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ALMANACS
Celebrity Trivia Collection: Some famous firsts, arranged by century,
mainly related to people.
50 States.com: State bird, flower, nickname, motto and
song, colleges and universities, constitution, genealogical resources,
highest point and geographical center, national forests and parks,
newspapers, population, state and federal representatives, and date of entry
into the union. Links to over 21,784
authoritative sites, most government related.
Infoplease.com:
Abridged version of print.
Perpetual calendar for 1583-
. History/current events
through 2005. Useful for keyword
searching.
Nations of the World: Library of Congress site with links to
information about international governments plus links to the World Factbook,
Country Studies and Human Rights reports, Background Notes.
World Almanac and Book of Facts: 2000-2004 editions included in the Vermont Online Library, General Reference
Center Gold.
World
Factbook: Produced by the CIA, with clearly outlined
directory and statistical information in a consistent and convenient format
for all countries of the world. Updated
throughout the year. Also
included in the Vermont
Online Library.
DIRECTORIES
Findarticles.com: Free index to last 2 or 3 years of 300 magazines,
including Ladies Home Journal, Seventeen, Rolling Stone, New Statesman. Free full-text articles. See directory of periodical titles at foot of
opening screen. Use in addition to the Vermont Online Library.
Google: Excellent index to Internet
web sites.
Infobel.com: White and yellow
pages. Links to online telephone, fax
and business directories worldwide.
“Criss-cross.”
Internet Public Library: Reliable list of web sites
coordinated by the School of Information and Library Studies at the University of Michigan.
Librarians’
Index to the Internet: Reliable, trustworthy, librarian-selected Internet resources. Hosted by the State Library of California.
Vermont
Library Directory: Directory of Vermont
libraries. Use link from Vermont Dept. of
Libraries web site.
ENCYCLOPEDIAS
Columbia
Encyclopedia: 6th ed., updated,
Nov. 2004. Full-text of excellent one
volume print resource. Browsable
alphabetic index with over 51,000 entries.
Also included in the Vermont
Online Library.
DiscoverySchool.com
Homework Helper: Not a traditional
encyclopedia, but a wealth of useful links, annotated and arranged by
subject. Lots of homework answers.
Encyclopaedia
Britannica Concise: Complete
content of the Britannica Concise
Encyclopedia, 28,000 article, single-volume encyclopedia from the editors
of Encyclopædia Britannica. Britannica
Concise is included in the Vermont Online Library.
Encyclopaedia Britannica Online (free version): Brief versions of articles from the famous
scholarly encyclopedia. Includes links to fee-based information, may be
frustrating.
Encarta Encyclopedia
Article Center: Free abridged version of Encarta. Useful for quick facts, last minute
projects. Includes links to fee-based
information, may be frustrating.
Wikipedia: Encyclopedia created by volunteer writers
and editors. Wide range of interesting
articles, quality is not guaranteed.
Bullfinch's Mythology: “Age of Fable.” Text and illustrations. Also available, a similar site, Encyclopedia
Mythica, an encyclopedia on mythology, folklore and legend,
emphasizing mythology. Brief
entries, authorship may not be given.
Full-text searching.
Catholic
Encyclopedia: Full-text of 1913
edition of classic print source.
Jewish Virtual Library:
Covers some of the topics found in the classic print source, the Encyclopedia Judaica.
King James Bible: Full-text, searchable.
Virtual
Religion Index: Annotated directory of links to world religion
sites. Choose "confessional
agencies" for specific denominations and then use a “find” search.
American
factfinder: Comprehensive
statistics related to population, housing, economic and geographic data. Latest information from U.S. Census 2000.
Fedstats:
Statistics from 100 federal agencies.
A-Z index. If older statistics
are not available here, send request to DOL_ILL.
Statistical
Abstract of the United States:
Full-text of popular statistical tables in PDF format. Requires free Adobe Acrobat. Opening screen
lists contents by subject. Historical
statistics from colonial times to current.
Vermont
Statistics via the Center for Rural Studies: Statistics
from the U.S. Census for Vermont, including median income, population below
poverty level, population projections, employment by occupation. See the
section Vermont Indicators Online for summary data.
BUSINESS (including
non-profits)
Business and Company
Resource Center
included in the Vermont
Online Library.
GuideStar:
Directory of 700,000 U.S.
nonprofits with addresses, assets and links to web sites if available. Keyword searching. Advanced searching with subscription
fees. For overlapping listings, prefer
more current Foundation Finder.
Hoover's:
Profiles of very large companies, such as Green Mountain
Coffee Roasters or Ben and Jerry's, with annual reports, some financial info
and names of directors. Search by
company name or keyword. Greater
financial detail is available at $399.00/yr.
IRS.gov: Learn about electronic filing, download
tax forms.
Start a business:
Sponsored by the Vermont
Dept. of Economic Development. Permits
and regulations, tax documents, links to financial assistance.
Switchboard.com Yellow pages style listings for
businesses. Lists national businesses
first, followed by local businesses.
Vermont Business Magazine: Search by name of business, county or
topic. Minimal information. Greater depth with subscription fee.
Vermont
Business Registry: Directory of Vermont businesses by
town or type of business.
Careerbuilder.com: Want ads from U.S. newspapers as well as
directly from employers. Yahoo Hotjobs.com and Monster
Jobs have additional listings. Craig’s List works for Burlington only. Web sites for individual newspapers also
useful for classified ads.
Peterson's
College Search:
Detailed descriptions of colleges in outline or narrative format. Links to web sites of institutions. Search by name of institution, location,
major, tuition, size, GPA, sports. Collegeboard.com:
Comprehensive information. Interesting
searching for colleges with similar characteristics.
Occupational
Outlook Handbook: Full-text of 2006-07 book-length federal document. Descriptions of occupations with working
conditions, salaries, prospects and lists of sources for additional
information, including web links.
Salary
Calculator: Compare cost of living, including real estate and salaries between
cities you select. May not be
available.
Scholarships, Fellowships and Loans
(print source) included in the Vermont
Online Library.
Vermont Dept. of Labor’s Licensed Occupations: Directory of links to the state agency
responsible for each professional license, e.g. dental assistants, etc.
VSAC: Vermont Student Assistance Corporation’s
site with links to information on scholarships and loans as well as to the VSAC
library. VSAC library is also on
the Web2 multiple library search screen where you may request interlibrary
loans.
Consumer Price Index:
Federal government inflation
rate statistics. Used to calculate
child support payments, alimony, etc.
Go to Economic News Releases, Current, and use the HTML version. Next choose Consumer Price Index Summary.
Consumer
Reports: full-text articles in Vermont Online Library.
ConsumerSearch: Top-rated products in 13 categories including photo
and video, health and fitness, etc.
Comparison charts, background information.
eHow.com:
How-to for range of topics, computers to cooking.
Kelley Blue
Book: Trade in and market prices for used cars. Search by year, make,
model, accessories, condition, mileage and zip code of owner. NADAguides.com: Pricing for
cars, motorcycles, boats, rv’s and manufactured homes. Used by dealers.
Vermont Housing Data: Statistics, arranged by city or town, for housing demand, costs of
homeownership and rental housing.
Includes historical data. Also
a Vermont
directory of affordable rental housing, subsidized housing, a calculator for
mortgage payments, a glossary of housing terms and more.
Governments on the WWW: Directory of official sites for national governments
agencies, political parties, courts, embassies and consulates for more than
220 countries and territories. Nations of the World:
Library of Congress site with links to information about international
governments plus the World Factbook, Country Studies and Human Rights
reports. World
Factbook: Produced by the CIA,
with clearly outlined directory and statistical information in a consistent
and convenient format for all countries of the world. Updated throughout the year. Print available, $39.95, but web version is
complete and easy. Included in the Vermont Online
Library.
USA.gov: All in one site for federal government
information with links to websites for individual agencies. Congressional Directory:
Full-text. Use "Browse" as a table of contents. Directory is in text file or PDF
(publication-quality format) requiring download of Adobe Acrobat Reader
software. Complex results with keyword
searching. United States Government Manual: Full-text.
Use "Browse" as a table of contents. Manual is in text file and PDF
(publication-quality format) requiring download of Adobe Acrobat Reader
software. Complex results with keyword
searching.
Top
Vermont.gov: Links to the websites for each
agency in Vermont
state government. Vermont Legislative Directory: Full-text biographical
sketches with email addresses, committees.
Vermont State Government Directory with address, phone,
fax, email for executive branch employees.
Guide to Vermont’s town clerks, treasurers
and county clerks: Published by the Vermont Secretary of
State. Directory of town
officials. Includes town copying
fees.
American
Law Sources On-Line: Links to free sources of U.S. and Canadian
state and federal constitutions, laws, court rules and legal forms.
Findlaw:
Links to many sources of legal information. Choose "cases and
codes" for court cases and laws, federal and state. “Find Lawyer” for
directory of attorneys.
Renting
in Vermont: Full-text. Link on left. Links from table of contents to sections
and subsections, but no keyword searching.
Use “Find” search.
Vermont Pro Se Center:
Information on Small Claims
Court, administering estates, municipal
ordinance violations, divorce/child support, traffic tickets and jury duty.
Vermont Statutes:
Full-text of current Vermont
laws. Use statutes by titles in center
of screen to search by title or section number. Use “official version” at Michie's Legal Resources for keyword
searching. Print version in town
clerks’ offices, larger libraries.
LANGUAGE
Acronyms, Initialisms and Abbreviations: Included in the Vermont Online Library.
AF: Acronym Finder:
Dictionary of acronyms, abbreviations and initialisms.
American
Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: Full-text
of 4th edition, 2002. No browsing,
search only by single words. Search
entry words or full-text. 90,000
words, 70,000 audio pronunciations and 900 color illustrations. Included in the Vermont Online Library.
AskOxford.com: Content from the Compact Oxford English Dictionary of Current
English. Choose “English
dictionary” in drop down search menu.
Merriam-Webster's
Collegiate Dictionary: Full-text
of 10th edition, 1995. No browsing,
search by individual words. New words
from 11th edition not included at this web site, but included in the Vermont
Online Library. Links to entries for same word in Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Thesaurus also 1995 edition.
OneLook Dictionaries: Index of 750 dictionaries with four million
words including subject dictionaries and foreign languages, “from banjo terms
to wine glossaries.” Search entire
database or select individual titles.
Online Etymology Dictionary: Explanations of what selected words meant
in the past. Limited but interesting.
Pseudodictionary: (with words
used in sentence) or Word spy
(with dated sources, including newspapers).
Words not yet found in a dictionary.
Roget's
II: Full-text of 3rd edition, 1995.
Classic thesaurus. Also included in the Vermont Online
Library.
Roget's
International Thesaurus: 1922 edition.
Top
Babel
Fish: Translates any text or web
site from English to Dutch, French, German, Greek, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish,
Japanese, Korean or Chinese and reverse, plus numerous other combinations. Similar, although with fewer combinations of
languages, FreeTranslation.com.
Logos Dictionary: 7.5 million words in dozens of
languages. Search by phrase or single
word. Other possibilities are Language Dictionaries and
Translators and
Eurodicautom.
All about Birds: Comprehensive. “Bird guide” contains in-depth
descriptions with color photographs, sound, video, and distribution
maps. From Cornell University
and the National Science Foundation.
Eight
Planets: Astronomy and
space travel. Beautifully illustrated
and fun to use. Comprehensive
coverage. NASA, National Aeronautics and Space
Administration site with space travel,
ozone and earth science topics plus history of flight.
Eric Weisstein’s World of Science: Scholarly explanations of math, physics,
chemistry and astronomy with biographies of scientists.
Fear of Physics: Easy access to straightforward explanations
of basic concepts, e.g. gravity, acceleration, pendulums, etc.
Also, Physics and Astronomy Reference: Fundamentals plus biographies of Nobel and
Bruce Medal winners.
Firstgov.gov Science
and Technology: Comprehensive
index to quality sites. Each site is
independent and may take time to explore.
Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia. Gale Co., included in the Vermont Online Library.
Life Science
Dictionary: Information on
thousands of life science terms.
Several dozen scientists from a variety of U.S. academic institutions
support this resource.
NOAA: National Oceanographic and Atmospheric
Administration site covering current weather, climate, fisheries, oceans and
costal topics.
North American Mammals: From the Smithsonian. Describes 400 mammals, includes
pictures. Search by geographic area,
scientific or common name, conservation status. Additional photos at United States Fish and Wildlife Service Digital
Library System although the Northeast Image Library is disappointing.
Plants Database: From the U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. Scientific descriptions, beautiful color
photos. Not a gardening guide.
TECHNOLOGY and VETERINARY MEDICINE
Boston
Cooking School Cook Book (Fanny Farmer): Full 1918 edition. AllRecipes, Recipe
Source, GourmetSpot, Epicurious
Car and Truck Repair Information: Explains
how vehicle parts work, how they fail and gives approximate cost of repairs.
Care for Pets: American
Veterinary Medical Association site for animal medicine, concentrating on
dogs, cats and horses. "Selecting
a proper pet" includes birds and other caged pets. Try the Merck Veterinary Manual, 9th ed. for additional free,
full-text information. Another
possibility, Dogster's
Breed Home Page, has brief descriptions with photos.
How Products are Made: from
accordion to zirconium. Content from
the Thomson Gale print product.
HowStuffWorks: Illustrated tours of appliances, gadgets, brand
name products. From Christmas to DNA
to caffeine. Knowledge
Hound: the How-to Hunter Directory of free how-tos, browsable by
subject. Useful despite some dead
links. RepairClinic.com For a dozen
household appliances, with free diagrams and repair instruction, links to
sources of parts for purchase. E-how Instructions are easy to understand and
follow. From playing a kazoo to fixing
a car.
Mother Earth News Article Archive: Full-text
1970-2004 issues including illustrations.
How-tos of all sorts, emphasizing organic, back-to-the land.
TechEncyclopedia:
Clear definitions of terms related to computers and technology.
USDA Consumers: Gardening: Many useful gardening resources, including
organic vegetable gardening and plant hardiness zones. Requires browsing. American
Garden Museum
Images of gardens throughout the U.S. with details of garden
design and garden flowers. Newly
established, limited content. Botany, the encyclopedia of plants and
gardening Description and cultivation for selected
plants of all types, including flowers, trees, shrubs. Commercial.
HEALTH
Best Hospitals, 2006: U.S.
News and World Report’s compilation of rankings for U.S. hospitals by patient’s
medical condition and treatments.
Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention: Articles on diseases and chronic conditions
with statistics. Information for
travelers.
FamilyDoctor.org: Sponsored by the American Academy
of Family Physicians. Regularly
reviewed and updated by Academy physicians and patient education staff. Full-text of complete book, easy to
navigate, uniform format.
Health and Wellness Resource Center and
Alternative Health Module included in the Vermont
Online Library.
KidsHealth:
Content divided between information directed at parents and at
children.
Mayo
Clinic: Excellent reliable information in easy-to-read
format with many visuals and graphics.
Wide range of topics. Drug information including images,
similar to PDRHealth
(below)
National
Institutes of Health sites:
National Cancer Institute:
A highly regarded source of answers on wide range of related
topics.
National Center for Complementary and
Alternative Medicine: Objective, evidence-based information about
complementary and alternative medicine.
National Institute of Mental Health:
Comprehensive and aimed at the public.
NIHSeniorHealth.gov:
Information on health problems, fitness, taking medicine correctly and
Medicare. Users may adjust type size
and contrast. Includes audio version.
National Library of Medicine sites:
MedTerms Medical Dictionary, another medical dictionary, includes some
commercial links, but contains lay person-friendly definitions from the Webster’s New World Medical Dictionary.
Go Local Vermont for Vermont doctors,
hospitals and medical services.
NutritionSource: Harvard School of Public Health. Lengthy, but clearly written articles on
topics of common interest, e.g. calcium, fiber, etc. Another option, What to eat, is a companion to the excellent book on
nutrition by Marion Nestle.
Our Bodies Ourselves: Companion
to the classic book, not full-text of book.
Current news and links to other web sites. Go to “Browse topic index” on left or
search by your own choice of topic.
PDRHealth: Free information about diseases
and drugs. Not as extensive as print
version. RXList:
internet drug index Another
source, recommended by the American Library Association, for free information
about drugs.
PubMed:
MEDLINE medical periodical index with citations and some brief abstracts.
Links to selected full-text articles.
Obtain others via interlibrary loan. Search by topic, author or
journal title. Use “limits” for
advanced searching.
Vermont
Dept. of Health website: Dept.
rules and regulations, programs and updates on public health concerns. For information on all topics covered,
choose “Contents, A to Z” link in left column.
YourSurgery.com: Explains surgical procedures, patient
preparation, recovery, possible complications and treatment
alternatives. Graphics are
excellent. Some free information. $5.00 per session or $100/yr for in depth
information.
ARTS
Artcyclopedia: Search or
browse by artists’ name, title of work, museum, historical period or
movement. Art and Culture for biographies of
performing and visual artists, writers.
Essays on arts movements, links to related resources. Metropolitan Museum of Art's
Timeline of Art History with illustrations from the Museum’s
collections. SIRIS Art Inventories with 360,000 records describing
American paintings executed before 1914 and American sculpture through the
20th century. No images of the art
works. Search by keyword, artist, title, subject, object type or owner. World Wide Arts Resources has links to sites for artists,
museums, arts education, dance. The
“Art History” database is searchable by artist with links to color
reproductions of artwork. Commercial
site.
Costumer’s
Manifesto: Commercial site with uneven quality, but
plenty to offer. Use “(Costume)
History sorted by period” for images and sewing patterns.
Dance Style Locator: Illustrated descriptions of world dance
styles.
Instrument Encyclopedia: Selection of interesting instruments, does
not include some common ones.
LyricsWiki:
240,000 entries, 1930 to date.
Mostly current pop bands.
Search by artist (first name for individuals or first word of band
name), album title or song title. Allmusic.com contains
biographies of musicians and others in the music business, directory of
albums, links to song audios. For
additional listings of albums, use CastAlbumDB.com,
an index to over 28,000 songs in over 3200 Broadway musicals. For each musical, browse song titles and
names of cast members. SongFacts.com has more song lyrics.
Music History 102:
Essay on famous Western composers and their music from the Middle Ages
to the present with links to additional information.
Virginia Tech Multimedia Music Dictionary:
Thorough coverage and depth, cross reference links within definitions
Top
Encyclopedia
of Television: No current
programming, but easy to use and thorough for selected older shows, e.g Lassie,
Leave it to Beaver. Also TV.com for current and classic shows,
including cast and crew members.
Internet
Movie Database: Less sophisticated
than print, but broad range of titles.
Inconsistent reviews. Movies
listed with full casts and crews.
Links from names to biographies, filmographies. Search by title,
performer or crew member. Some television
shows and television performers also listed.
Metacritic is similar,
includes recorded music and games.
Also useful, the New York Times
Movie Review Archive. Greatest Films also includes
film history, although a commercial site.
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