On Oct 24, I had the privilege of visiting Southern Health and going to Carmen. While there I was asked to speak about MHIKNET Library Services and how to access them to a wonderful group of educators. We god side tracked a little after the presentation and I think an even bigger hit was the impromptu "Google Tips & Tricks" mini-session I was asked to do.  So if the furious note taking was any indication ... perhaps you will find these useful too!

Things to keep in mind

· Google is all about making money; what floats to the top of the search results should be an indication of this

·  Don't ask Google your question (e.g. "What are the most recent statistics available on Canadians with Diabetes?").  Ask Google for your answer (e.g. Canada Diabetes statistics 2013).

· Use the language you need to find in your results (e.g. neoplasms vs. cancer)

Tips

· Search for a phrase using quotation marks.  (e.g. "multiple sclerosis")

· Search for a specific type of file. (e.g.  filetype:pdf or  filetype:ppt)
  (pdf stands for portable document format and is commonly used by publishers; ppt stands for PowerPoint)

· Search within a favorite site for something you KNOW is there (e.g. site:gc.ca  or site:umanitoba.ca)
  (gc.ca is the Government of Canada)

· Or similar concepts together using the | [pipe symbol].  (e.g.  table|figure|data|statistics)

Test it out for yourself!

Try copying & pasting or typing in the following two examples and compare the difference in results.

Example 1:  What are the most recent statistics available on Canadians with Diabetes?

Example 2: canada|manitoba diabetes statistics|data|table|figure filetype:pdf 2013

Example 3: site:gc.ca diabetes statistics|data|table|figure filetype:pdf

Tricks  

Want to play around a little bit?  Check out these hidden Google tricks.

http://bit.ly/1hGe25f

Interested in having us to a session for you?  Let us know.

Sincerely,

Carol

--

Carol A. Cooke

Acting MHIKNET Librarian

Neil John Maclean Health Sciences Library
University of Manitoba
e. carol.cooke@umanitoba.ca

p. 204-977-5660

c. 204-290-6710

w. http://mhiknet.lib.umanitoba.ca/