What's not on the internet? Well, most books, for example. Plus millions of other copyrighted items--articles, manuals, reports etc.--and other things that no one has cared to digitize and put on the web.  It doesn't mean that these items are unimportant, just that it has not been profitable to put them online.

So research in the physical library is not only helpful, it's essential if you are to adequately cover a subject.

The Invisible Web

If it's invisible, how do we know about it?  Is it like dark matter or energy, which scientists can't observe directly but have to posit to explain all sorts of astrophysical weirdness?

Actually, you can observe the "invisible web."  It's just that the contents of the sites that comprise it are invisible to search engines.  So you have to know how to find it yourself.

Below is a box (which you will find also on OCC Libraries' Internet Search page) with links to excellent explanations of the "invisible web."  Please follow the links.  We'll wait here.

...Welcome back.

Did you note that a major part of the invisible web is so-called searchable databases?  The good news is that there are ways to get inside the Invisible web.

1. No spiders allowed!
   If you recall from the previous page, we recommended a procedure for finding subject directories.  It involved using a search engine and combining your subject word(s) with one of several other words, such as "database."  The problem is that a searchable database requires that someone (a person) put in a search to get results, and the spider is is not able to do that.  So as far as Google or any other search engine is considered, the contents of the database are a closed book.
   
   In other words, search-engine spiders may locate the start page of a searchable database; they just can't get inside.  So that leaves it up to you, the human researcher, to proceed from there.  If you are lucky, the searchable database is free.  For example, here's one from the state of Michigan: OTIS: Offender Tracking Information System.  Often, however, you are asked for an ID and password.  If that happens and you do not have a subscription account, you can't get in...
    

2. For Paying Customers Only!
   In other words, the searchable database you have found is for paying customers only.  The good news is, at OCC you are a paying customer for a number of highly useful, scholarly databases.  As an OCC student, you may access millions of articles in scholarly and professional journals, popular magazines, and newspapers.

At the bottom of this page is a link to the OCC Libraries home page.  On the home page is a link to Articles/Databases.  Click on that and you're on your way to those millions of articles.

Also on the home page is a link to "Classes / Tutorials."  One of the tutorials is Finding Articles.  This tutorial will help you learn how to use the articles databases to find solid, scholarly articles for your OCC research.  (You may also find a link to this tutorial by linking to "Welcome" at the bottom of this page.)

Finally, we should note that some things are not only invisible to the web; they just plain aren't on the internet.  See the box to the left about the "Internet Fallacy."

Next we'll sum things up.