Reference Sites

Information Please - based upon the print reference database and also includes a dictionary and encyclopedia The Library of Congress - provides a virtual tour of many of the institution's exhibits, plus access to historical letters, records, tapes and films and other media and "Thomas" - a legislative information clearinghouse Bartleby.com - Web reference publisher offers online  versions of several classic works, including the Columbia Encyclopedia, American Heritage Dictionary and Roget’s thesauri  Britannica.com - access to countless encyclopedia entries organized into six subject categories, with plenty of related resources, including current feature articles Martindale's The Reference Desk - offers many thousands of links for general, scientific and technical resources, including a huge online calculators directory and several sections on various engineering disciplines StartSpot Network - a collection of more than a dozen topic-specific websites, including a great reference site called LibrarySpot.com, offering links and resources evaluated and selected by editors and experts yourdictionary.com - tools include a dictionary, thesaurus, foreign language translator, rhyming dictionary and links to many other language resources HowStuffWorks - clear explanations, great graphics and animations reveal just about how anything works - from dieting to roller coasters Refdesk.com - numerous resource links selectively chosen and searchable, plus news, free downloads and more KnowPlay? - lookup definitions, thesaurus, rhyming, quotes all from one convenient interface

Recommended

Neat New Stuff I Found This Week on the Net - each week a new collection of links to websites deemed useful and interesting by writer and self-proclaimed "librarian without walls" Marylaine Block InfoSpace.com - yellow pages, white pages and more Bartlett's - where quotes live on, even if their authors do not BrainyQuote - literary and modern day quotes AREAweb - online local area directories provide links to local websites and up-to-date information for over 50,000 American cities whatis.com - offers definitions of more than 3,000 current IT/computer related words and terms FindArticles.com - a large, free searchable archive of published articles dating back to 1998 from more than 300 magazines and journals, including some print-only publications. From LookSmart. RefTools - offers a wide variety of calculators, plus specialized search engines and other reference tools Old Farmers Almanac Merriam-Webster Dictionary Internet White Pages - find people's phone numbers and zip codes by entering the number or the person's name Mapquest -  if you know a location you can get a map Abbre.com - offers definitions and derivations of the many abbreviations, acronyms and file extensions of IT (Information Technology) usage Acronym Finder - searchable database of 200,000  acronyms and meanings, covering common acronyms and those relating to computers, technology, government, telecommunications and the military