Search Engines

Altavista
Multipurpose search, multiple formats, advanced searching. Provides the popular Babel Fish language translation tool along with English/Spanish search results. Can search for websites specifically within the US or across the world.

Ask
One of the most popular search engines, multiple formats, as-you-type keyword suggestions, advanced searching, narrow or expand your original search.

ChaCha
Multipurpose search, related searches, multiple formats, advanced searching. Allows you to search via the engine or via a human guide.

Exalead
Multipurpose search, multiple formats, advanced searching, narrow your search, website previews, kid-safe filtering preferences. Allows the user to add shortcuts to favorite sites to the main search page as well as customize the layout and search methods according to their profile settings.

Google
One of the most popular search engines, multiple formats, kid-safe filtering preferences, provides a number of advanced searching tools for special use.

Librarians's Index to the Internet
A searchable, annotated subject directory of more than 20,000 Internet resources selected and evaluated by librarians for their usefulness to users of public libraries.

Live Search
One of the most popular search engines, multiple formats, advanced searching, related searches.

Searchme
A new take on visual search. Subject areas appear as you type in your search terms which connect you to results based on your terms and the subject area selected. Results are viewed as snapshots of the actual pages with short descriptions of their content.

Snap
Multipurpose search, text and image search, as-you-type keyword suggestions. Provides a classic mode and web-enhanced mode, which provides full webpage previews with results.

Yahoo
One of the most popular search engines, multiple formats, suggested searches from original query, kid-safe filtering preferences, as well as a variety of advanced options.

Meta Search

Clusty
Multipurpose search, results drawn from the "big 4" search engines, multiple formats and sources to search. Creates "clusters" of search results based on their subject or source.

Dogpile
Multipurpose search, results drawn from the "big 4" search engines, multiple formats and sources to search, related searches.

Mahalo
Multi-engine search from the "big 4" borrowing on all their features. Mahalo builds guides for popular search subjects based on websites that users have voted valuable to the topic.

Metacrawler
Multipurpose search, results drawn from the "big 4" search engines, multiple formats and sources to search, related searches.

Webcrawler
Multipurpose search, results drawn from the "big 4" search engines, multiple formats and sources to search, related searches, kid-safe filtering preferences.

Filtered Search Engines

Ask for Kids
Ask for Kids (formerly known as Ask Jeeves for Kids) is a fast, easy and kid-friendly way for kids to search online. Designed to be a fun destination site focused on learning and "edu-tainment," Ask for Kids uses natural-language technology that allows kids to ask questions and perform web searches

Kids Online
A kid-safe web-portal from America Online. Maintains a number of in-depth guides on different areas of interest, as well as homework help, featured articles, interactive tools and games, as well as collected resources and subject guides

KidsClick
Over 600 subject-based resources collected and screened by librarians to provide educational and interesting kid-safe content to young users. Provides guides on how to search the web for text, pictures, and sound.

Yahoo Kids
Yahoo’s web portal for kids, providing countless tools, guides, features, and actvities for young users. Search results use the same Safesearch filtering software that can be enabled through Yahoo Search. Provides a number of guides on safe internet use for kids.

Specialized Search Engines

Alexa
Provides a comprehesive rankings index for the greater part of all websites that receive notable traffic. Data is presented in configurable charts, allowing users to obtain use statistics for multiple ranking methods.

BlinkX
With an index of over 18 million hours of video and partnerships with more than 200 different media outlets, this search engine connects you to video all over the web based on video content, concepts, and themes.

Bloglines
Searches news and blog content through thousands of aggregated syndication feeds and, in turn, allows you to subscribe to content of interest to you.

Business.com
Business search engine and directory listing over 40 million unique companies and connected to countless resources for the growth and development of a business.

Creative Commons Search
Searches a number of selectable popular indices for Creative Commons-licensed media. Allows you to distinguish searches between items that can be used for commercial purposes and items that may be altered or adapted to personal use.

Education World
A search engine for educational Web sites only, a resource guide for teachers.

Internet Archive
Widely recognized for its "Wayback Machine", which allows you to view archived versions of websites from previous years. Also collects audio, text, software, and moving-image files.

Internet Movie Database
The essential search service for all things film and television, IMDB hosts an enormous database of most everything that's appeared in theaters or on televisions, providing numerous details on production, cast, summary, and more.

Local.com
Search for local businesses, products, and services by entering what you’re looking for and the location or area you’d like to look near.

NewsLookup
News search engine that arranges results by the news organization, source of the information, the media type, as well as filtering and sorting documents by their individual parts.

Picitup
Provides content-based searching of images allowing users to select images of a specific subject and retrieve images of similar composition from the web

Picsearch
Image index connecting users to over two billion images on the web, with kid-safe filtering built right into their webcrawler. Fast, easy to use.

Shopzilla
Enables shoppers to quickly and easily find, compare, and buy virtually any product sold online through thousands of retailers.

Sidestep
Searches over 200 travel websites to bring together the best deals for lodging, transportation, airfare, and activities.

Songza
Searchable database of songs that allows you to listen to streaming music, share songs with others, create an in-session playlist, and connects you to music videos, discography, and song sales.

Technorati
Monitors and offers live-search of the blogosphere (weblogs from all over the internet).

Zabasearch
Includes people-search, reverse telephone number search, area code search, zip code search, FedEx package tracking, yellow pages, and more

Zillow
Property and real estate search, estimates values for lots, homes, and more, as well as providing sattelite overlays, charts, and extended data on properties.

ZoomInfo
An index of businesses searchable by company name, individual, or position.

Revised 7/15/2008

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Timberland Regional Library serves Grays Harbor, Lewis, Mason, Pacific, and Thurston counties in Western Washington State.

Internet Resources

Search Engines

General Search Engines

Meta Search

Filtered Search Engines

Specialized Search Engines