SearchDay - Stumped? Ask the Library of Congress - 15 August 2002
Stumped? Ask the Library of Congress

Some of the world's best "search engines" work at the U.S. Library of Congress, and they're available online to answer your questions by chat or email.

Sooner or later, even the most expert searcher hits a wall using web search engines. There are many reasons for this, but the most common is that contrary to widely held myth, you can't find everything on the Internet.

If you ever find yourself stymied by a search engine, consider turning to a librarian for help. You don't even need to leave your computer to get assistance -- simply use one of the web's many "Ask a Librarian" (AskA) services.

You can even turn to the professionals at the world's largest library, the U.S. Library of Congress. The institution's AskA service is organized by topics, divided into general collections, international collections, and special formats and genres.

The Library of Congress: Ask a Librarian
http://www.loc.gov/rr/askalib/
Email your research questions or chat online with a Library of Congress reference librarian.

AskA+ Locator
http://www.vrd.org/locator/subject.shtml
A list of AskA sites organized by their subject matter, from the Virtual Reference Desk.

LoC Virtual Reference Shelf
http://www.loc.gov/rr/askalib/virtualref.html
Before you ask your ques ion, check out these links to selected web resources on a variety of popular topics, compiled by the Library of Congress.

Google's Newest Technology: People Answering your Questions
SearchDay, Apr. 22, 2002
http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/02/sd0422-google-ans.html
Google has quietly introduced a beta program that allows users to post questions that will be personally answered by a professional researcher -- for a fee.

Meta Search + Invisible Web + Virtual Librarians = Wondir!
SearchDay, June 6, 2002
http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/02/sd0606-wondir.html
A team of respected search industry veterans is building a new and different kind of information service that seeks to unify cutting edge technology with the web's original egalitarian vision of people freely helping people.
http://www.searchenginewatch.com/searchday/02/sd0815-aska.html