A c t i o n f o r L i b r a r i e s — M a y 2 0 0 1

The Internet Connection

By Michael Sauers

Web Sites for Beginning Surfers Of all the classes I teach at BCR, one of the hardest is "Internet: The Basics," an introduction to the Internet. The reason I find this class so difficult is that individuals of all skill levels come to this class wanting the answer to one question: What can the Internet do for me?

I use the following list of sites to help introduce a broad range of people to the wonders of Internet information resources. Each one requires the user to interact with the site to accomplish a goal. I've found that just about any adult will find at least half of these sites interesting and useful. Other library trainers may also find them useful, especially with this list of suggested activities.

Internet Movie Database
www.imdb.com/
Have a member of the group suggest his/her favorite movie. Have the individual cross reference the leading actor or actress. If goofs are available from the film, be sure not to miss those.

Visual Flight Tracking
www.thetrip.com/trs/trip/flighttracker/flight_tracker_home.xsl
Have each participant click on the random flight link. See who has the most exotic flight destination.

Deal Pilot
www.dealpilot.com/
Since you're in a library environment, have the group search for a recent best seller or a member- suggested title. Searching for Harry Potter usually finds significantly discounted prices.

A&E Biography Search
www.biography.com/
Have the group search for a famous author or musician or try a local celebrity.

Crossword Solver (sorta)
www.ojohaven.com/fun/crossword.html
This one is always a favorite site. Show the participants a few examples, then let them loose for a few minutes. Try it with a partially filled-in crossword puzzle from the local paper or The New York Times.

WWW Speed Trap Registry
www.speedtrap.com/speedtrap/
Look up your area and see if the participants are aware of listed speed traps.

MapQuest
www.mapquest.com/
Have the participants plot their respective routes home from your library. Ask them which route is better, theirs or the one MapQuest provides.

Kelly Blue Book
www.kbb.com/
Have each participant look up his or her current car. It's even better if a participant is currently car shopping.

American Medical Association
www.ama-assn.org/
Have the participants each look up their respective doctors in Doctor Finder and find out where the physicians went to medical school.

MSNBC
www.msnbc.com/
Walk the participants through customizing the site, filling in their respective zip codes, sports choices and stocks.

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