Reference Sources on the Web
- AskART "a database about
American artists spanning the 16th to the 21st centuries." (RB)
- African-American Biographies
- The Joshua Lederberg Papers [.pdf, Quicktime, RealPlayer, JPG] Part of the Profiles in Science Site, where you can find information on all sorts of scientists
- Who2.com almanac reference-type biography resource. (RB)
- Simón Bolívar, 1783-1830 information on Bolivar and his rebellion style. (LII)
- Amelia Earhart Biography
- Clarence Seward Darrow (1857-1938) (LII)
- Duke Ellington (LII)
- Biographical Sketches of Memorable Christians of the Past over 250 saints and other Christians. (LII)
- Jimmy Carter from the American Experience site by PBS. (RB)
- Calvin Coolidge: 30th President of the United States Sponsored by the Calvin Coolidge Memorial Foundation. (SR)
- Eliot, T. S. (Thomas Stearns) -- 1888-1965 (LII)
- Hamilton, Alexander "comprehensive guide and web directory to Alexander Hamilton, founding father, first Secretary of the Treasury, major author of the Federalist Papers and advocate of a strong central government." (LII)
- Lionel Hampton: His Life and Legacy From the Lionel Hampton School of Music, University of Idaho. (LII)
- Coretta Scott King Biographical information about Coretta Scott King, founding president of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta. Includes details about her involvement in the causes of her husband, Martin Luther King Jr. and her activities after
his assassination in 1968. Also find essays on Martin Luther King Jr., nonviolence, and related topics. From the Martin Luther King Papers Project, Stanford University. (LII)
- Manson, Charles -- 1934- (LII)
- John Nash "a part of the PBS television series American Experience." (LII)
- Casebook: Jack the Ripper more of a biography of the killings than of Jack himself. (LII)
- Political Graveyard over 81,000 dead politicians, diplomats, and judges. (RB)
- Roosevelt, Anna Eleanor -- 1884-1962 (LII)
- Singer, Isaac Bashevis From the Library of America. (LII)
- Verne, Jules -- 1828-1905 an overview of his life and literary works. (LII)
- Carter Godwin Woodson: "Father of Black History" From the Chicago Public Library (LII)
- World Biographical Index "It's an online index of over 2 million short biographies "
- Women in Aviation History
- Public Figure Biographies Information on 5000 of the most famous people in the world.
- Who2 "Classic authors, movie stars, famous frauds, kings and queens, mythical gods, cartoon dogs--anyone famous is fair game for Who2." Includes birth and death dates, and a short bio. (LII)
- Identity Theft "Information about identity theft from the Federal Trade Commission. Find how identity thieves work, how to minimize your risk, what to do if you are a victim, how to file a complaint, applicable federal and state laws, examples of recent cases and scams, and links to additional sites, publications, reports, and testimony. Includes the publication, "ID Theft: When Bad Things Happen To Your Good Name." " (LII)
- Identity Theft Resource Center "visitors can access victim information guides, learn about recent (and some ?classic?) consumer scams." (SR)
- Experion
- Equifax
- TransUnion
- Credit Bureau contact information
- Facts for Consumers: Credit Scoring "Fact sheet on credit scoring, "a system creditors use to help determine whether to give you credit." Discusses the credit scoring model, what individuals can do to improve their credit score, the reliability of the credit scoring system, what happens if you are denied credit, and how to file a complaint. From the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)." (LII)
- Free Annual Credit Reports-What Consumers Should Know from Mike Cox, Michigan Attorney General
- Free Annual Credit Reports
- Your Credit Score: How It All Adds Up "Consumer fact sheet on credit scoring, "a grading system that adds or subtracts points
based on select data in your credit report. ... Your final grade -- your credit score -- is said to measure how likely it is that you will repay a loan." Discusses factors used to determine credit scores (such as payment history and amount owed), ordering credit reports, and tips for improving your score. From the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse." (LII)
- Your Credit Scores "Questions and answers about credit scores, "number[s] that help lenders and others
predict how likely you are to make your credit payments on time." Uses the FICO (Fair Isaac Corporation) score system to show the factors affecting a credit score, such as payment history. Includes examples of actions you can take to boost scores, and contacts for credit reporting agencies. From the Consumer Federation of America and the Fair Isaac Corporation." (LII)
- National Check Fraud Center information about credit reports and how to contact the major credit bureaus.
- Privacy information from the Federal Trade Commission.
- Retrevo "This search engine is designed for finding product reviews and buying guides, troubleshooting tips, manufacturer information, and related material for consumer electronic products. The "Examples" section lets users browse through vendor names for reviews and manuals, and the "Products" section provides digital camera, camcorder, TV, and other electronics reviews. Also includes a blog." (LII)
- After a Flood: The First Steps a PDF booklet from the American Red Cross (LII)
- Are You Ready? An In-depth Guide to Citizen Preparedness "a step-by-step approach to disaster preparedness" prepared by FEMA (LII)
- Blackouts: Safety Information for Short-Term Power Outages or "Rolling Blackouts" "Tips on how to prepare for a blackout and what actions to take when one occurs. Emphasizes supply and safety tips, including some for people with disabilities. Provides energy conservation recommendations and information on heat waves, using generators, and food safety. Contains safety fact sheets (in PDF files) in English and Spanish. From the American National Red Cross." (LII)
- Disaster Preparedness Be prepared for emergencies.
- Disaster Recovery Assistance "As one might imagine, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)'s Disaster Recovery Assistance office works closely with other federal agencies, such as the Small Business Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. On their homepage, visitors can learn about their programs in various states, or they may wish to start by viewing some of their latest press releases. The site contains a great deal of specific information on their work rebuilding New Orleans through the Disaster Housing Assistance Program and the Disaster Vouching Program. Users of the site will also be glad to learn that many of the materials are available in Spanish. The site is rounded out by a section on their work addressing disasters in Southern California." (SR)
- Emergency Preparedness and Response: Floods "Health and safety guidelines and precautions related to flood readiness and recovery." (LII)
- Emergency Preparedness and Response: Hurricanes "fact sheets on hurricane readiness, hurricane recovery, protecting pets, reentering a flooded home, and protecting yourself from mold." (LII)
- Emergency Preparedness and Response: Tornadoes information on preparing for tornados and what to do after one strikes. From the CDC.
- Emergency Preparedness and Response: Winter Weather information on coping with extreme winter weather. From the CDC.
- Emergency Preparedness for Pets Information for pet owners on preparing for emergencies. (LIB)
- Michigan Prepares "This web page contains a wide variety of information to help you develop an emergency plan that is right for your family." (RT)
- Best Places facts about cities.
- Best Places to Live in America 2000 From Money Magazine
- ASK City "a map application that allows you to search for local businesses, events, and movies." (RB)
- City Town Info "Find statistics and indexes on thousands of cities, towns and villages across the United States. Plus a growing list of articles, comments from local residents, and historical photos. Info on people, housing, transportation, mortgages/real estate, crime, commuting, zip codes, and more!"
- Craigslist "Find postings about community, housing rentals, jobs, personals, events, sale and wanted items, and services." (LII)
- Virtual Relocation A useful gateway site to all things about moving. This site has things others don't, like pollen reports and community information.
- Homefair In addition to the expected reports, this site also has interactive tools and calculators.
- Michigan Housing Locator "The Michigan State Housing Development Authority and partners have introduced a new Web site called the Michigan Housing Locator to help renters locate housing, and to help rental unit owners get their units marketed. Both services are free to both renters and property owners." (RT)
- Insider's Guide: Relocation Substantial articles about relocating.
- Wall Street Journal Guide to Moving
- Chamber of Commerce International Directory Addresses or phone numbers of local chambers.
- State and Local Government on the Net Links to state and local government web pages.
- International Real Estate Digest Links to real estate services
- The Realtor Directory.com Comprehensive Directory of Realtors: Real Estate Agents and Brokers by State and Province. Lists Realtors in the US, Canada, and Worldwide.
- Yahoo! Real Estate-Home Values A partial list covering 22 states.
- American School Directory Directory information for k-12 schools.
- The School Report Comparative statistics.
- EPA Envirofacts Find out if a place is near a toxic waste dump, or has other environmental problems.
- Mover Quotes Get an estimate from a variety of different movers.
- WalkScore "Walk Score helps people find walkable places to live. Walk Score calculates the walkability of an address by locating nearby stores, restaurants, schools, parks, etc." (DS)
- Welcome Wagon
- All Words "All Words is an English dictionary with multilingual search "
- AskOxford.com "this site offers an array of resources to help visitors make the best use of the English langauge." (SR)
- Bloomsbury Research Centre this site offers a free online database of reference books, containing some 17,000 cross-referenced entries. The titles indexed include _Biographical Quotations_, _Dictionary of English Literature_, _Good Word Guide_, and _Guide to Art_, among others. (SR)
- Cambridge Dictionaries:
Cambridge
Dictionary of American English,
Cambridge International Dictionary of English,
Cambridge International Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs or
Cambridge International Dictionary of Idioms.
- _Chamber's Book of Days_ "a collection of "On this Day" trivia, short pieces, and other interesting tidbits,
including history, literature, biography, and "oddities of human life and character."
- The Devil's Dictionary written by Ambrose Bierce. (SR)
- Dictionary.com
- Dictionary of Difficult Words search for difficult words at this specialized dictionary. (RB)
- The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy "Searchable and browsable dictionary entries cover topics such as religion, arts, history, politics, geography, business, science, and technology. Includes proverbs, idioms, and concepts from the Bible and from mythology." (LII)
- OneLook Reverse Dictionary "users can type in a concept into a search engine and receive a list of words and phrases related to that concept." (SR)
- _Dictionary of Phrase and Fable_ "a collection of more than 18,000 entries that reveal the etymologies, trace the origins and otherwise catalog 'words with a tale to tell.'"
- Scottish Dictionary "...incorporates both the twelve-volume Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue and the ten-volume Scottish National Dictionary." (RB)
- A Dictionary of Slang mostly British slang. (LII)
- Dictionary of Units of Measurement "This site is put together by Russ Rowlett, the Director of the Center for Mathematics and Science Education at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill." (RB)
- Emily Post's _Etiquette_
- Encyclopedia Britannica
- Encyclopedia of Law and Economics from "the University of Ghent, Belgium, the Encyclopedia of Law and Economics Website is a broad-based collection of resources pertaining to economic and legal issues throughout the world."
- Encyclopedia of Western Signs and Ideograms
- An Etymological Dictionary of Classical Mythology "A searchable dictionary of English words whose derivations are drawn from classical mythology." (LII)
- Online Etymology Dictionary features a search engine. (SR)
- The Exploding Dictionary Gives definitions and hyperlinked definitions. See for yourself.
- Free Online Dictionary of Computing contains over 13000 entries related to all things geeky.
- Free Dictionary.com "English, Medical, Legal, Financial, and Computer Dictionaries, Thesaurus, Acronyms, Encyclopedia, a Literature Reference Library, and a Search Engine all in one"
- The Glossarist "an index of
over 4500 glossaries." (RB)
- Reference Encyclopedia and Reference Source.
- The Internet Language Dictionary an online dictionary of internet terms. (SR)
- Law Dictionary
- Lexicool a directory of translation dictionaries and glossaries. (RB)
- Merriam-Webster Dictionary
- Meta Glossary "offering definitions for over two million words, phrases, acronyms, etc." (RB)
- On line Computing Dictionary" define computer terms and all manner of techno babble".
- OneLook Dictionaries "A search engine for words". (SR)
- Pseudo Dictionary find words that aren't in regular dicitonaries.
- Encyclopedia of Psychology links to Psychology sites on the Web. (LII)
- Reference Book Database "a free online database of reference books (that Bloomsbury publishes) with over 17,000 entries." (RB)
- Semantic Rhyming Dictionary "For writing poetry, song lyrics, or just for fun, Doug Beeferman's rhyming dictionary can help you find perfect rhymes ("jeroboam") or those that match just the last syllable ("geranium.") "
- OneLook Reverse Dictionary (SR)
- The Visual Dictionary "Have you ever wondered what the various parts of a guitar are called? Perhaps you need a refresher on the various types of dresses? The Visual Dictionary website covers both topics in copious detail, along with offering up information on transportation, biology, and the human body. Essentially, the site offers annotated images that identify each part of a given item, such as an automobile or a musical instrument. Visitors can search the site by using the embedded search engine or they can look over a list of topics. The coverage is quite broad, as users will find everything from the detailed anatomy of a turtle to an exploration of a car's engine. One can imagine that these materials might work well in a classroom setting, as well as for those who are just generally curious about the world around them." (LII)
- WriteExpress Online Rhyming Dictionary You can find Ending rhymes (blue/shoe), Last syllable rhymes (timber/harbor), Double rhymes (conviction/prediction), Beginning rhymes (physics/fizzle), or First syllable rhymes (carrot/caring). (TB)
- ASL University This site is a "curriculum resource for American Sign Language [ASL] students, instructors, interpreters, and parents of deaf children." It features a dictionary of words with photos of proper movements, a "baby's first 100 ASL signs tour," finger spelling lessons, number lessons, material about ASL grammar and history, and more. From the director, ASL Online and Immersion Programs, Sacramento State, College of Continuing Education." (LII)
- Sign Language Dictionary Learn signs, or review ones you know, this site has animated signs.
- American Sign Language Browser
- Cindy's Homepage Info on Sign language and the Deaf Community.
- Deafness: Choices of Communicationresources related to Deaf culture. (LII)
- Simpson's Contemporary Quotations quotations dating from dating from 1950 to 1988 (SR)
- Quotations Book "e have 40,000+ quotes by 7,000+ people with hundreds added each day!" (LIB)
- Skeptics Dictionary: A Guide for the New Millennium.
- On-line Dictionary of the Social Sciences
- Strange and Unusual Dictionaries "Available on this site are the White Queen's Dictionary of One-
Letter Words (over 700 entries), the Dictionary of All-Consonant Words, and the Dictionary of All-Vowel Words."
- The Word Spy "The Word Spy looks at emerging words and phrases, old words used in new ways, and
existing words brought back to life." (LG)
- World Wide Words "The site focuses on the history of the English language and the development of new words, offering definitions and histories of words and phrases, as well as numerous short articles on various aspects of the language, book reviews, usage notes, and a phonetic key." (SR)
-
Your Dictionary.com "a portal for online dictionaries, giving you links to more than 1800 dictionaries representing more than 230 languages".
- A Comprehensive Glossary of Weather Terms for Storm Spotters in layman's terms, from NOAA. (LII)
- Climate zone average monthly climate and weather indicators for Muskegon
- Howstuffworks: How Hurricanes Work learn all about hurricanes and how they form (from HowStuffWorks). (STW)
- Michigan State Police Winter Travel Advisory "The Winter Travel Advisory operates from late November or early December through March 30th. It is updated twice a day or as information concerning travel conditions is received. If you need more current or specific information, please listen to your local radio or television stations. You may also call the Michigan State Police Travel Hotline at 1-800-381-8477." (RT)
- NOAA Watch: NOAA’s All-Hazard Monitor "When the weather outside is frightful (or even when it isn’t), budding meteorologists will want to turn to the NOAA’s All-Hazard Monitor website. Drawing on an impressive array of weather-tracking devices, satellites, and so on, visitors can monitor a number of types of weather here, including tropical weather, droughts, volcanoes, earthquakes, and oil spills." (SR)
- Realclimate.org "RealClimate is a commentary site on climate science by working climate scientists for the interested public and journalists. We aim to provide a quick response to developing stories and provide the context sometimes missing in mainstream commentary. The discussion here is restricted to scientific topics and will not get involved in any political or economic implications of the science." (LII)
- Guide to reading weather maps from the Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. (LII)
- Weather from Information Please "weather facts, including Climate, Weather Extremes, Weather Disasters and Meteorology" (RB)
- Storm Database for use in Hackley Public Library only--requires password.
- Weather (Muskegon code is MKG).
- Weather Channel Easy to use and comprehensive.
- Weather Channel Interactive Maps see local weather.
- Weather Channel Storm Encyclopedia
- Weather from the Franklin Institute
- Weather Underground Less commercial than the Weather Channel, and has many language options. Nice radar image.
- National Weather Service Aimed at serious weather information researchers.
- US Daily Weather Maps historical daily weather maps from 1871 through 2001, from NOAA
- US Daily Weather Maps from 2001 to present, from NOAA
- Monthly Weather Review access to issues of the Monthly weather review prior to 1973 for free, when it was produced by National Weather Service and Dept. of Commerce. Access to issues from 1973 onwards requires a subscription from AMS.
- Monthly Climatic Data for the World from NOAA. For use in Hackley Public Library only. Requires a password. (LII)
- U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey Annual Reports from 1852 to 1892 in PDF format
- Climatic data of the world (Non U.S.) from NOAA, international climatic observations from all over the world have been imaged
- National Hurricane Center Current and historical hurricane and cyclone information.
- Tornado Project Online Lots of information on tornadoes.
- UM Weather"Providing access to thousands of forecasts, images, and the Net's largest collection of weather links".
- United States Landfall Probability
Web site "landfall estimates for different varieties of storm force winds over the next 50 years in 205 different counties, from Texas to Maine." (LII)
- NGA (National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency) Geographic Names Server "the official repository of standard spellings of all foreign place names, sanctioned by the United States Board on Geographic Names. The database also contains variant spellings (cross references) which are useful for searching purposes. All the geographic features in the database contain information about location, administrative division, and quality. The database can be used for a variety of purposes, including establishing official spellings of foreign place names, cartography, GIS, GEOINT and finding places. The database serves as an online gazetteer and is also helpful for genealogists." (FGI)
- All the Worlds Maps National maps and information on embassies. (LII)
- "The American Revolution and Its Era: Maps and Charts of North America and the West Indies, 1750-1789" From the Library of Congress.
- American Shores: Maps of the Middle Atlantic Region to 1850 "sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities, this online exhibit is devoted to offering a number of historically significant maps of the Mid-Atlantic region up to 1850." (SR)
- Atlapedia Maps, maps, and more maps, along with statistical information about various countries.
- Blank and Outline Maps print out a blank map. (LII)
- Civil War Maps from the Library of Congress.
- Daily Maps from National Geographic "Browse through history using our daily maps of historical news events and milestones. Navigate the map using our zoom tool." (FGI)
- David Rumsey Map Collection "...focus mainly on 18th and 19th century North and South American cartographic materials."
- Festival of Maps Chicago: A city wide celebration of humanity's greatest discoveries and the maps that record our boldest explorations.
- Maps: Finding Our Place in the World "How do we find our way through the world, geographically speaking? Do we all carry around a type of "mental map" in our head, formed through experience and repetition? Some would say yes, some would beg to differ. Maps remain a powerful way to represent the world in all its spatial glory, and this online exhibit from The Field Museum explores the history of maps and their history over the millennia. Designed to complement an ongoing exhibition at the Museum, the site includes a photo gallery, information about the participating institutions, and about researchers at the Museum who use maps and mapping technology in their own work. The interactive feature is definitely worth a look, as visitors can examine two dozen different maps in detail from Chicago to the Marshall Islands. One can imagine that this remarkable site could also be used in classrooms to expose students to the wide variety of maps that have been created by human hands." (SR)
- GeoData.gov: U.S. Maps & Data "This site "is a geographic information system (GIS) portal, also known as the Geospatial One-Stop," "designed to facilitate communication and sharing of geographic data and resources to enhance government efficiency and improve citizen services." Search for federal, state, and local geographic data, maps (such as of transportation and natural hazards), and statistics. Also includes discussions of key resources for topics such as atmosphere and climate, business, and human health. Part of USA.gov." (LII)
- Driving Directions
- Expedia
- Google Maps
-
Map Michigan offers a variety of geographic search options. Information that can be displayed ranges from specified addresses, planning a route, street intersections, coordinates, zip codes, points of interest and specialized maps. Points of Interest maps are user-specified features, such as business services, education locations, governmental facilities, travel and recreation locations, and more. Specialized maps consist of items such as schools, boat launches and waterfalls.
- MapQuest
- Maps on Us
- MSN Maps/mapblast
- AAA TripTik online mapping tool from AAA. Includes gas prices and locations for about 100,000 places in the US (RB)
- YahooMaps
- Digital Maps Archive from Evergreen State College
- Electronic Cultural Atlas Initiative (ECAI)"This site features cartographic tools for "visualizing and analyzing historical and cultural phenomena." Users may create "maps based on a theme, era and region." The "Projects" section provides examples, and the "Participating" section provides instructions. Also includes information about the underlying technology. Note: Access to some datasets requires a password. Sponsored by the University of California, Berkeley." (LII)
- Electronic Map Library a collection of atlases. (LII)
- Environmental Maps (E-Maps) -- HUD [Javascript] "combines information from HUD's community development and housing programs with the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) environmental data to produce scalable maps for HUD-funded activities "in every neighborhood across the country" and select EPA information on those same locales."
- FEMA Flood Maps This site also has other information for homeowners regarding disasters. (RT)
- Atlas of the German Empire covers the German Empire and the bordering portions of present-day Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Hungary, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, the Russian Federation, Slovakia, and Switzerland. Originally published in 1883. (LII)
- GEODE "visitors can use the GeoData Explorer (Geode) to view world maps based on population, transportation, natural resources, political boundaries, and more. Geographical relationships of data categories can be visualized with maps of countries of the world." (LII)
- Geospatial One Stop
One-stop listing of governement agencies that provide maps. (SR)
- Global Positioning System how the gps works. (LII)
- Historical Maps Online "from the University of Illinois Library ... one of the better ones available for researchers and the inquisitive public." (SR)
- Japanese Historical Maps from the East Asian Library at UC Berkeley (SR)
- Map Archive "The Map Archive is a large collection of ancient and modern maps, maintained by a non profit organization, the maps are gathered and submitted by volunteers, mainly students and University teachers. This project goal is to create the largest online collection of maps." (IRN)
- Map-a-Planet created and maintained by the United States Geological Survey's Astrogeology Research Program, visitors will be able create (and download) customizable maps of planets such as Mars and Venus, along with prominent moons such as Callisto (the second largest moon of Jupiter) and Ganymede, which is Jupiter's largest moon. (SR)
- Map Quest
- Maporama street level maps for the US, most of Canada, and some European countries. (LII)
- Map Collections 1500-2004. From the Library of Congress (RT)
- Michigan Map Gallery many maps produced by and for various Michgian State agencies. (RT)
- Michigan and United States Map Links
-
Map Michigan offers a variety of geographic search options. Information that can be displayed ranges from specified addresses, planning a route, street intersections, coordinates, zip codes, points of interest and specialized maps. Points of Interest maps are user-specified features, such as business services, education locations, governmental facilities, travel and recreation locations, and more. Specialized maps consist of items such as schools, boat launches and waterfalls.
- Neighboroo combine Google Maps with statistical data. (RT)
- National Geographic Map Machine
- USGS National Geologic Map Database (LII)
- National Parks Maps From the American Memory Project of the Library of Congress.
- Periodical Historical Atlas of Europe consists of maps "depicting with accuracy the states of this continent every first day of each centennial year from AD 1 to AD 1700." (SR)
- Perry-Castaneda Library Map Collection This site has over 2400 political, physical, topographical, economic, relief, and historic maps for the world.
- Maps of the Pimeria: Early Cartography of the Southwest From the University of Arizona. (SR)
- Michigan Wildlife Habitat Maps "Available online courtesy of the Gap Analysis Program" (RT)
- The Rochambeau Map Collection "contains maps collected and used by Jean Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau during the American Revolution." (SR)
- National Atlas.gov "Maps of America are what you'll find and make on nationalatlas.gov™. Maps of innovation and vision that illustrate our changing Nation. Maps that capture and depict the patterns, conditions, and trends of American life. Maps that supplement interesting articles. Maps that tell their own stories. Maps that cover all of the United States or just your area of interest. Maps that are accurate and reliable from more than 20 Federal organizations. Maps about America's people, heritage, and resources. Maps that will help you, your children, your colleagues, and your friends understand the United States and its place in the world." (FGI)
- TerraFly "Simply enter an address, and our system will put you at the controls of a bird's view aerial imagery to explore your digital earth." You can also get lots of local date like Census info, hotels, airports, grocery stores... (FGI)
- Terraserver Aerial views of the US and some parts of the world.
- TopoZone access to topographical maps of the United States "for professional and recreational map users." (LII)
- Topographic Map Symbols from the US Geological Survey.
- Topographic Maps from the United States Geological Survey. The USGS has launched the new USGS Map Locator and Downloader, a Web tool designed to deliver topographic maps easier, faster and less expensively than before.
- United Nations Cartographics Section [.pdf] "Two primary map collections are offered at the site in .pdf format: general maps (over 100) and deployment maps of peace keeping missions."
- Early Washington Maps: A Digital Collection Maps of early Washington State. (SR)
- World Gazetteer information on cities and towns around the world.
- Worldmapper: The World as You've Never Seen It Before "This site features cartograms, maps showing global regions "re-sized according to the subject of interest." Some of the many map subjects include births, total population, children, elderly, refugees, immigrants, tourism, transportation, and imports and exports. Maps are available in a printable poster format, and are accompanied by explanatory text and data files. A collaboration among the University of Sheffield (England), University of Michigan, and other groups. (LII)
- The World of Maps "A gateway for maps and mapping. Maps, spatial data and GIS on the Internet - and how to find them. Links to catalogues of map holdings, map collections and map archives, map curatorship and map history, map institutions, map events and many others...." (LII)
- Yale University Library: The Map Collection "Traveling from the world of New Haven in 1886 to early cartographic interpretations of the coast of West Africa has never been easier with this lovely site created by the Yale University Map Library. Like many large universities, Yale has a wide-ranging map collection that spans centuries and continents. First-time visitors to the site can browse through sections that include "Maps of the World", "Maps of the Western Hemisphere", "Maps of North America", "Maps Relating to the Silk Road", and "Maps of Africa". Each section contains anywhere from ten to thirty maps, and visitors browsing through with Internet Explorer or Safari can take advantage of the LizardTech ExpressView plugin for detailed viewing. The site is rounded out with contact information for those seeking additional information about the collection." (SR)
- AARP American Association of Retired Persons (SR)
- Adherents.com This site has statistics on religion. Find out how many people belong to any religion, for example.
- Best Free Reference Web Sites issued by the Mars Best of Free Reference Web Sites Committee of the Machine-Assisted Reference Section(MARS) of the Reference and User Services Association(RUSA) ofALA
- The Definitive Guide to Self-Empowered Adoptee Search help for starting to search for birth parents. (LII)
- a.k.a. (Also Known As) Lists of author aliases. (LII)
- Alliance for Retired Americans "an organization of retirees who are committed to activism and want to influence the policies of government that affect all older Americans." (LII)
- AskART "a database about
American artists spanning the 16th to the 21st centuries." (RB)
- A Simple Book Repair Manual [Quicktime]. Created by the Dartmouth College Library Preservation Services.
- The Old Car Manual Project "a collection of manuals, brochures, and even some advertisements for old cars." (RB)
- Census Find out what city or county a street address is in.
- Ask Numbers.com lots of conversions.
- MegaConverter "Billed as The Web's (and the Universe's) Best Place to Figure What Equals What".
- Online Conversion Convert your age into dog years, or miles into kilometers, or anything else you can think of, at this site.
- Copyright Search -- LOC (SR)
- Article on Finding Copyright and Trademark for Free "The article is divided up into three sections: Copyright Research, Trademark Research, and When To Use Commercial Research Services. Not a huge article but plenty of pointers to resources and some searching tips." (RB)
- Dead People Server Find out if someone (celebrity) is dead or not. (RB)
- Directory of Abbreviations searchable. (RB)
- Disaster! Finder links to disaster information, including preparedness and types of disasters. (LII)
- Curious Dreamer "a search engine/dictionary dedicated to dream images" (RB)
- E Podunk Looking for information on small towns and cities in the US? Look no further. (LII)
- "Easter Eggs" special features or surprises hidden inside computer software. (RB)
- Mechanical Engineering Calculations "A website which offers on-line computing in mechanical engineering and related disciplines."
- Everyday Mysteries Did you ever wonder why cats purr? Or why a camel has a hump? Can you really tell the weather by listening to the chirp of a cricket? Or why our joints make popping sounds? These questions deal with everyday phenomena that we often take for granted, but each can be explained scientifically. Everyday Mysteries will help you get the answers to these and many other of life's most interesting questions through scientific inquiry. In addition, we will introduce you to the Library of Congress' rich collections in science and technology. All of the questions presented on this Web site were asked by researchers and answered by librarians from the Library's Science Reference Services. Source: USA Today Hot Site, Feb. 13, 2006. (RT)
- Facts on File for use by Hackley Public Library patrons. Please have your library card ready.
- Fast Facts: Almanacs/ Factbooks/ Statistical Reports and Related Reference Tools.
- Get a Human how to get through the phone maze to get an actual human.
- Greatest Films
- Heraldry, Coats of Arm, and Family Crests A listing, maintained by About.com of links to heraldy, coats of arm, and family crests.
- Leap Year "easy-to-understand scientific background information on the concept of a leap year." (LII)
- Find Law Guide to Internet legal resources.
- Flag protocol
- Foundations On-Line: A Directory of Charitable Grantmakers. Coporate, private, and community foundations. (LII)
- Geode "data delivery system of the geologic discipline... provide(s) unbiased scientific and energy related data to the public via a fully functional, web accessed GIS map server." (SR)
- Guinness World Records
- The History of Eating Utensils learn all about how eating utensils have evolved. (SR)
- How Everyday Things Are Made "shows how 40 different products are made and includes almost 4 hours of video." (BWN)
- How Stuff Works really cool newsletter that explains how things work. (BWN)
- Ian's Shoelace Site everything you always wanted to know about shoelaces, including different ways to tie them. (SR)
- Idiom Site
want to know what a phrase means? Try here.
- Ibiblio "Operating under the motto of "Trust Us", ibiblio is a collaboration of the School of Information and Library Science and the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Ibiblio is billed as one of the largest "collections of collections" on the Internet, as it contains links to sites that deal with arts and recreation, geography, history, natural science, and philosophy, along with other subjects. First-time visitors can look over their FAQ section, read their collection policy, and then take a look at their "Recent Additions" area. Moving on, visitors can also look at their collection criteria, and even submit a collection for their consideration. Along with their very impressive collections, they also have a wide range of RSS feeds which users can sign up for." (SR)
- Internet Public Library.
- The Invisible Web an explanation of what the Invisible Web is and how to find things.
- Julian Samora Research Institute (JSRI) [.pdf] "the JSRI "is committed to the generation, transmission, and application of knowledge to serve the needs of Latino communities in the Midwest." "
- LLRX Research Guide "this guide answers common (legal) research questions that one might have while using the 'net."
- Legal Forms
- LiveRef(sm): A Registry of Real-Time Digital Reference Services. (SR)
- Looks too good to be true "This website was developed to arm you with information so you don’t fall victim to (...) Internet scam artists. Education, good judgment, and a healthy dose of skepticism are the best defenses against becoming a victim. Remember, if it looks too good to be true, it probably is!" (RT)
- Marxists Internet Archive "The Marxists Internet Archive is an extensive collection of Marxist material, compiled and distributed completely by volunteers."
- Free Medical Journals.com "This new metasite, Free Medical Journals.com, has organized the growing list of online medical publications into the following categories: free full text, free one to six months after publication, free one year after publication, free two years after publication, new, and cancelled." (SR)
- Michigan Electronic Library First choice for a wide range of information.
- Monarchies of Europe "Genealogical tables for European royalty, including royalty from Britain, Denmark, Sweden, Russia, Spain, France, Greece, and more." (LII)
- Monkey See Online instructional videos on just about anything. (RB)
- Names...Behind The Name learn what names mean, features names in many different languages. (RB)
- National Charities Information Bureau
- National Center for Charitable Statistics
- University of Virginia Health System: Division of Perceptual Studies "Website for this academic department "dedicated to the use of scientific methodology in [the] investigation of a wide range of paranormal phenomena," such as apparitions, near-death experiences, and out-of-body experiences. Includes definitions of some types of paranormal phenomena, advice to parents of children who claim to remember past lives, concerns about hypnotic regression to previous lives, a discussion about careers in parapsychology, and related material. From the University of Virginia Health System." (LII)
- Places Named "is a search engine for place names that also incorporates information about last names in the United States." (RB)
- Postal Rates Around the World "...mail information featuring rates, codes, philately (stamp collecting and study), and authorities around the world." (LII)
- Public Records this site lists many free searchable record databases.
- Quotable Women: An Archive of Memorable Quotes by Women lots of quotes from women. (LII)
- Quoteland "search out a quotation by topic or author; or, a literary, special, or random quotation."
- Wikiquote "A free online compendium of quotations from notable people and creative works in every language, including sources (where known), translations of non-English quotes, and links to Wikipedia for further information." (IRN)
- Racial Profiling in America -- ACLU. Includes "Driving While Black".
- The Reference Desk from Martindale. Lots of answers to lots of questions. (RB)
- Resume Writing Guide
- AARP: Reverse Mortgages "This site dedicated to providing information about reverse mortgages includes a reverse mortgage calculator, basic information about reverse mortgages, alternatives to reverse mortgages, the booklet "Home Made Money: A Consumers Guide to Reverse Mortgages," and more. From AARP." (LII)
- Reverse Mortgages "Clear, unbiased information about reverse mortgages. Explains the role of life expectancy, provides documents analyzing lender performance, includes lists of counselors, and offers Q and A's. "This site is provided by the National Center for Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (NCHEC), a nonprofit organization with no ties to the reverse mortgage lending
industry." "(LII)
- Rules Central find the rules to almost anything. (RB)
- Rules of Thumb "A rule of thumb is a homemade recipe for making a guess. It is an easy-to-remember guide that falls somewhere between a mathematical formula and a shot in the dark." This website tries to bring all the rules of thumbs together in a searchable database. (DS)
- Social Science Research Network (SSRN) [.pdf] "this site allows users to freely access thousands of abstracts and full-text research papers".
- 50 States This is where to look for information about states.
- State and County QuickFacts -- US Census
- Stain Removal Scroll down to the bottom of the page and choose I want to...remove a stain.
- Time Service Department Do you know what time it is?
- Writing Guides guides to writing all sorts of different documents.
- The United States Military Rank Insignia Examples of current enlisted and officer insignia used in the United States Armed Forces. (LII)
- Virtual Facts on File
- Virtual Reference Library (VRL) from the Toronto Public Library.
- Vote Smart
- Who's Alive and Who's Dead The purpose is "to list people whose vital status may be unknown by and of interest to the average person." (LII)
- Word Count a listing of the 86,800 most used words in the English language. It can be searched by word (to find the rank), or by rank.
- Zip Codes
To see the review sources used see our Review Source Page
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Created: 1/15/97