Salem - Library and Web Sources Comparison

One difference you probably noticed between searching Google and the library databases is the number of results you found in each. Typically, a Google or other Web search will find many more results than a library database search, but finding more results does not necessarily make it the better search.

A library database can help you target your search more quickly and find the information you need more efficiently because a library database:

• Searches pre-selected materials that already went through a review process
• Might be a subject database indexing only resources in a specific area of study
• Can easily limit your search to only academic journals
• Offers special search options and subject headings to further narrow your search
• Provides access to full text articles

For historical topics, the Web can help you find primary sources that have been made available online in digital collections such as the Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive affiliated with the University of Virginia. Using primary sources in your research allows you to analyze first hand accounts of an event and draw your own conclusions and interpretations.

A lot of irrelevant tourist sites (.com) also came up in this search which were not useful and needed to be sifted through. Many search engines such as Google have some advanced features to assist you in creating more effective searches such as doing a domain search for information found only on .edu sites.

Using the Web and the library databases in tandem can help you find a rich array of sources for your research. For example, the primary sources found on the Web in the Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive are not available in any of UI&U's databases, but the Web was not as good as the library databases in finding relevant scholarly articles and books. In this way, using sources on the Web and sources from the library complement each other.

Depending upon the information you are seeking, sometimes starting with one over the other will achieve better results.