What do you learn at an Internet Strategies Workshop ?

TCC Library currently provides over 60 computers with Internet access for students.

The Internet provides wonderful sources of information for research, but searchers beware !

• A significant number sites on the world wide web are posted by folks who may not be very knowledgeable in the subject they write about.
• Some sites are hoaxes, spoofs created for fun. They look authentic, but the information is false.
• CNN and the American Medical Association did a study of medical websites and found that as many as 75% of medical information websites contained inaccurate information. The most common problem was failure to keep the site information up-to-date after posting.
• Postings may deliberately be biased or prejudiced in favor of the authors opinion.

It is up to you to make good choices when selecting an internet resource as appropriate for college level research.

• In examining a website, ask yourself
• Who wrote the website ? What are their qualifications ?
• When was it last updated ?
• Are they connected with a national organization ?
• Are they selling a product ?
• Is the intent to entertain or to inform ?

In an Internet Workshop, we'll look at a selection of the top rated search engines, general and specific, as well as web portals. Who has the best shortcuts, the best advanced search techniques, and where you can find ratings on search engines !

• Types of search engines include
• Directories
• Crawlers
• Meta Searchengines
• General and Subject Specific
• Each search engine has unique features ! Some include many of the following
• Advanced Search Options
• Shortcut Search Options (See post on Yahoo!)
• Customization Options
• Provide 'Refine Topic' Features
• specialty Search Engines include
• PsychCrawler Psychology
• Political Information Search Engine for Politics
• Scirus For Science www.scirus.com
• Search Engine Guide Annotated Listings of Search Engines
• Portals
• The US Government's official Web Portal
• The State of Florida's official Web Portal
• Vertical Portals an index of 150 portals
• Library of Congress Portals to the World on countries
• Bogus, Hoax sites, Just for Fun
• Penguin Warehouse
• Dihydrogen Monoxide Research DHMO
• RYT Hospital Miracles of Modern Medicine
• Urban Legends Reference Page

• TCC Library also has an online guide to Evaluating Internet Resources

Interested ?

Internet Workshops are offered every semester
in January, February, March, April, June, July
September, October and November
with sessions on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday at various times -

visit Library Workshops for a complete listing of dates, times and locations

no pre-registration is required, and promptness is appreciated !

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Statistics

Ah, statistics !

"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics." (Disraeli)

"There are two kinds of statistics, the kind you look up and the kind you make up. " (Stout)

"Figures won't lie, but liars will figure." (Grosvenor)

Statistics are wonderful resources for researchers, despite the opinions above !
For comparison/contrast, to support a statement, or to show trends - statistics are vital. Where can you find statistics ? Here are a few online statistical sources to get you started -

FedStats: one-stop shopping for Federal Statistics
More than 100 agencies in the U.S. Federal Government produce statistics of interest to the public. The Federal Interagency Council on Statistical Policy maintains this site to provide easy access to the full range of statistics and information produced by these agencies for public use

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US Census Bureau
Demographic statistics program provides information on the number, geographic distribution, and social and economic characteristics of the U.S. Also, conducts several periodic censuses every 5 years, covering the years ending in 2 and 7. The Economic Censuses include censuses of manufacturing, mineral industries, construction industries, retail & wholesale trade, service industries, and transportation & other businesses. Census of Governments collects state & local data on public finance; public employment; & governmental organization, powers, and activities.

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Florida Statistical Sources - Florida Electronic Depository Library, UF
Maintained by the University of Florida, this is an extensive collection of statistics from A-W, (no Z) - Accidents to Gambling to Waste Management and everything inbetween for Florida, as well as for Florida cities and counties

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United Nations Statistics Division
The Statistics Division compiles statistics from many international sources and produces global updates, including the Statistical Yearbook, World Statistics Pocketbook and yearbooks in specialized fields of statistics. It also provides to countries, specifications of the best methods of compiling information so that data from different sources can be readily compared.

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Finding Statistics Online, TCC Library
An annotated guide to 40 print and 50 www sources of statistics about

• Agriculture
• Crime
• Demographics,
• Entertainment
• Environment
• Financial & Economic
• Health & Medical
• Historical
• International
• Opinion & Trends
• Political & Government
• Science & Technology
• Transportation
• Think Tanks

as well as links to statistical databases - FactSearch, Facts on File and World Almanac

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ReferenceDesk online: Statistics
RefDesk.com's amazing collection of 20,000 online resources, arranged into useful divisions, includes FastFacts and Statistics among the catagories.

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TCC Math Center Links to Online Resources
a number of math resources including statistics are found here

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