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Searching For A Different Search

As a librarian I’ve been helping people search for information since, oh, 20 B.G. – that’s the era “Before Google.”

In my first job at Chicago Public Library, we were responding to all kinds of quick information needs like, “Who won the 1980 World Series?,” or “When was the Great Chicago Fire?,” or “Who do I call for public aid?” We had file cabinets full of frequently asked questions and answers – arranged by subject. More in-depth questions were referred to subject-specific librarians.

It’s true that many of these “who, what, and when” questions can now be quickly answered, usually correctly, by Internet searches. But, if you’re getting tired of those ads for the cross-country skis you were shopping for a month or more ago, and how they follow you around the net … or if you’re becoming more concerned about your online privacy, there are alternatives to Google, Yahoo, and the other popular search engines.

One of these is DuckDuckGo, which has actually been around for several years. Like Google, it has a clean, appealing search page and quickly returns relevant results. The main difference is that DuckDuckGo does not store your search terms or your computer’s IP address.

You can also check out Ixquick, Startpage, and Disconnect Search.

So if you’re looking to reduce your digital footprint, try these out. You could start by searching how DuckDuckGo got its name.

I’m Paula Garrett, and that’s my perspective.

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