These Reference Links are meant to supplement and support the books in our Reference Section of the library. This online reference section has links to information resources grouped as:
Almanacs
Altapedia Online
"Contains full color physical and political maps as well as key
facts and statistics on countries of the world."
Catholic Encyclopedia
An encyclopedia related to matters involving the Catholic relision.
This is a broad area, with much historical and biographical information
about many, many related things.
Festivals.com - Celebrating
the World of Festivals and Events
Find out basic information about festivals and celebrations that
are being held in the world. Has keyword searching.
Information Please Almanac
Find answers to your questions in this wide ranging reference work,
which includes an almanac, encyclopedia, and dictionary-- plus lots more.
The Living Almanac
of Disasters
Find out which disasters occurred on a given date, with brief descriptions
and some graphics.
Old Farmer's Almanac
One of the first almanacs published in the U.S. is now online.
The Political
Reference Almanac
Search the The Political Reference Almanac's 1999-2000 edition
for free on-line use.Data and background information on political parties,
processes, poloticians and leaders. Searchable or browsable according to
subject. Please note the buttons on the right of the page which help narrow
down your search topic.
States and Capitals (50states.com)
Look here to find out about the states of the U.S and their capitals.
Today In
History
A feature of the American Memory collections of the Library of
Congress. A special historical, primary source feature for each day of
the year.
Webopedia
An online encyclopedia that covers technology and all things related
to computer technology and the Web. Very thorough and complete, with links
back and forth between many concepts and topics.
Biography and Genealogy
Biographical Dictionary
Very brief descriptions of over 18,000 people who have helped shape
our earth.
Biographies
Biographies related to American History. Taken from: An Outline
of American History, a booklet is distributed by the United States Information
Agency.
Biographies
(Homework Center)
Links to biographical information, organized by subject area of
the person.
Classical
composer biographies
Selected classical composers lives are documented here.
Outline of American
History Biographies
The biographies included in the hypertext book about American History.
Science
/ Mathematics Biographies and History
Combines links to biographies and history related to science and
mathematics.
WIC Biography Index
Links to biographical information about various "women of accomlishment".
Created by the Women's International Center.
The World
Biographical Index Searcher
"This database is based on the 5th edition of the World Biographical
Index containing about 2,4 million short biographical entries for eminent
individuals who lived in North and South America, Western and Central Europe,
Australia, New Zealand, and Oceania. This edition is also a compiled index
to many biographical archives."
Genealogy Websites
Eponym: The Meaning or Origin of
People's Names
An extremely detailed and thorough website which provides for research
into the meanings and origins of human names.
The Etymology
[Study] of First Names
Focus is the origins of common first names, plus other interesting
facts associated with the name, such as famous people with that name. Includes
sections on: Sources of First Names, Languages Referred to in this Site,
Common Elements in First Names, and The Top Fifty Names. Includes many
countries and cultures of the world.
The Hall of
Names
A genealogical name searcher that allows searching of name files
from England, Ireland, France, Scotland, Wales, Germany, Italy, Spain,
Portugal, Belgium, Holland, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Lithuania,
Livonia, Belorussia, Hungary, Croatia, Latvia, Estonia, Denmark, Sweden,
Switzerland. Provides information on the origins of the family name.
Hitchcock's
Bible Names Dictionary
This dictionary is from "Hitchcock's New and Complete Analysis
of the Holy Bible," published in the late1800s. It contains more than 2,500
Bible and Bible-related proper names and their meanings.
The USGenWeb Project
"A group of volunteers working together to provide Internet websites
for genealogical research in every county and every state of the United
States. This Project is non-commercial and fully committed to free access
for everyone."
Search RootsWeb
Genealogical Data
A set of links to search engines and databases for genealogical
data.
Family Search
Access to the large databases of the Church of Jesus Christ of
the Latter Day Saints is provided here.
Heraldica
This site contains a variety of information on heraldry and related
topics, in the form of texts, images and links.
VitalCheck
Fee-based service: "VitalChek Network has an internet, voice and
fax network setup to help people get a certified copy of a birth certificate,
death certificate, marriage certificate and other vital records. VitalChek
provides the information on how to obtain a vital record from VitalChek's
listing of participating agencies."
Dictionaries and
Thesauruses
Artlex Dictionary of Visual Terms
Find out about terms and words used in the art world, including
"definitions of more than 3,100 terms here, along with numerous illustrations,
pronunciation notes, great quotations, and links to other resources on
the Web."
A Basic
Dictionary of ASL Terms
Here are a few American Sign Language terms to help those of you
who are trying to communicate with a person who signs, but does not hear.
Also included is the basic alphabet and numbers 1-10.
Cambridge Dictionaries
online © Cambridge University Press 1999
Four different Cambridge dictionaries may be searched from this
site: International Dictionary of English, Dictionary of
American English, International Dictionary of Idioms, International
Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.
Connected Thesaurus (Lexical FreeNet)
"Allows you to search for relationships between words, concepts,
and people. It is a combination thesaurus, rhyming dictionary, pun generator,
and concept navigator." Fun to play with: Includes related word browsing
links.
Dictionary
Links (Specialized) from the Human-Languages Page
Dictionaries dealing with specific subjects and areas of interest
are listed and linked here, as well as general dictionaries.
The Wordsmyth English Dictionary-Thesaurus
(WEDT)
A full dictionary and a complete thesaurus, integrated into one
work; you only need to look up a word once, with hyperlinks to synonyms,
and similar or related words available where appropriate.
WWWebster Dictionary
An excellent hypertext, online dictionary, offered by the Merriam-Webster
Company, a well known publisher of reference books.
OneLook Dictionaries
Searches various specialized dictionaries, and then organizes their
results, so that the user can choose the context in which the word is to
be defined.
The
Oxford English Dictionary: Browse
Check on the historical development and uses of a defined word
in the English language.
A
Web of Online Dictionaries
Hosts an english language dictionary and links to numerous dictionaried
for languages of thre world. Scroll down the page to access the many links.
Roget's
Thesaurus Search Form
An online, searchable version of Roget's Thesaurus, a recently
updated version, which will find synonyms very quickly, and allow you to
link to different major sections with ease.
Word-Online
General Language Dictionaries
WORD-ONLINE contains links to general language dictionaries that
available free in the WWW or the Gopher. In WORD-ONLINE You will find monolingual
dictionaries like the Webster's or bilingual like Finnish - English Dictionary
or even multilingual dictionaries.
Dictionaries
and Thesauruses
A handy collection of online dictionaries and thesauruses to aid
you in your research and writing! Included dictionaries for foreign languages
as well! (From the University of Texas at Austin.)
A Dictionary of Units
of Measurement
Helpful for converting units of measurement.
what?is.com
Specialized dictionary on Information Technology, and explains
the meaning of words, but also includes concepts and phrases.
WordReference.com Online German,
Spanish, French and Italian Dictionaries
A dictionary publisher provides dictionaries from several of the
world's languages. Translates both directions.
Foreign Language Dictionaries
Dictionary of Spanish
Translate words to-and-from English and Spanish.
English-Spanish
Dictionary
Translate from English to Spanish. "You can input up to 5 words
separated by spaces, and wildcards are accepted (e.g., excel*, he*p or
*value). Reverse translation is provided."
Hmong-English
Dictionary
An online dictionary which translates common Hmong words to English.
Arranged alphabetically, by the Hmong word. Click on the word, and have
it translated to English.
Latin Dictionary Resources
English-Latin
Word Search
Search for Latin words and their meanings in this searcher from
Project Perseus, which specializes in classical languages and texts.
Latin-English
dictionary (Words)
"This is a modest, student-size dictionary (about 27,000 entries)....to
help in simple translations for a beginning Latin student or amateur.
Latin Dictionary
and Grammar Aid
See the "Latin Wordlist and Grammar Aid" section, down near the
middle of the page, for help in translating from Latin.
Latin
Language and Literature
Links to dictionaries and other aids to learning and translating
from the Latin language.
Latin
Phrases Used In English
Phrases in latin, with translations into English, filed alphabetically.
Search
for Latin dictionary entries in Latin!
Search for Latin words and their meanings in another searcher from
Project Perseus, which specializes in classical languages and texts.
Encyclopedias,
General and Specialized
Britannica (Free Version)
The free version contains advertising and is pretty busy, but worth
a visit due to the high quality and selection of Web links.
Encarta Encyclopedia
(Free Version)
This is a scaled down version of the commercial version, but still
worth checking if you don't have access to a full version.
Encyclopedia
Mythica
An on-line encyclopedia about mythology, folklore, legends, and
more...
Encyclopaedia
of British History
A wonderful historical encyclopedia created in Great Britain, and
made freely available on the Web by Spartacus Publishing Company.
Encyclopedia
of the Celts
The goal of this work is to "give the reader access to a fragment
of the contents of some of the greater and lesser know works of Celtic
Literature; including works of mythology, legend, fiction and history."
HyperHistory
Online
"HyperHistory presents 3'000 years of world history with a combination
of colorful graphics, lifelines, timelines, and maps."
Infoplease
Encyclopedia and Dictionary
A combined small encyclopedia and dictionary.
L1 Kids Encyclopaedia
(Homework Helper)
If the other encyclopedias are over your head, you may want to
give this one a try, designed for the younger student.
LetsFindOut Kids Encyclopedia
As above, if the other encyclopedias are over your head, you may
want to give this one a try, designed for the younger student.
Time-Life
plant Encyclopedia (The Virtual Garden)
"Looking for a plant, houseplant, tree, or shrub? This searchable
database contains almost 3,000 species selected for general use in North
American horticultural practice."
Glossaries
Acronym Search - The
ultimate acronym tool
When you hear people use strings of letters (acronyms) when referring
tto something, such as "CIA", do you wonder what they stand for? This page
tells you some of the possible meanings.
Asia Reference
Explains terms used with the study of Asia. "Features a growing
general glossary of terms covering Economics, Business, Politics, Arts,
and Religion... currently lists more than a thousand terms with a particular
strength in the Arts and Religion."
Glossary
of Grammatical Terms
Concise chart of common grammar terms, with Latin meanings as well.
Wall Street
Directory Glossary
Find out the meaning of terms related to investing, such as stocks,
bonds and commodities.
Sports
Glossaries
Use glossaries to four popular sports: soccer, ice hocky, football
and basketball. Simply click on a name of the sport for definitions of
terms and phrases.
Twists, Slugs and
Roscoes: A Glossary of Hardboiled Slang
Explains the slang used in hard-boiled detective novels and films.
The World
Wide Web Acronym and Abbreviation Server
This is a list of (mostly) acronyms (abbreviations constructed
from the first letters of the words of a phrase), not a dictionary or encyclopedia.
For example, if you want to know that ALANON stands for, you can find out
by searching here.
Handbooks and Guidebooks
AnyWho
Phone, fax, e-mail addresses are searched for here. Special sections
are available on toll-free numbers.
The Aria Database
"Information about opera and operatic arias. Besides providing
basic information about each aria, the Database includes translations for
many arias and aria texts for those that are not affected by copyright
restrictions."
AssociationCentral.com
A Web portal for all things association-related! Find out about
groups, organization and associations dedicated to a wide range of topics
and interests.
AwardWeb: Collections
of Literary Award Information
Lists of science fiction literary award winners. "The emphasis
is science fiction awards, but you'll find other literary awards as well."
BookBrowse
"A site dedicated to reading, which offers fiction reading lists,
book reviews, forthcoming titles, author information and much more."
CIA Kids Secret
Zone
History, Geography, and the World Factbook presented by the U.S.
Central Intellihence Agency, designed especially for kids!
The
CIA World Factbook
Wide variety of information about countries of the world, including
maps, prepared by the U.S. Central Intellihence Agency.
CNN Travel Guide
Maps, city guides, travel directions and much more travel information
is offered here by CNN.
Calendar
Conversions
There are many different calendars in use. This converter converts
one into anotjer.
California
Energy Commission Appliance Efficiency Database
Energy effiency ratings for some common appliances are available
here.
Cliché Finder
Looking for a "well worn phrase"? "Over 3,300 clichés indexed!"
How things get done (eHow.com)
Explains how to do things, and where to buy what you need to do
it with.
Internet 800 Directory
Directory of free toll free, 800 and 888 listings of businesses
by company, number and type of industry, regardless of long distance carrier.
Yellow page advertising, Web pages and banners available.
The Internet Movie Database
Find out about the different movies, actors, directors and other
interesting background on films. Huge! See their Oscar
Awards section!
Maps
and References
"The maps which are listed are categorized by geographical region
although there are a couple of thematic categories such as Interactive
Maps which both highlights the potential of the WWW and are also fun to
use."
Map
Collection
Many maps from around the world are available here, at the Perry-Castaneda
Library's online map collection. Maps are organized by continent, and then
by country.
The PLANTS Database
Includes names, checklists, automated tools, identification information,
species abstracts, distributional data, crop information, plant symbols,
plant growth data, plant materials information, plant links, references,
and other plant information.
Princeton College Review
Online version of the famous guide to colleges. Lots of basic information
available here related to colleges.
Robert's
Rules of Order Revised
The copyright on the original 1915 version has expired. However,
the modifications and enhancements to this work are Copyright © 1996
Constitution Society.
Tax
Statistics
Information about the financial composition of individuals, business
taxpayers, tax exempt organizations and more.
Telephone Directories
An index of online phone books, with links to Yellow Pages,
White Pages, Business Directories, Email Addresses and Fax Listings from
over 150 countries all around the world.
The Tree
of Life
"A collection of over 1380 World Wide Web pages containing information
about the diversity of life, authored by biologists from around the world.
Each page contains information about one group of organisms."
US Census Bureau
The provider of timely, relevant, and quality data about the people
and economy of the United States.
World Flag Database
In addition to flags, "There are over 260 pages on countries and
international organizations. Each page contains basic information on the
country, including its formal name, capital city, area, population, currency,
languages, and religions."
The ZIP Code
Look-Up and City/State/ZIP Code Association
If you need to look up a ZIP Code, the USPS has the answers.
Maps and Geography
Atlas Maps
- The National Atlas of the United States of America
The National Atlas of the United StatesTM is intended to provide
a comprehensive, map-like view into the enormous wealth of data collected
by the Federal Government.
Historical
Map Web Sites
Collection of links to maps of places in earlier times. Provided
by The Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection.
How far is it?
"Finds the latitude and longitude of two places, and then calculates
the distance between them (as the crow flies). It also provides a map showing
the two places."
LookSmart - Interactive
Maps
Collection of maps that allow the viewer to specify travel or destination
information desired, and then get a map and information back.
Map
Machine (National Geographic)
Some maps from the world famous National Geographic organization.
Maps in the News
Maps provided in response to events that put a place in the news.
(May not be regularly updated.)
U.S. Gazetteer
Find geographic facts about places in the U.S.
Quotations
From Doug Turner,
The Quotations Server
Simply enter your search text in the box, and the results will
be displayed in a list.
Quotations About
Libraries and Librarians
A subject guide to topical quotations about libraries and librarians.
The Quotations Page
Lots of quotations are available here, including the Quote of the
Day. Each day a quotation is selected and made available by the click of
your mouse. If you want more quotes, try the Random Quotations Page, which
chooses new quotes every time you load it.
quoteland.com
Quotations on many topics, by many authors, and in many possible
fashions.
Speeches
and Quotations
Search for the texts of many famous speeches and addresses. Find
quotations too.
Creative Quotations
to Inspire Creative Thinking
Provides thousands of quotations, organized and searchable by various
arrangements (e.g., month, day, theme, famous person.)
Other General References &
Collections of Information Resources
Find Articles.Com
This is a free database of magazine and news articles.
Finding Non-Profit
Organizations
Search this site to find information about non-profit organizations,
on a particular topic or interest area. Provides names, addresses, and
basic information about what the organization's mission or goals.
Finding Data On The Internet
How to find basic references and information to back up your research.
Designed for reporters, but useful to many others seeking information on
a wide range of subjects.
Pinchbeck
- Reference Section
From the famous student's Homework Helper website. Collection of
links to ready reference works.
Power Reporting resources and
training for journalists
"Here are thousands of free research resources for journalists,
annotated and updated daily: Find people and companies; Check facts; Find
data for your beat; Try new search tools; Subscribe to news alerts; Plan
newsroom training."
Reference. Bartleby.com
A number of high quality reference books are available here includes
"contemporary and classic reference works."
refdesk.com - Quick
Reference / Research
Collection of links to ready reference works. Check out their
main page too!
Statistics Every Writer
Should Know
Check this place out so that you will be able to tell if someone
is "lying with statistics."
The Totally Trivia Search
Engine (AbsoluteTrivia.com)
The title says it all!
xrefer
A searchable collection of high quality reference sources which
"contains encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesauri, books of quotations and
reference works covering a wide range of subjects."