1. Jackie Brodsky | Naomi Gold School of Library and Information Studies, University of Alabama
Brett Spencer | Sara Whitver Gorgas Library, University of Alabama
Alabama Library Association • April 25, 2012

2. What You’ll Learn
What is the “Deep Web?”
How does its content differ from the surface web?
Why should this interest us?
What are tools and methods for searching it?

3. What is the “Deep Web?”
T e r m o r ig in a t e d in t h r e e s o u r c e s
 M ic h a e l K . B e r g m a n
“The Deep Web: Surfacing Hidden Value.” Journal of Electronic Publishing Volume 7
(August 2001). Available electronically; see LibGuide for URL.
 C h r is S h e r m a n a n d G a r y P r ic e
The Invisible Web: Uncovering Sources Search Engines Can’t See Medford, NJ:
CyberAge Books, 2001.
“The Invisible Web: Uncovering Sources Search Engines Can’t See.” Library Trends 52
(Fall 2003): 282-298. Available electronically; see LibGuide for URL.

4. What You’re Missing
surface web—
small percentage of web-
Text Text Text based content
____________
What you’re
missing
According to some estimates,
4000-5000 times larger than
the surface web.
Dynamic state of the web
means that rate of growth
defies quantification.

5. What is the “Deep Web?”
 D y n a m ic C o n t e n t
- Not crawled by spiders / search engines
- Can be recognized from the structure of the URL, e.g. containing cfm, cgi, php
 M a t e r i a l r e s i d i n g i n d a t a b a s e s — p a g e s i n n o n -H T M L
fo r m a t
- Search engines can locate the titles of databases, but can’t index specific
contents.
 S u b j e c t t o S e a r c h e n g i n e /w e b s i t e l i m i t a t i o n s
- Sites too large to be indexed completely
- Site owner does not allow indexing
- Information changes rapidly

6. Why is it Important?
Text Text Text
Resources on invisible/
deep web usually of
higher quality than those
on surface web.
Why?
— Written or validated
by authorities
Resources on invisible web usually of higher quality — Focused, specialized
than those on surface web. materials created for
scholarly, professional,
or expert use

7. Why do we need it?
Text Text Text
— Supplement subscription
databases
— Meet needs of a variety of
patrons with high-quality, web-
based resources
— Assist patrons to learn how to
search the web more skillfully

8. Finding Deep Web Sources—
Tools
Complete Planet—The Deep Web Directory. A product of the site Bright Planet.
Infomine—Scholarly Internet Resource Directory
 Product of several U.S. libraries.
 Mines information from databases, electronic journals, electronic books, bulletin boards,
mailing lists, online library card catalogs, articles, directories of researchers, and many
other resources.

9. Finding Deep Web Sources—
Searching Directly
 Three Step Search Process for Finding Deep Web Materials
1. Type in broad subject area, e.g. “history”
2. Type in type of information being sought: documents, images,
statistics
3. Type in a deep web designator e.g. “database,” “search engine,”
“archive”
Example
Architecture—Images—Database

10. Finding Deep Web Sources—
Searching Directly
 Use term “database” in an ordinary Google search:
corn + Alabama + database produces . . .
Environmental Working Group 2011 Farm Subsidy Database

11. Ambiguity
Difficult to predict what sites will or won't
be found on the Deep Web.
 Sites replicate some content in static pages—hybrid of visible
and invisible?
 Sites replicate all content in static pages—visible in search
engines given well-formed search?
 Sites replicate none of their content in static pages and must
be searched using Deep Web-specific methods—totally invisible?
Search engines can change their policies
on what they exclude and include.

12. Search Demonstrations
Deep Web Search Demonstrations:
Brett Spencer

13. Accessibility Issues
L ib r a r ia n s
 Information about accessibility tools
U s e r s r e s e a r c h in g d is a b ilit ie s
 Databases about disabilities
P e r s o n s w it h d is a b ilit ie s
a c c e s s in g r e s o u r c e s
 Accessible databases

14. Sample Database of
Accessibility Tools

15. Sample Databases
about Disabilities

16. Selection of Accessibility Tools
PC— Built-in
 Narrator
 Magnifier
 On-screen keyboard
Third party
 JAWS—narration and output to Braille reader
MAC
 VoiceOver
 Zoom
 Display—change to white-on-black and change
contrast

17. Accessibility of Databases
 Color / Contrast
 Headings / Hyperlinks
 Information available in alternative
formats
 Descriptions of images
 Transcripts or captions for
video/audio

18. Accessible Databases

19. Partially Accessible Database

20. Partially Accessible Database

21. Collection Development:
Organizing Your Sources
• Do you wait until you’re in the middle of a
reference interview to do your collection
development?
• When you’re finished with a source, do
you walk away and forget about it as if it
never existed?

22. Keeping Track
• Delicious
• Diigo
• LibGuides
• Wiki
Keep track of
your discoveries
so you can find
them again!

23. Folksonomy

24. Learn More
http://bama-slis.
libguides.com/deepweb
Contact us:
Jackie Brodsky brods001@crimson.ua.edu
Naomi Gold negold@bama.ua.edu
Brett Spencer dbspence@ua.edu
Sara Whitver smwhitver@gmail.com