Page 214 - DLIS006_INFORMATION SOURCES AND SERVICES

Unit 10: Directories

10.7 Summary Notes

Directories form the largest category of reference sources. It is not easily possible to
estimate the number of directories published every year because many of these published
locally may not be copyrighted.
Directories can cover a wide variety of topics and are available to libraries in print,
microform, and electronic formats.
Early directory precursors were census-like compilations of property and persons that
were used by ancient and feudal governments to account for wealth and taxes.
Criteria for judging directories are often similar to standards that are used for other types
of reference sources. Some important criteria to consider in evaluating a directory include
scope, currency, accuracy, and arrangement.
A telephone directory is a listing of telephone subscribers in a geographical area or
subscribers to services provided by the organization that publishes the directory.

The first telephone directory, consisting of a single piece of cardboard, was issued on 21
February 1878; it listed 50 businesses in New Haven, Connecticut that had a telephone.

A reverse telephone directory is a collection of telephone numbers and associated customer
details.
Both librarians and library users are interested in information about publishing and
publishers. It is not surprising that questions about contacting and locating publishers
would be common in the reference setting.

Web directories existed before the search engines, especially Google, became popular. As
the name implies, web directories are directories where different resources are gathered.

Specialized search engines are one more tool to include in your SEO arsenal. Unlike
general-purpose search engines, specialized search engines index pages for particular
topics only and very often there are many pages that cannot be found in general-purpose
search engines but only in specialized ones.

10.8 Keywords

Desktop Directories: In this you gather files in a directory based on some criterion.
Directory: It is a list of people, companies, institutions, organizations, etc., in alphabetical or
classified order, providing contact information and other pertinent details in brief format, often
published serially.

Reverse Telephone Directory: A reverse telephone directory is sorted by number, which can be
looked up to give the name and address of the subscriber.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of affecting
the visibility of a website or a web page in a search engine's "natural" or un-paid ("organic")
search results.
Specialized Search Engines: Specialized Search Engines index pages for particular topics only
and very often there are many pages that cannot be found in general-purpose search engines but
only in specialized ones.
Telephone Directory: A telephone directory is a listing of telephone subscribers in a geographical
area or subscribers to services provided by the organization that publishes the directory.

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