General

• Librarians Index to the Internet http://www.lii.org
  Very selective, but extensive list of about 30,000 quality sites. Not all are history related, but this is a solid place to start looking.
• Open Directory http://dmoz.org
  Billed as the “most comprehensive human-edited directory of the Web”, Open Directory has the usual categories. It also has a number of links to directories in other languages.
• INFOMINE http://www.infomine.ucr.edu
  Directory created by librarians from a number of university libraries for students and faculty using the Internet for research. The search interface is a bit different than most, looking much like an online catalog with options to search in author, title, subject, description and full text.
• The Internet Scout Report http://scout.wisc.edu/
  A searchable, weekly newsletter of recommended Internet sites. Lengthy reviews. Not a directory in the true sense of the word, but a good place to begin looking
• Yahoo http://www.yahoo.com
  The original directory. It is vast, though not approaching the size of a search engine below. There are good finds as well as lots of junk on Yahoo, when it comes to scholarship. Not as selective as the previous directories above but its organization is good. Use your evaluation skills carefully when using Yahoo.

History

• WWW-Virtual Library History Index. http://www.ku.edu/history/VL/
  Massive directory of sites focused on history and covering all eras and countries imaginable. There is no search feature included, so you must browse through the categories. Some marginal sites are included in this site’s attempt to be comprehensive. Still, a gem.
• Trinkle, Dennis A. and Scott A. Merriman, eds. The History Highway 3.0: A Guide to Internet Resources. 3rd ed. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharp, 2002.
  Huge bibliography of websites organized by country and general subject. However because it is in print, it can become quickly out of date.
• Trinkle, Dennis A. and Scott A. Merriman, eds. The European History Highway: A Guide to Internet Resources. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharp, 2002.
  Bibliography of websites focused on Europe, including the former Soviet republics. Some duplication in the “general section” with the “History Highway” above.

• Google http://www.google.com
• AllTheWeb http://www.alltheweb.com
• Teoma http://www.teoma.com
  Since the demise of Argus Clearinghouse, Teoma is now indexing metasites, those large sites with many links and complicated subject organizations.
• AltaVista http://www.altavista.com
• Directory of Search Engines, including those for multimedia (SUNY Albany) http://library.albany.edu/internet/engines.html

• Invisible Web (book companion site) http://www.invisible-web.net/
  Under U.S. and World History are a number of links to databases in history. This is a companion site to a published book by the same title.
• Invisible Web http://www.invisibleweb.com/
  Directory of over 10,000 databases, archives and search engines that aren’t accessible by the usual search engines. Created by Intelliseek, a corporation in the business technology field. Still sources are very useful. Ironically, this has no relationship to the book and website above.
• Complete Planet http://www.completeplanet.com/
  Searchable access to databases contained in its site.
• Direct Search http://www.freepint.com/gary/direct.htm
  Compiled by Gary Price. One of the authors of the Invisible Web book and website listed above has an even larger website with lists of other databases and other sites inaccessible by traditional search engines.
• Internets.com http://www.internets.com/shistory.htm
  History section provides links to some local and national databases

Criteria:

Thinking Critically about World Wide Web Resources (UCLA) by Esther Grassian http://www.library.ucla.edu/libraries/college/help/critical/index.htm

Public History Resource Center Rating System http://publichistory.org/reviews/rating_system.html

Examples of deceptive websites

The obvious:

• World Trade Center Ariliner http://www.baronage.co.uk/2001/recessio.html
• Bert is Evil http://www.bertisevil.tv/

Those intended to teach

• The Commisar Vanishes http://www.newseum.org/berlinwall/commissar_vanishes/
• Hitler Diaries http://www.sniggle.net/kujau.php
  (see also Hamilton, Charles, The Hitler Diaries: Fakes that Fooled the World. Lexington, KY: The University Press of Kentucky, 1991.)
• Differing versions of the Gettysburg Address (Nicolay and Hay) http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/gadd/gadrft.html

From propopaganda to the outright questionable

• Martin Luther King Jr. -- A True Historical Examination http://martinlutherking.org vs Martin Luther King Center http://thekingcenter.org
• Institute for Historical Review (Revisionists or Holocaust-Denial) http://www.ihr.org vs. Nizkor Project http://www.nizkor.org
• Reformation Online http://www.reformation.org

For more Info:

Drobnicki, John A. and Richard Asaro. "Historical Fabrications on the Intenet; Recognition, Evaluation and Use in Bibliographic Instruction," in Evolution in Refernce and Information Services; The Impact of the Internet. Di Su, ed. New York: Hayworth Press, Inc., 2001.

Hoax Busters website (not really historical but does have an urban legends and hacked history listing) http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org/

Urban Legends and Folklore: Historical: http://urbanlegends.about.com/cs/historical/

SniggleNet: The cluturejammers encyclopedia http://www.sniggle.net/ -- not sure about the quality of this site yet.

created 9/02jp