This version of Around the Web in 30 Minutes is a copy of the print version that is available at the library. We recommend that you print out this page so that you can follow the instructions given and easily maneuver around the Web for this tutorial.

1. Start at the Downers Grove Public Library home page. If you are using a computer at the library, click on the Home button on the Explorer toolbar, or type www.downersgrovelibrary.org in the address bar.


2. Click on the ‘News and Programs’ button, on the left-hand side of the screen. Notice that the cursor turns from an arrow into a hand whenever you move the mouse over a link. You will then be taken to a page giving more information about the library and its programs. From the page that comes up, pick a topic that might interest you and click on it. Information on that topic will come up.

3. To get back to the previous page, click on the back button on the toolbar. (It’s the button on the left at the top of the screen.)

4. Click on ‘The Reading Place,’ also on the left-hand side of the screen.

5. Use the scroll bar (on the right side of the screen). By clicking on the bottom arrow on the scroll bar, you should see the text on the screen move. You can also use the scroll wheel on the mouse. Scroll down until you see ‘Author Read-alikes’ in the blue column on the right-hand side. Pick an author’s name and click on it. A list of books by similar authors will appear.

6. Try entering in a web address. Click the mouse in the address box (top of the screen, underneath the toolbar). Type www.msichicago.org and press the enter key on the keyboard, to get to the Museum of Science and Industry web page.

7. Notice what is on the screen. Information on hours, admission, directions and exhibits is available on the right side of the screen. If you wanted to look at any of those topics, you could move the mouse over that heading and when the onscreen cursor looks like a hand, click the left mouse button.

8. Let’s look at ‘Exhibits.’ Move the mouse over the word ‘Exhibits’ and click.

9. Pick an exhibit you’d like to look at and click on it. You will see information on that exhibit come up. If you’d like, look at anything else on the webpage that interests you.

10. Try using a search engine. Type www.yahoo.com (just like you did in step #6) to get to the Yahoo website. Yahoo is a portal search engine. A portal is a website where you can search the Internet, read news, shop, etc.

11. When the site comes up, you will see that there are a lot of things to look at on this page. Notice the search box on the screen—this is where you would enter your search terms (which we are not going to do right now!)

12. Scroll down until the heading ‘Business and Economy’ is at the top of the screen. Look at the columns. They are divided into various subjects, such as ‘Recreation and Sports,’ ‘Entertainment’ and ‘Government.’ Yahoo is a great place to start if you are new to the Internet, or are not looking for anything in particular, because it organizes web sites into categories. Keep in mind, however, that no search engine or directory is all-inclusive. Not every site will be listed in these subjects.

13. Click on ‘Recreation and Sports.’ Look at the topics that are grouped under this heading. They are all topics having something to do with either recreation or sports, such as hobbies, games, cooking, gardening and travel, to name a few. Notice that the topics are listed in alphabetical order, in two columns.

14. Scroll down and click on ‘Travel.’

15. Scroll down to look at the various topics regarding travel. Find ‘Destination Guides’ in the column on the left and click on it.

16. Notice what is on the screen. There is a search box where you can enter your search terms (which we are not going to do right now!). If you scroll down, you will see a heading for ‘Categories.’ If you wanted to break down the topic even further, you could click on one of those listings. The next heading further down is ‘Most Popular’ sites. Yahoo does not always list the most popular sites, but when they do, it can be helpful.

17. Click on ‘Fodor’s,’ under ‘Most Popular’ sites. This will take you out of Yahoo to the Fodor’s Travel Guide site. Look at the address bar—it should say http://www.fodors.com. If you ever wanted to come back directly to this site, without having to go all the way through Yahoo, you could just type this address in the address box (just like you did in step #6).

18. Try using a different search engine to find information on a particular subject. Type www.google.com in the address box and press the enter key on the keyboard to get to the Google search engine. We are going to look for information on the Downers Grove Public Library.

19. In the middle of the screen, you will see a long box where you can enter your search terms. Search engines are set up to perform keyword searching to locate information on the Internet. By typing a word or phrase, the search engine will look for sites containing those words.

20. Move the arrow so that it is inside the search box and click once. You will see a cursor flashing on the left side of the box. Type “Downers Grove Public Library.” Make sure you use the quotation marks, because you want to find sites that contain all four of the words together. (If you do not use quotation marks, you will get sites that contain Downers or Grove or Public or Library, and will get many more irrelevant sites.) When you are done typing, press the enter key on the keyboard or click on the ‘Google Search’ button, located underneath the search box.

21. A list of sites containing the words ‘Downers Grove Public Library’ will come up. The first one should be the Library’s web page and should read “Welcome to the Downers Grove Public Library.” Click on it and you should end up where we started in step #1—the Library home page. (If you click on the back button on the toolbar, you will go back to the Google screen, where you can look at the other sites that were found. They may not be the official library site, and may only mention the library in one sentence.)

Congratulations! You have successfully completed the 30-minute tour.

For further assistance, you may wish to consult some of the many books on the Internet available at the library. The librarians at the Reference Desk can show you where these books are located.

Prepared by Lisa Bobis, March 2004