Matrix, Subject Catalogs: Subject Clearinghouse

Clearinghouse for Subject-Oriented Internet Resource Guides

For users with specific areas of interest or need, the Clearinghouse can provided substantial direction for research. If a subject area cannot be found within the collection, then users are encouraged to compile a list of resources as they find them and forward it to the server for addition.

Key Links

Organization

• The guides are organized into respective subjects and loosely divided into humanities, sciences, and social sciences -- but are still listed alphabetically. Each guide is an individual text or HTML file, with its own internal structure.
• The Clearinghouse also provides a search interface for users.
  • Searches are performed by a WAIS engine.
  • Features and Limitations
    • Multiple keywords are automatically joined by Boolean OR.
    • Search terms can be complete words or substrings.
  • Matching documents are not sorted by match quality.
  • The engine searches the fulltext of the enclosed subject guides.
• Searches are entered using Gopher, and there are no HTML forms.
• Subject guides are not included or refused for content, but each document is tightly focused over its indicated field.

Administration

• Guides are compiled and posted by students or other Internet users.
• Searches are performed in less than 10 seconds, and the load seems to be fairly low compared to other subject catalogs.
• The Clearinghouse contains more than 400 subject guides, and new guides are added at about the rate of 20-30 a month. The pages are updated regularly.
• Additional Services
  • Help pages and other information is available online.
  • Users are encouraged to submit their own documents for inclusion, and submission guidelines are posted.
  • Document links include brief descriptive text, but the quality of such information varies from guide to guide.