Directories

Subject directories are collections of Web sites that people have selected and organized. They have arranged selected Web sites into subject categories and sub-categories. Sometimes links are annotated so you'll know before clicking on it what a site contains.

Some examples of directories are Yahoo!, Google Directory, and About.com.

Many university libraries review, collect, and organize material into subject guides or directories so it may be more easily found and used for research. These guides highlight the most important sources in an academic discipline. The materials selected for inclusion have been reviewed by librarians and are sometimes annotated. They occasionally highlight print materials as well that may be available in your library.

Excellent academic subject directories include:  Samford University Library Subject Guides, InfoMine, AcademicInfo, Librarians' Index to the Internet, Intute: Social Science Information Gateway, and the Open Directory Project.

Directories are:

  Best for browsing and topics that are broad or general.

  Sometime slow going as you may have to click through categories and subcategories to find what you want.