[WEB4LIB] FW: Searching for AIDS: Google strikes again [Hardin MD

[Sue Kamm]

Shortly after the earth cooled, i worked in a library which was
beta-testing ProQuest (the standalone, CD-ROM version).  In pointing out
the differences between subject and free-text searching, an example was
"Mar."  This search brought up (a) articles on the planet Mars; (b) Mars
candy company; (c) "mar" in the sense of "damage" -- when Jill put the
wet bottle on the wood table, she marred the surface; (d) references to
a town with "Mar" in its name, such as Del Mar; and (e) the month of
March, which ProQuest abbreviated "Mar."  

Of course, the fact that web search engines don't normally use a
controlled vocabulary, and most webpage authors don't employ familiar
subject thesauri, is what makes web searching an iffy proposition most
of the time.  


-- 
Your friendly CyberGoddess and ALA Councilor,
Sue Kamm
email:  suekamm at mindspring.com
"It's a mere moment in a man's life between an All-Star Game and an
Old-timers' Game."
--Vin Scully