Did you know that there is really such a thing as the Invisible Web? Is it something that you need rose-colored glasses to see?
The term "Invisible Web", also known as the "Deep Web", refers to the information that search engines and directories do not have direct access to, such as databases. Unlike pages on the "Visible Web" (the Web that you can access from search engines and directories), information in databases is generally inaccessible to software spiders and crawlers. That is because search engines cannot type or think to construct searches or enter passwords to access databases such as EBSCO, Lexix-Nexis and ERIC. In addition, there are sites that may build in technical barriers so that search engines cannot crawl them, sites that search engines reject to eliminate clutter, and sites that are dynamically created and thus do not have a stable address.
The Invisible Web is BIG. BrightPlanet estimates the invisible web as being 500 times bigger than the searchable Web. Google, for example, accesses about 8 billion web pages). The fact that search engines only access a very small portion of the web makes the Invisible Web a very tempting resource. There is much more information out there . And the Invisible Web will only become larger.
There are several ways to search the Invisible Web:
> You can find searchable databases containing invisible web pages in the course of routine searching in most general web subject directories. Examples are Librarians Index, AcademicInfo, Infomine, Direct Search, the Resource Discovery Network from the United Kingdom, and Virtual Library.
> Use Google and other search engines to find searchable databases by searching a subject term followed by the word "database". See the difference between entering "obituaries" and "obituaries database" in Google.
> Various websites are set up to search the Invisible Web. CompletePlanet.com is a directory of "over 70,000+ searchable databases and specialty search engines". "Academic gateways" can help you also. The SJSU Academic Gateway enables you to access the San Jose State University library as well as San Jose public libraries. In addition, there are various governmental (US) databases such as Ask Eric which provide access to educational resources, the US Securities and Exchange Commission, and many more
To Learn More About the Invisible Web
Related Library Books:
The hidden web : finding quality information on the net by Maureen Henninger.
The invisible Web : uncovering information sources search engines can't see by Chris Sherman and Gary Price.
Websites:
Invisible or Deep Web: What it is, Why it exists, How to find it, and Its inherent ambiguity
Medical Resources on the Invisible Web (Scroll down to and select Featured Article: The Invisible Web")
Invisible Web Gateways-Portals to the Deep Web
Those Dark Hiding Places: The Invisible Web Revealed
Related Articles:
Invisible Web Gets Deeper
Special: Seek and Ye Shall Find
Flush The Web .com - Worst of the Web Search Engine
Happy searching!