Directory websites are Internet sites which have links to other websites, grouped by subject categories, not unlike a library catalog. Typically, clicking on a subject link takes visitors to an area of the website that contains links to websites that are in that category. The better directories have many levels of subdivisions, allowing users to go from a broad, general subject to a narrower, more specific subject (or vice versa). However, unlike a library catalog, there are no cataloging standards (such as LCSH or Elazar [http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/6527/class.html]) used. Therefore each site dedides which terms will be in its thesaurus. As with library catalogs, the catalog is always incomplete because new "items" (in this case, websites) are constantly being added to the Internet at an unpredicatble rate, while "obsolete" items are constantly being "withdrawn" without notice. Such "weeding" can cause even the most respected of directories to appear to be unreliable, with numerous links to "dead" sites.

One of the oldest and most popular directories is Yahoo! (http://www.yahoo.com). Though it began as a pure directory, it now has a search engine on the website which gives visitors the choice to search for terms in all of Yahoo! or within any subject division (or subdivision). The subdivision for Jewish subjects in Yahoo is at http://dir.yahoo.com/ Society_and_Culture/Religion_and_Spirituality/ Faiths_and_Practices/Judaism. In addition to general directories, there are also subject-specific and country-specific directories. Judaism and Jewish Resources (http://www.shamash.org/trb/judaism.html) and Jewishlink.net (http://www.jewishlink.net/index.html) are 2 examples of Jewish directory websites.

Search engine websites allow visitors to find websites after inputting words that they hope will be found in the title &/or within the website itself. Search engines vary according to the types of searches that can be done and the number and types of websites that are in its searchable database. The better search engines allow the kind of Boolean searching that so many of us learned about in library school. A visitor can even narrow down the search to the name of a graphic, audio or video file. Unfortunately, it is often difficult to predict what the search results will look like until the search is complete and trying to narrow search results by adding more search terms can be a frustrating exercise. To demonstrate how frustrating such a search can be, try to find out what my current AJL position is by entering my surname in a general search engine. In addition to lesser-known Bergsons, you will find the philosopher Henri Bergson referred to at many of the sites listed in the search results. Adding my forename and occupation will not necessarily narrow the results enough because there's a Steve Bergson (http://www.focalint.org/mem/resloc/bergson.html) in Kent (UK) who also works in the library field (his name is even in the Library Literature index).

3 of the excellent Jewish search engine websites are Hareshima (http://www.hareshima.com), Golem (http://www.crosswinds.net/~golem1) and Shamash (http://shamash.org/search). The Machadash (http://www.machadash.com) website allows searching in both English and Hebrew and has a Java pop-up keyboard for Hebrew character input. As with Yahoo!, several websites have combined the organization of directories with the ease of search engines. Fabulous examples of such Jewish integrated websites are Maven (http://www.maven.co.il), Mishmash (http://mishmash.virtualave.net), Metzia (http://www.metzia.com) and Nu? : The JAFI Portal (http://www.jewishsites.org).

Rich Gray has likened webrings to "channel surfing". Webrings are Internet constructs that allow visitors to jump from one site in the "ring" to another with the click of a link. Rings are subject- specific and require maintenance by a "ringmaster" who can decide to add or remove a site from the ring based upon adherence to the Ring's rules (which usually prohibit offensive and inappropriate websites). Caution must be used when searching for Jewish webrings, as Jews are not the only ones creating webrings that appear to be Jewish (e.g. there is a Messianic Judaism Webring).

As you can imagine, the number of Jewish websites that are now in cyberspace is tremendous, resulting in "long" Jewish webrings which connect sites with such varied content as a Jewish song database (http://campuscgi.princeton.edu/~klez/zemerl/links.pl), a bibliography of Jewish comics (http://www.geocities.com/safran-can/JWISHC.HTM) and the Elazar cataloging system (http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/6527/index.html). There is a very useful list of Jewish webrings at http://www.shirhadash.org/online/000612-webrings.html. 4 of the general Jewish webrings are the Jewish Webring Exchange (http://members.aol.com/JeremyMP/jewish.html), the Jewish Netring (http://www.jewishnetring.com), the Jewish Web Webring (http://nav.webring.yahoo.com/hub?ring=jww) and the Jewish Ring (http://home.vicnet.net.au/~aragorn/jew-ring.htm). The latter 2 seem to be the largest Jewish webrings. Other webrings link sites for Jewish Youth, such as The AZA Webring (http://www.geocities.com/SouthBeach/Breakers/9142/webring.html), B'nai B'rith Girls Webring (http://www.bomis.com/rings/Mwebringorg-society-computers/28) and USY Ring (http://nav.webring.yahoo.com/hub?ring=usy&list); Jewish academic areas, such as Jewish History Ring (http://www.hum.huji.ac.il/dinur/ring/jewhistring.htm) and Jewish Roots Ring (http://home.netcom.com/~barrison/jewgenwebring.html) ; Jewish culture, such as Klezmer Ring (http://www.geocities.com/Broadway/Stage/2452/Klezmerring.htm) and Simcha Ring (http://members.tripod.com/simcha_ring/simcha.htm) ; Jews of specific cities, such as Cool & Kosher: Jewish Los Angeles Web Ring (http://nav.webring.yahoo.com/hub?ring=jewishla&list) and Metro Milwaukee Jewish Web Ring (http://nav.webring.yahoo.com/hub?ring=mkejewish&list); and marginalized communities, such as Jewish Women's WebRing (http://nav.webring.yahoo.com/hub?ring=jewishwomen&list), LGBT Jewish Community Ring (http://members.aol.com/gendervariant/faith/jewish/webring.htm) and Sephardi Jewish Webring (http://www.sephardiccafe.com/webring.html). To date, I have only found one webring dedicated to libraries - Ring of Libraries (http://v.webring.com/hub?ring=rol). It is so small, it is barely worth mentioning. However, one of the AJL libraries is in that webring.

In my next column, I will discuss online dictionaries.