KU News Release

KU librarian creates nonpartisan political search engine

LAWRENCE — The dizzying amount of information surrounding the 2008 presidential election just became a bit more manageable thanks to a new University of Kansas Libraries search engine.

Created by KU librarian Amalia Monroe, the 2008 Presidential Election Custom Search Engine brings together more than 150 political Web sites selected for their quality, content and nonpartisanship.

Monroe, who also has a background in political science, said she wanted to give those who might not be familiar with the election process a “leg up” in understanding its intricacies.

“This primary season has really been a rather exciting time for politics, but some people might feel overwhelmed by all of the issues involved,” Monroe said. “I wanted the site to focus on introductory information for the topics so anyone could use it.”

The site, which is powered by Google, contains print and electronic library resources, including Web sources designed for finding up-to-date information.

“I tried to eliminate all of the truly partisan sites and focus more on timely and neutral news sources,” said Monroe.

The site also features individual categories of election topics including information on the election process, campaign finance, public opinion polls and more.

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