This guide presents basic information on searching the World Wide Web and lists selected Web sites and links to resources that contain information on rural development. The guide describes and differentiates among search engines, Web directories, metacrawlers, and mutations. Searching tips include: using quotation marks around phrases; using plus and minus signs or Boolean expressions; truncating when appropriate; being as specific as possible; adding more words to narrow the search; searching in specific fields; thinking of synonyms; paying attention to dates; handling broken links; taking advantage of search engine help; and setting the browser to highlight visited links. Features and capabilities are listed for 12 search engines, directories, and metacrawlers, and addresses are provided for 19 such sites, as well as 5 additional sites that offer search engine help and analysis. A directory presents Web addresses and brief descriptions for 90 rural development Web sites in the categories of community development, economic development, education, finance and government, health, libraries, and transportation. (SV)