Finding Information on the Open Web

Since I missed this class and I am not sure if we are supposed to use our old search terms (I am kind of tired of them anyway) I came up with a new one...Women and ("northwest territory" or "Hudson's Bay") and clothing

1) site:.gov = 75 results.
I chose:  http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/connections/pacific/file.html#skip_menu on December 4, 2012.


There is not one single author as this site is actually The Library of Congress page and the specific page that came up for my search was American Indians of the Pacific Northwest. It "integrates over 2,300 photographs and 7,700 pages of text" so it is an extremely valuable source (I could spend days here).

Using A.S.P.E.C.T, the cite has Authority due to the fact that it is a Congressional entity, a National treasure, and a resource used worldwide. It has Source authority in that the collection in The Library is taken from collections from the "University of Washington Libraries, the Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture (formerly the Cheney Cowles Museum/Eastern Washington State Historical Society), and the Museum of History and Industry in Seattle."

2) site:.com = 13,200 results back; a bit more overwhelming.
I was 3 pages in before I found a site that was relevant enough for what I was looking for: http://pinterest.com/susanlgreig/metis-beading-embroidery/  This site was created by Susan L. Greig and  is a collection of other websites that have more information on my subject.

This site has is a little harder to use A.S.P.E.C.T on since it is a jumble of information, but it does have Evenness in that it has a variety of websites and does not have any commentary at all (so I cannot evaluate the authors actual feelings about the subject or the sources, but I would think that since she has made them all her favorites, that is a comment in itself). The site has value for me in that it compiles all these wonderful, possible resources for me without having to do an extensive search. The individual references have .org, .com, and .ca domain names, so it really is going to be a time saver. I went to royalalbertamuseum.ca
I was directed to the museum page that had great pictures of bead designs and utility items. Another one http://www.iti.gov.nt.ca/artscrafts/beadwork.shtml  took me to a government page that had a history of NW beading and design. I clicked on the authors PIN page and she has another page that shows the same kinds of sites, but all about the clothing. Once again, I have access to many other sites that have history and pictures for me to access. The original site may not be able to be evaluated using A.S.P. E.C.T, but many of these other sites are well within the Authority and Source guidelines as they are representative of government offices, museums and historical societies.

3) site:.edu = 243 results
I had a lot more trouble finding suitable sites (ones that had what I wanted) most of the ones brought up were basically historical accounts that might make a mention here or there of the women, I am coming to realize that women were not well documented during the formation of this country. I finally found http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/book/browse?type=lcsubc&key=Indians%20of%20North%20America%20--%20Northwestern%20States&c=x
an online book resource that led me to http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/007414705
where I found a book that I could download. It also had a similar items block where I can find more information. I realize this is not a website that provides direct information, but I am a bit limited by what I am trying to find. I think that to find more information on my subject, I will need to use the Web to find books or online/downloadable books. I am not finding much in the way of pages that have information.
The citation information for the book is:
Sioux Indian Museum and Crafts Center., . (1987). Traditional Iroquois clothing. [Rapid City, S.D.: Sioux Indian Museum and Crafts Center.
The book has Authority in that it is sponsored by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Sioux Indian museum and crafts center.
The information on the website is Hathi trust digital library and it "is a partnership of major research institutions and libraries working to ensure that the cultural record is preserved and accessible long into the future." They have an extensive "about us" page that list their mission and goals, partners, governance, etc. that gives it Purpose.

4) site:.org = 4,330 results
On the first page I found  http://www.whiteoak.org/  (That was easy!)

The White Oak Society ©2012.

Sponsored by: Forged in Time
Web Design By: FIT Web Design

It is a site for living history and reenactment information, pictures, stories. They have Purpose in that they have a mission statement that says they strive to be accurate and update their knowledge of the past. "Our goal is to expand today’s horizons with a hands-on experience of the past." They are a non-profit. They also have high points for Coverage...They have links to books, articles and pictures that will help me in my research. They also provide photos of their own historical reenactments that will give me a lot of good references and ideas.

Since my subject is so limited and I am realizing it is going to take a lot of in-depth research and time, I think that the .com domain, while more overwhelming, is going to give me the most options...not only for direct sites but also for links to other pages that would help. I did like the .gov domain also as it will probably give me a little bit more choices for historical references as the information I am looking for is based on history and government. I think that most of the information is going to end up coming from books.