Bird-Doggin' the Internet ™
ENGINEERING DIRECTORIES -
THE HUMAN TOUCH
By Dr. Steve O'Neil, Micro Mo Electronics,
Inc.
With the advent of "portal
sites" and sales alliances among search engines and Web storefronts,
it is probable that the Internet is being harnessed to produce maximum sales
and profits. While this will benefit many companies, shareholders, and individuals,
unbiased resources for design engineers will probably be harder to locate.
As a follow-up to February's Virtual Engineering Libraries for specific
engineering disciplines, this column takes a look at some of the best broad-based
engineering Directories. Directories are differentiated from search and
metasearch tools in that they are compiled and reviewed by humans. This
means that each site in a Directory has been personally visited, reviewed,
and catalogued. As those of us who work in design concerns sometimes need
cross-disciplinary information, Directory resources are useful when information
outside a narrow discipline (such as those in the Virtual Libraries) is
required.
One of the best sites for finding a wide variety of engineering information
is EEVL: The Edinburgh Engineering Virtual Library at http://www.eevl.ac.uk/.
It has won numerous awards for its wide base of holdings and the fact that
it is searchable by topic or keyword. It contains a search engine for Web
pages; an engineering e-journal search engine covering the full texts of
over 150 free engineering e-journals; a Newsgroup archive; a manufacturing
bibliographic database; and a bibliography of guides to engineering information.
It is free and no registration is required. At press time some of the advanced
search features were being enhanced for easier use.
Some refined levels in popular directories also have good engineering
links. Try Galaxy: The Professional's Guide to a World of Information;
Engineering & Technology at http://www.einet.net/galaxy/Engineering-and-Technology.html.
From here you can link to advanced searches or link directly to a number
of specific disciplines from Agile Manufacturing to Transportation (aerospace
and aeronautical engineering; automotive engineering). You can also access
specific academic organizations with engineering programs, announcements,
collections of engineering and technology resources, and a number of engineering
gopher and library collections. Another subdirectory that has recently enhanced
its engineering holdings is Yahoo: Engineering at
Information Request:
Do you have access to the Internet:
- yes, Circle 820 no,
Circle 821.
- If this piece has been helpful please Circle
822.
Steve O'Neil can be reached on the Internet
at Steveo@micromo.com
URL Alert! We recognize the URLs printed in these articles may change
by the time you try them out on the Internet. Most of the past Bird-Doggin'
articles we've printed, with updated URLs and links, can be found at <http://www.micrommo.com/related.html>
|