underground database of weather conditions and forecasts from around the globe. It also contains hard to find daily historic weather records (most dating back six years).
• Yahoo! News - Excellent resource getting information from more than 7,000 sources. News briefs are updated throughout the day with fuller coverage of some stories. Includes geographic categories--world, national, and local. Other topics include business, technology, health, entertainment, science, and sports. Many topics have links to related websites. Check out the advanced search form!

Government Information

• California State Government Home Page
• Consumer.gov - Federal government gateway to consumer information.
• Federal Citizen Information Center - Starting point for federal programs, benefits, or services.
• FedForms - "One-stop-shopping" for forms needed for the top 500 Government services used by the public.
• FirstGov.gov - Portal to federal government information.
• healthfinder.gov - Federal government gateway to health information.
• Local Governments - Gateway to local government information (United States).

Indexes & Catalogs

• Librarians' Internet Index - Searchable, evaluated, and annotated subject directory of Internet resources selected for their usefulness to the public library user's information needs. The indexers are California librarians.
• Infomine: Scholarly Internet Resource Collections - Selected and described links to scholarly resources on the Internet. Searchable within each major topic. Maintained by librarians from various California universities.
• Library of Congress Online Catalog
• Worldcat.org - From OCLC, WorldCat is the largest library network in the world.

Job Hunting

• The Riley Guide: Employment Opportunities and Job Resources on the Internet - THE guide to job information.
• JobStar: California Job Search Guide - Now covers LA, Sacramento, and San Diego, as well as the Bay Area. Includes a salary information section which has 200+ links to online surveys. If you're looking for a job in California, start here.

Kids

• Children's Literature Web Guide - Internet resources related to books for Children and Young Adults. Excellent source!
• KidsClick! - Searchable and browsable directory of Internet resources selected, evaluated, and annotated by children's librarians. Fantastic resource! Communications regarding the KidsClick! project can be directed to: kclick@sunsite.berkeley.edu.
• Yahooligans - From Yahoo, a "kid-safe" web directory. Includes online safety sections for kids, parents, and teachers. the teachers' guide section also includes an Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) section.

Ready Reference

• Ready Reference Collection - Excellent, annotated collection, from the Internet Public Library.
• Refdesk.com - Links to ready reference sites with everything from college rankings to a zip code finder, as well as encyclopedias, headline news and more.

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For information about training, or using materials found on this website, please contact the Infopeople Project Assistant by email at assist@infopeople.org or by phone at 650-578-9685.

© 2008 Infopeople Project. Material on this website is licensed under a Creative Commons License. The Infopeople Project is supported by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian.