Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves, or we know where we can find information upon it.
- Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784)
One of the most useful ways in which Internet resources have been orgainized is by "subject." That is, there are a variety of gateways that provide links to groups of resources based on the topic(s) they cover. Many of the resources listed through these gateways are themselves valuable collections of topical resources. The list below is an annotated list of the major subject-oriented gateways.
Point 2 is most useful when your information need can be formulated in terms of a particular subject, topic, or area of inquiry. As always, coverage of particular subjects can be spotty. Also, please remember that each index leads to many of the same locations as others. That is, while some indexes are more comprehensive than others, the differences between the subject guides listed below have more to do with interface design and classification schemes than with holdings.
- Yahoo
- Yahoo is the favorite subject guide of many Internet users. The holdings are comprehensive, the classification scheme is fairly simple, and the "Search" function (which searches the links within Yahoo) can be a powerful tool. However, because of its popularity, Yahoo can be a bit busy during certain times of day.
- The WWW Virtual Library
- The original guide to the Internet by subject. This is the guide from the W3 Consortium and is maintained by hundreds of people at hundreds of institutions the world over. The W3 Consortium also provides access to their resources arranged by subject areas as defined by the Library of Congress.
- EINet Galaxy
- Another subject guide that allows searching of its contents.
- Topical Resources
- From Inter-Links at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. This list contains some more unusual links, and some more unusual topics. It is not particularly comprehensive.
- excite
- Another more comprehensive subject guide to the web.
- Beatrice
- A "best of the web" guide. Beatrice claims to have "only the good stuff."