This was a really helpful textbook (!!). I learned a lot that I didn't know about the web and going through some of the exercises (like making a search plug in) were awesome, and super helpful. I feel more at home on the web now, and I'll have some cool tricks up my sleeve as a librarian. ( )

The internet is constantly changing and books like this are needed to see that we get the most out our browsing experiences. Much of the material in this book I did not know and it will serve as my guide and teacher as I explore the depths of the Internet…that is until they come up with something else that’s new and better. But I’m sure when that happens, Michael will come out with a follow-up book! ( )

If you aren't intimately familiar with the latest generation of Web 2.0 tools and how to exploit them fully in your daily reference work, then this book is for you. Master trainer Michael Sauers applies the super-search strategies for which he is known to a comprehensive range of tools for reference use, including:

Web 2.0: definition; core concepts and implications; tagging and folksonomies
getting organized: bookmarks; web pages; Delicious
popular search engines: Google; Microsoft's Live Search; Yahoo! Search
Wikipedia: searching, citing, adding and editing
searching for media: Flickr; YouTube; Podscope
local search: Google Maps; Live Search Maps
print search: Google Book Search; Amazon's 'Search Inside the Book'
searching the past: The Google Cache; The Wayback Machine; Wikipedia Page Histories
searching without being there: OpenSearch files; creating OpenSearch plugins
desktop search: Google Desktop; Windows Search; Desktop Search in Vista
data visualization: Kartoo; Literature Map, etc.
Accessible and fun to read, with a wealth of illustrative screenshots, this is a comprehensive guide to searches that make the most of the Web 2.0 environment: from improving basic search skills and evaluating search results to making the best use of search engines, both common and cutting-edge. Sauers reviews each Web 2.0 tool for reliability and appropriateness in different search tasks and shows you how best to organize them for quick access at the reference desk.

You (and your users, once you show them how) will use Sauers's advanced and special search methods again and again in your daily reference work, and his enthusiasm will have you running from the book to your computer every ten minutes. Exercises in each chapter will help you cement your new knowledge into practical reference skills.