Browsing Hints

How can I most productively search REESBrowse?

You can generate your own custom link list from the REESBrowse database of indexed and annotated links by selecting from the Region, Culture, Subject, and Time Period categories. Search Strategies: It is generally better to begin with a general search and then refine it if necessary. This prevents one from inadvertently excluding relevant sites. Not all category markers pertain to all links. The Subject category is the only category common to all links. If your search returns no links, please remove Time Period, Culture, or Region terms to broaden the search. In rare instances, however, it may be advisable to remove the Subject category, and search using Culture and/or Region alone.

How are the sites/resources in REESBrowse indexed?

Websites submitted to REESWeb are cataloged using identifiers selected from one or more of the following categories: Subject, Geographic Region, Culture, and Time Period. All websites are assigned one or more Subject identifiers. Identifiers from the other categories are optional (but more than one of these may also be assigned). Though websites may be assigned more than one identifier in each category, only one identifier from each category may be browsed at a time.

What criteria are covered by each of the categories? How are they best used?

Subject

Identifies the MAJOR thrust of the website/resource. As a general rule, care has been taken to assign only those subject identifiers that are most central to the resource/site. The annotations, added by our catalogers, give a better sense of the site specifics. All websites indexed in REESBrowse are assigned at least one Subject identifier. However, when searching, the selection of a Subject identifier is not required. This may be useful in searches using lesser used Culture, Region, or Time Period identifiers. For example, a search for information on Contemporary Chechen Film might be best served by searching only the Chechen Culture category, rather than selecting from all categories.

Geographic Region

Identifies the physical location of the resource or its subject matter, which may or may not coincide with the expected Culture category. For example, the website for the Pittsburgh Russian Film Symposium would be assigned "Russian" in the Culture category, but would not be assigned an identifier in the Region category (as the location is outside the REES area). Likewise, a Russian literature site based in Poland would have the Region designation "Poland" and the Culture designation "Russian" (and perhaps "Polish" as well). However, unless the two categories are clearly at odds (as in the previous examples), they will often coincide.

Culture

An ethnic, linguistic, or social category. This category may indicate the cultural focus of the site (as in the Pittsburgh Russian Film Symposium), or the cultural, linguistic, or social position/vantage point of the site itself (as in the aforementioned Polish Russian literature site).

Time Period

This category should be used sparingly. It is most helpful combined with Subject searches in the areas of History or Literature where resources may indeed be limited to a particular time period.