Considerations in the choice of an internet search tool
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1999
Publication Title
Library Hi Tech
Volume
17
Issue
1
First page number:
89
Last page number:
106
Abstract
In an effort to better speculate whether a certain set of factors plays a role in information professionals’ choice of Internet search tools, this article describes a survey conducted by the author of MSLS/MSIS graduate students and professional librarians at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Background discussion on Internet search tool design, usability, field testing, and future development is provided. Two sets of factors were defined for this study, one describing utility functions of search tools, the other describing the convenience or ease of use of search tools. The survey reveals a trend in choosing a preferred Internet search tool based on utility factors as opposed to convenience factors. It also suggests a preference for search engines as opposed to subject catalogs. Comprehensive, encompassing results are found to be more important than ease of use of a particular search tool.
Keywords
Internet searching; Librarians
Disciplines
Information Literacy | Library and Information Science
Language
English
Permissions
Use Find in Your Library, contact the author, or use interlibrary loan to garner a copy of the article. Publisher copyright policy allows author to archive post-print (author’s final manuscript). When post-print is available or publisher policy changes, the article will be deposited
Publisher Citation
Vaughan, Jason. 1999. “Considerations in the choice of an internet search tool.” Library Hi Tech vol 17:1, 89-106.
Repository Citation
Vaughan, J.
(1999).
Considerations in the choice of an internet search tool.
Library Hi Tech, 17(1),
89-106.
https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/lib_articles/381