Quick Look At the Helioid Search Engine

I have friends and relations that kinda sorta know how to use Google. They don't know about Bing, Ask.com or the other search engines that are available. Then again, a lot of folks believe that Facebook is a search engine.

I am restricting how many semantic wars I can handle in a day.

You, on the other hand, should know about the diversity of options you have when it comes to web search engines. This is a new one called Helioid.


The above screen capture is from the Quick Help at the web site. Basically you can type in your search term/keyword and not only do you get a list of viable links you get a side category of topics that are color coded to your search results.

I did a test search using SuDocs (The Superintendent of Documents classification system) These are the topics area that were visible on the left side of the screen:

• Libraries
• Department
• 2011
• Document Classification
• Publications
• Documents SuDocs Classifications
• SuDocs Classification System
• SuDocs Classification
• Number
• SuDocs

Not perfect but not too bad for a general purpose search engine. 2011 refers to SuDoc links that have a 2011 date of publication. Number refers to the word "number" in relation to the word "SuDocs."

Now if I want to see only the SuDocs Classification System items I click on the yellow circle and I only see the four links that match.

I like that.

Helioid is new so there are thing that are missing like being about to type in a search date range or selecting .edu or other specific domains. That will come in time.

So I encourage you to check it out and offer feedback to the Developers.

The Dewey Blog - All Dewey All The Time

I miss getting a daily or weekly dose of library news, education and all around juice. Here is a goody I should visit more than I do, 025.431 The Dewey Blog.


Yes, life in classification. As a side benefit you can observe how to construct Dewey numbers. How would you classify a salad? Need to know how to classify a book about Star Trek? What about Water Lilies?

Not only can you see Dewey classification in action, you can also check out the various Dewey communities both national and international.

If you are taking a classification class and you need real world examples of constructing Dewey numbers this is the place.

English Short Title Catalogue at the British Library

At this section of the British Library website you can locate titles for books published between 1473 and 1800. If the material was published in the UK or its possessions, Colonial America or any place else on the planet, and it was printed in English, it very well might be listed in this database.

Now short title does not refer to the length of the actual name of the book. As you can see from the example below, titles could be quiet descriptive:


My understanding is that it refers to limited or special publications produced quickly. I'm thinking like pamphlets, broadsheets and the early equivalents of instant publishing.

As you can see, you can view the records in a variety of formats such as a three line summary listing, full MARC tags, or which institution has the actual document.

This is a good resource if you are researching ephemeral publications that give a sense of time and place.

It is also valuable if you want to brush up on your MARC skills if it has been long time since you have sweated a MARC code. Check it out.

Cataloging SOS - Cataloging Reference Books

AACR2 is many things but easy reading it is not. It is not too late to find more humane help in understanding cataloging and classification.

Libraries Unlimited has a number of books and workbooks on cataloging/classification.

I think this was the one that we flipped through at the California Library Convention in Long Beach.

Closer to home, Cataloging & Classification for Library Technicians is on the third floor of the library - 025.3 K 4, 2001 or if somebody beats you to it you can order at Amazon.com

Descriptive Cataloging, this one will be good for both 105A and 105B You can find it at Amazon.com or Powell's Books

Remember, if you are short on cash don't hesitate to do the WorldCat thing, somebody, somewhere has got these books.