The "Invisible" or "Deep" Web

What is it?

Information found in databases on the Web that traditional search engines can not index. For example, traditional search engines are able to access the main page of a library’s web site or a shopping site, however, they are unable to search the contents of a library’s catalog for specific items. It is this information that is considered part of the "invisible" or "deep" web. The "invisible" or "deep" web includes newspaper and magazine archives, dictionaries, specialized search engines, discussion group archives, catalogs, calculators and other interactive web resources.

How are "Invisible" Web search tools different from regular search engines?

They are designed to save you time and frustration when trying to locate information "hidden" in databases on the web. Traditional search engines may index the main page of a database but often you will need to search the web page to find a search form to enter your query. With most search engines you will pull up thousands of sites and have to search through these results to determine which sites are databases. Often, it is hard to distinguish which web pages are databases versus regular web sites because many search engines do not provide this information. With "deep" web search engines, you are searching only for select databases that contain information on your subject. Therefore, you will receive a much smaller number of results, making searching much more manageable.

It is important to note that some very good subject directories on the web, like the Librarian’s Index to the Internet do have direct links to databases and are clearly identified in your search results.

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