Kennedy's book on Web research sites is for anybody who's ever been frustrated by getting millions of useless hits out of a search engine. She shows you where to look when you need information, but don't have all day to slug through out-of-date, deserted, and plain inaccurate Web pages. Although Kennedy gives some guidelines for good search techniques--primarily when providing tips on using specific search sites--her emphasis is on reference sites that will lead you to dependable information.
The book mentions the big guns, such as Yahoo! and AltaVista, but the value of this collection lies in the more specialized sites. Kennedy devotes a chapter, for example, to sites that knowledgeable librarians and journalists depend upon. Another chapter concentrates on sites particularly useful for tracking down people. The chapter on evaluating Internet resources is loaded with information everyone should know before attempting to do meaningful research online. In addition, Kennedy provides witty commentary on all the sites she reviews, on the state of the Internet, and on Internet culture as a whole. It's hard to open the book and not find an interesting reference site to explore. -- Elizabeth Lewis
From Library Journal
Kennedy, a librarian/journalist and columnist for Information Today, writes, "learning to use the Internet and learning to do research on the Internet are two completely different things." Amen to that! In this practical guide, she aims to answer real searcher questions: Why it is so difficult to find things; where to start; which directory, search engine, virtual library to use; where's the tech support; and how about evaluating resources? Unlike the myriad titles that stress the "joys of getting wired," Best Bet Internet focuses on good old-fashioned reference/research advice?match queries with appropriate Internet tools, know how the tool works, develop search strategies, and evaluate the results. In addition, there are evaluative profiles of more than 500 ready-reference sites. Especially good appendixes include "Web Page Checklists." While the price is a bit steep for a paperback, this solid book, along with Peter Morville's similar and well-reviewed The Internet Searcher's Handbook (Professional Reading, LJ 6/15/96), will save reference librarians precious time.?Janet Brewer, Murray State Univ. Lib., KY
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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