Advanced Searching and Beyond:

1. Erin Gordon MLIS Candidate, University of Washington egordon3@u.washington.edu April 17, 2009 Advanced Searching and Beyond: Using Google’s Custom Search Engine to Develop Subject Pathfinders

2. Agenda • Review Google’s Advanced Search features & Search Extras • What is Google’s Custom Search Engine (CSE)? • Some considerations before using Custom Search • Preparing to create your Custom Search Engine • Demonstration • Creating your CSE • Maintaining your CSE • Advanced functions • Questions

3. Google’s Advanced Search Features & Search Extras • Advanced Search features: http://www.google.com/support/websearch/bin/answer.py?answer=136861 • Search Extras: http://www.google.com/intl/en/help/features.html

4. What is Google’s Custom Search Engine? • Custom Search Engine is a tool that uses Google’s capabilities to search a webpage, website, or collection of websites • The Custom Search Engine box and search results can be hosted on your website • The Custom Search Engine and results page can be customized to match your website’s look and feel: http://www.greenmaven.com/

5. How can libraries use Custom Search? • Custom Search can be used to allow users to search just your library’s website (for contact information, hours, driving directions, etc) • Custom Search can be used as a tool for creating subject guides or pathfinders for resources available on the free web

6. Some considerations • You must have a Google account to use this tool (accounts are free) • Google Custom Search Engine only works with resources available on the free web (does not work with subscription databases or any other web resources which require a log-in) • Allow a couple of days for Google to index the sites you pick for your Custom Search Engine, especially if they are less “popular” websites

7. Preparation • Select a topic • Select free web resources on this topic to be searched by your Custom Search Engine • Choice Reviews Online

8. More preparation… • Google Custom Search Engine homepage: http://www.google.com/coop/cse/ • Getting Started: http://code.google.com/intl/en/apis/customsearch/docs/start.html • Developer Documentation: http://www.google.com/coop/docs/cse/ • Custom Search Help: http://www.google.com/support/customsearch/?hl=en • Custom Search Blog: http://googlecustomsearch.blogspot.com/

9. Getting started • You’ve picked a topic and related web resource(s), now you’re ready to create your CSE using the Google Custom Search Engine Wizard • http://www.google.com/coop/cse/

10. Managing your CSE • From the email you receive from Google • From the “My Search Engines” page: http://www.google.com/coop/manage/cse/ • Add the Google Custom Search Engine Console to your iGoogle page: http://www.google.com/ig/adde?hl=en&moduleurl=www.google.com/coop/cse/manage_gadget.xml

12. Advanced functions • Editing XML and TSV files: http://code.google.com/intl/en/apis/customsearch/docs/basics.html • Programmatically creating CSEs: http://code.google.com/intl/en/apis/customsearch/docs/api.html

13. Questions?