Reference

Reference includes basic research tools such as almanacs, dictionaries and encyclopedias.

Sub-headings:

Almanacs

Annual publications offering lists, charts, and tables of information on various topics.

Associations & Organizations

Directories of associations and non-profit organizations.

Biographies

Accounts of persons' lives written by another.

Calculation & Conversion Tools

Websites that assist with mathematical calculations, including online calculators and conversion dictionaries and tables.

Calendars

The organization and record of the passing of days or time. Also include are topical and audience-specific calendars, such as religious and cultural calendars.

Census Data & Demographics

Information from official and non-official periodic enumeration of the U.S. and other populations, including related demographic data and reports.

Dictionaries

General works containing alphabetical lists, with information given for each term.

Encyclopedias

Comprehensive, authoritative works containing articles on a wide range of subjects.

Experts & How-To

Ask questions, follow step-by-step instructions, or learn from online tutorials in all kinds of subjects by using these sites.

Genealogy

Information helpful in finding and/or interpreting records of the descent of a person, family, or group from an ancestor or ancestors.

Geography

Information on the earth, its features, the distribution of life, and political boundaries.

German Ready Reference Collection

A collection of ready reference materials in German (with German & English descriptions of the resources).

Grammars

Use this sites to explore foreign language grammar, usage, and vocabulary.

Italian Ready Reference

Quick answers to factual questions using standard sources (dictionaries, almanacs, encyclopedias) in Italian.

News & Current Events

Information about recent events and happenings.

Periodical Directories

Directories to periodicals, serials, journals, magazines, newspapers, newsletters, etc.

Quotations

Resources to help identify quotations or find interesting quotations.

Search Engines

Provides listings of links to the major search engines and metasearchengines. Search engines should NOT be considered authoritative sources of reference information; however, used properly and knowledgeably, they can help find trustworthy sites for information on many topics.

Style and Writing Guides

Resources for proper grammatical usage, citation formats, or paper writing.

Telephone and Address

Directories on the Web listing telephone, fax numbers, street addresses and e-mail addresses for people and businesses.

Thesauruses or Thesauri

Resources that aid in the choosing of a word by listing the synonyms or antonyms for words and/or distinguishing the difference between words that have similar meaning.

Time & Weather

The current time, conversion to different timezones, and weather forecasts.

Trivia

Here are sites to answer "just curious" trivia questions, participate in trivia message boards, or even submit your own questions.

Web Directories

Navigable, indexed lists of web sites arranged by any of a variety of subject classifications.

Resources in this category:

Chronological Bibliography of Science Fiction History, Theory, and Criticism
http://www.depauw.edu/sfs/biblio.htm

Chronological Bibliography of Science Fiction History, Theory, and Criticism The following bibliography of science fiction criticism does not claim to be exhaustive. It does, however, gather together a large number of critical materials on sf that the editors of SFS deem to be important, influential, or historically noteworthy. We have listed the entries in chronological order since such a format, we feel, affords a useful glimpse of the evolution of sf criticism from 1634 to the present. In those cases where items listed on the bibliography have either been reviewed in SFS or featured in our Documents in the History of SF series, we have inserted links to the relevant pages.

Academic Info
http://www.academicinfo.net/

"Academic Info is an annotated subject directory that aims to be the premier educational gateway to online college and research level Internet resources. Even though the target audience is the college and university community, the subject guides will prove useful to high school and general users as well." A comprehensive resource that includes arts, humanities, sciences, reference, area studies, business, education, law & government, health & medicine, social sciences, digital libraries, library and information science, and job placement resources.

ACRL: Science fiction and fantasy: A guide to resources on the Web
http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlpubs/crlnews/backissues2002/...

Given the popular nature of science fiction and fantasy (SFF), there are millions of sites on the Internet dedicated to specific creators, genres, movements, history, scholarship, and fandom surrounding fiction, films, games, and television. The plethora of Web pages is problematic for the user, which makes having a guide useful. Selection of sites in this listing was based on usefulness (as in omnibus sites) and on authority (the accuracy of the material and the expertise of the source). An effort has been made to include sources that are available without a subscription and with unrestricted access.

Answers.com - Answer Library
http://www.answers.com/main/what_content.jsp

Subject-categorized directory to all of the free almanacs, atlases, biographies, dictionaries, encyclopedias and other reference works available from Answers.com. Be advised that the IPL does not consider entries or information from Wikipedia, WikiAnswers, or Answers.com's User Contribution section to be reliable sources of information.

Bloomsbury Magazine Research Centre
http://www.bloomsburymagazine.com/ARC/Arc_home.asp

The Bloomsbury Research Centre is a free online database of reference books (that Bloomsbury publishes) with over 17,000 entries. Resources include the Dictionary of English Literature, Biographical Quotations, Bloomsbury Thematic Quotations, Myth, the Good Word Guide, the Guide to Art, a thesaurus, and the Guide To Human Thought. Searching is through a simple keyword box. Results are listed in pages of twenty with an excerpt of the entry found, source, and a link to the complete entry. Search terms in the complete entry are highlighted in red.

Classification of Living Things
http://anthro.palomar.edu/animal/

Tutorial on the Linnaean system of classification used in the biological sciences to describe and categorize all living things. Using a human-centered approach, the site offers a wealth of information including discussions on the principles of classification, glossary of terms and a table of the five kingdoms. Also provides links to other anthropology tutorials.

Dart Center for Journalism & Trauma
http://www.dartcenter.org/

"The Dart Center is a global network of journalists, journalism educators, and health professionals dedicated to improving media coverage of trauma, conflict, and tragedy." Provides journalists resources for dealing with trauma, both professionally and personally, and information about trauma research.

Deep Blue at the University of Michigan
http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/index.jsp

"Deep Blue is the University of Michigan's permanent, safe, and accessible service for representing [the university's] rich intellectual community." Provides access to many free text articles (usually PDFs) and other items of scholarly research. Subject categorized, searchable, and browseable.

Extrapolated Barcode Specs
http://www.spatula.net/proc/barcode/index.src

Description and specification for popular barcode types, including UPC, postal, and code 3 of 9, with illustrations and example CGI generators. Includes links to further Internet resources.

Feminist Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Utopia.
http://feministsf.org/

This site is essentially a complex bibliography that lists and cites and describes science fiction & critical works from a feminist perspective. Plots may be described in whole, including details that would constitute a "spoiler" for some people. Works that are already complete are reviewed, discussed, and described, and consequently there are spoilers.

FindArticles.com
http://findarticles.com/

This intensive archive contains articles dating back to 1984 from several hundred magazines and journals. Search for articles by topic: Arts & Entertainment, Automotive, Business & Finance, Computers & Technology, Health & Fitness, Home & Garden, News & Society, Reference & Education, and Sports.

General Library
http://www.generallibrary.com/

This is a reference site that provides information on a wide variety of subject areas.

The Heron Collection of Speculative Fiction
http://spec.lib.vt.edu/spfic/

The University Libraries' Digital Library and Archives at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University acquired its speculative fiction collection through a combination of purchase and donation from William J. Heron, a private collector from North Carolina. The magazines and reference books were acquired in 1989 and 1990, with the balance of the collection acquired in 1994. All currently available items are listed in the University Libraries' online catalog system

How to Use the Dewey Decimal System
http://www.monroe.lib.in.us/childrens/ddchow.html

Here is a brief overview of the ten Dewey Decimal categories and what type of books you would find in each of the categories.

INFOMINE: Scholarly Internet Resource Collections
http://infomine.ucr.edu/

INFOMINE is a virtual library holding a collection of thousands of annotated and indexed links to important university-level research and educational tools on the Internet. Links are divided in a variety of subjects, which can be browsed or searched by keyword. Subjects include social sciences and humanities, instructional resources, visual and performing arts, sciences, the Internet, and government information.

Internet Speculative Fiction Database
http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/index.cgi

The ISFDB is a community effort to catalog works of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. It links together various types of bibliographic data: author bibliographies, publication bibliographies, award listings, magazine content listings, anthology and collection content listings, and forthcoming books.

iTools
http://www.iTools.com/

Quick way to access a number of different types of Internet resources. Its "Search Tools" section offers different types of web searches, while the "Language Tools" let you look-up words or translate them, and the "Research Tools" offer quick fact lookup options.

Librarians' Internet Index
http://lii.org/

A searchable and annotated directory of close to 20,000 Internet resources covering a wide range of subjects. The items in the directory are selected, evaluated, and maintained by a team of librarians.

Morse Code and the Phonetic Alphabets
http://www.soton.ac.uk/~scp93ch/morse/

Table showing the morse code and various phonetics for the alphabet.

Mundo Latino
http://www.mundolatino.org/

One of the first Web sites created that is entirely in Spanish. Maintained by writers, journalists, artists, and investigators in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Spain, United States, Holland, Mexico and Venezuela. Selection of the best Web sites in Spanish. Links to hundreds of Spanish language news sources, chat rooms, and educational sites.

NoodleTools
http://www.noodletools.com/

NoodleTools provides bibliographic tools, software, and instruction methodologies for students and teachers. Of the tools provided, only the MLA Starter for grades 1-5 is available for free; it provides a fill-in-the-blank aid to help students formulate MLA entries that can be cut-and-pasted into their answers. The website also has links to bibliographies written by researchers, a section that guides you into choosing the best search engine based on the information you have, and other resources for teachers.

Public Libraries
http://www.publiclibraries.com/

This site offers a comprehensive directory of web sites of public libraries around the world, and allows authors to post information about books they publish. A great place to find libraries and new books.

Refdesk.com
http://www.refdesk.com/

"Refdesk is only about indexing quality Internet sites and assisting visitors in navigating these sites." By providing reference resources, such as virtual encyclopedias, as well as search opitions and indexes for many subject areas, Refdesk is a comprehensive source for information.

Speculative Literature Foundation
http://www.speculativeliterature.org/

This organization aims to promote literary quality in speculative fiction, by encouraging promising new writers, assisting established writers, facilitating the work of quality magazines and small presses in the genre, and developing a greater public appreciation of speculative fiction.

technovelgy.com; where science meets fiction
http://www.technovelgy.com/

Explore the inventions and ideas of science fiction writers at Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) - over 1,440 are available. Use the Timeline of Science Fiction Invention or the alphabetic Glossary of Science Fiction Technology to see them all, look for the category that interests you, or browse by favorite author / book. Browse more than 1,340 Science Fiction in the News and Beyond Technovelgy articles.

Test and Evaluation Acronyms, Abbreviations, and Definitions with Personal Computer (PC) Annex
http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/jel/doddict/acronym_index.html

Very large file (nearly 1MB) of US miltary abbreviations and acronyms with their expansions.

The Science Fiction Foundation
http://www.sf-foundation.org/index.html

Our aim is to promote science fiction and bring together those who read, write, study, teach, research or archive science fiction in Britain and the rest of the world. We also want to support science fiction, at conventions, at conferences and at other events which bring those interested in science fiction together.

University of Michigan Fantasy and Science Fiction Website
http://www.umich.edu/~umfandsf/

These pages are dedicated to assisting scholars of all types all over the world. We are constantly striving to provide an extensive and useful location for all types of information and tools that will help us study fantasy and science fiction.

WebExhibits
http://webexhibits.org/

"WebExhibits helps you find high quality exhibits on the internet" and focuses on illustrated educational exhibits, not just references." Exhibit sites range in subject from the ancient world to science and technology, and from the creative arts to health and medicine. All exhibits are easily indexed.