Search
Site | Internet | USYD Catalogue

Subject Directories

About Subject Directories

Subject directories are catalogues of Web sites prepared by indexers, who review a site, then link it to an index category. These services are organised into subject categories and sub-categories, and also usually have a search engine, to allow the user to perform keyword searches as well as browse through resources. A search in a subject directory searches on the catalogue record and not on the Web pages themselves.

Subject directories index fewer Web pages than search engines, which are compiled by computers, and the content may be targetted towards a particular audience. Some commercial subject directories accept payment to make sites retrieve more frequently.

Examples of Subject Directories

BUBL LINK
BUBL LINK is produced in the United Kingdom. It is a catalogue of selected Internet resources covering scholarly subject areas, including veterinary and animal science. All items are evaluated, described and catalogued using the Dewey Decimal Classification system.

Infomine
Infomine, produced by the University of California, focusses on scholarly resource collections, electronic journals and books, online library catalogues, and directories of researchers. Searching hints are available on the search pages.

Lycos
Lycos is a general and commercially orientated subject directory, with basic and advanced search options. It is possible to search within broad subject categories and the results of a search are organised in groupings such as popular sites, general websites and shopping. Check the help section for search tips.

Scout Report Archives
Internet resources chosen by the Scout Report editorial staff, in the USA, are catalogued and organised for browsing and searching. Click on the heading banner for the various types of searches to find help information.

WWW Virtual Library
An index to the Virtual Library, the oldest catalogue of the web. The service is maintained by expert volunteers. Check the search page for tips on effective searching.

Yahoo! (Australia and New Zealand)
Yahoo is a subject directory with a search engine. Results are returned in various categories and can also be listed as web sites, web pages, related news and shopping. Check the Searching Yahoo page for tips on using the service effectively.

Agrisurf! - The Farmers' Search Engine
Agrisurf is the largest agriculture subject directory in the world, with over 14,000 sites. Agrisurf also provides discussion forums, a calendar of events (primarily US-based), fun stuff such as farmyard animal sounds, and software sownloads. The directory is searchable by country and topic.