The fact that the Extreme Searcher’s Internet Handbook has survived to a fourth edition is a good indication of the usefulness of this resource.
Hock is targeting searchers who want to go beyond a quick search on Google. The book starts with a “basics” chapter, giving an overview of the Internet, but including a good section on strategies. In doing this, Hock avoids the common trap of simply listing search tools, many of which are obsolete by the time the book is read. Hock also offers sound advice on the under-emphasised topic of evaluation of information found on the Internet. Readers who wish to go further in the area of search strategy and tactics might want to also consult other sources, such as Stacey and Stacey’s Effective information retrieval from the Internet (Chandos, 2004) and the current reviewers’ 2012 article on Internet Search Tactics (Online Information Review, Vol. 36 No. 1, pp. 7-20).
He then moves on to the different types of search tools, starting with directories and portals, and then to search engines. Teachers of Internet searching now find it difficult to decide which search tools to emphasise. In the past many teachers felt that students should be encouraged to use structured directories with their evaluated resources. However, many directories are now showing their age, and it is hard to justify teaching the use of some previously valuable resources. While Hock still gives some emphasis to directories, he is honest about their advantages and disadvantages. There are also chapters on discussion groups, “the Internet reference shelf”, multimedia, news resources, shopping and Web publishing.
If there is a weakness in the book, it is that the structure reflects the Internet of the original edition. For example, the chapter on discussion groups still emphasises newsgroups and mailing lists. Social media such as Twitter and Facebook are barely mentioned, though to be fair there is a useful section “social networking sites as research tools” tucked away in the “Internet reference shelf” chapter. The importance of videos as information sources gets a brief mention, although today a YouTube video may be the best way to find out how to do a practical task such as dismantling your keyboard or fixing a bicycle tyre. Wikipedia, which is a significant search tool in itself, and which raises important questions about the reliability of crowdsourcing, only gets a brief mention.
While the book discusses many aspects of the dominance of Google, it perhaps understates the increasing concerns about the personal information being accumulated, which have given rise to the increasing popularity of “anonymous” search engines such as DuckDuckGo, which incidentally does not rate a mention.
There is a companion website www.extremesearcher.com which has up-to-date links to the resources mentioned in the text.
Despite the relatively minor issues identified, this book is still valuable for librarians who want to go beyond the search basics (which should be all of us), and would be a useful resource in online searching courses at both graduate and undergraduate levels.
