The Advanced Internet Searcher's Handbook (3rd ed.)

Citation

MacDonald, R. (2005), "The Advanced Internet Searcher's Handbook (3rd ed.)", Online Information Review, Vol. 29 No. 4, pp. 422-423. https://doi.org/10.1108/14684520510617875

This is a wonderfully informative book that aims to help anyone who uses the internet to find information to become a more effective online searcher. In the process the author covers a wide range of topics, including the many different kinds of Internet‐based resources available (weblogs, search engines, virtual libraries, newsgroups) and how they can be of use to the searcher. Other chapters discuss finding pictures, sounds or people, plus web‐based utilities and sources of news or help relevant to online searching. Also included are 50 hints for better/quicker searching, although many of these may be familiar to those who use computers and web browsers regularly. The book is aimed primarily at novice or untrained searchers, who should find Phil Bradley's friendly, succinct writing style easy to follow.

Bradley is a well‐established information consultant who has written numerous books and articles on the art of internet searching, including a regular column in Ariadne. His excellent web site – www.philb.com – contains a wealth of information for the serious internet searcher, not least links to well over 2,000 search engines. The web site also contains articles on some of the topics Bradley covers in this book.

Many features make The Advanced Internet Searcher's Handbook ideal for those just beginning to improve their internet searching skills. It is clearly laid out, with generous use of screenshot illustrations. Frequent shaded boxes contain interesting snippets or “hints and tips”, while all URLs are printed in bold throughout the text and listed at the end of each chapter. The book's organisation is straightforward, moving from introductory information on search engines and the internet to more advanced topics and examples. Particularly useful is a chapter with advice on clarifying queries, and using sources other than the internet – even books! Numerous sample searches demonstrate the advantages of different online approaches in a given search, such as the use of index‐based systems versus free‐text search engines. The use of the differing Boolean features of different search engines to deal with the hidden complexities of search terms is nicely illustrated. Bradley also notes the advantages of developing a good working knowledge of resources, such as using the CIA World Factbook to find the number of airports in the UK.

More experienced searchers will find food for thought in a later chapter entitled “The information mix and into the future”, where Bradley gives us his predictions for where the Internet is going, while cheerfully admitting how often he has been wrong before. This provides interesting snapshots of the development of technology and online resources: for instance, the Google search engine barely rated a mention in the 2001 edition of the book, whereas now it has become the standard by which others are measured. Of particular interest is Bradley's take on the rise of weblogs and his prediction of their growing use as an information source and as a means of keeping up to date: his reviews of librarians' weblogs suggest that this is certainly becoming the case in the library and information professions.