Encyclopedias

If you need basic information on a topic, or just like to learn new things, check out the encyclopedias listed here.

Resources in this category:

The American Presidency
http://ap.grolier.com/

Look through several encyclopedias and online features with information about the Presidents, First Ladies, and Vice Presidents of the United States. You can read a short biography and see a picture of each person. For some Presidents, you can listen to actual recordings of their speeches.

The Britannica Concise
http://concise.britannica.com/

This free short-entry encyclopedia does not have as much content as the full Encyclopaedia Britannica (it's based on the one-volume printed Merriam-Webster Collegiate Encylopedia), but it does offer a searchable and browsable collection of more than 25,000 entries on a variety of topics. Plus, it's free!

Encarta Online Encyclopedia
http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/artcenter.aspx

An online version of Microsoft's Encarta Encyclopedia.

Encyclopedia.com
http://www.encyclopedia.com/

The Concise Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, is on the web and available for you to use! Look up anything on any topic you can think of -- the Encyclopedia is bound to have an answer.

Fact Monster: Online Almanac, Dictionary, Encyclopedia, and Homework Help
http://www.factmonster.com/

Fact Monster is a reference center that is searchable by keyword or subject. The site is colorful, eyecatching, and easy to use. Included are instructions for citing the site and a Homework Center section.

Infoplease: All the Knowledge You Need
http://www.infoplease.com/

All-in-one encyclopedia, almanac, dictionary, thesaurus, atlas, and biography reference! Contains brief information on the people, places, things and events in our world, from sports to science, countries to holidays, and just about everything in between.

Instrument Encyclopedia
http://www.si.umich.edu/chico/instrument/

A symphony of sight and sound. More than 140 instruments from around the world to see and hear. For students grade 6 and up.

Yahoo! Kids: Maps, Flags and Country Facts in the World Factbook
http://kids.yahoo.com/reference/world-factbook

"World Factbook contains info on all the countries of the world, including maps, pictures of flags, statistics, and info on each country's history, land, people, government and money system."

Zoobooks - The Encyclopedia of Animals
http://www.zoobooks.com/

This site is from the animal magazine, Zoobooks, but you can enjoy it without a subscription. Find out tons of information about your favorite animals, like what and how they hunt, where they live, even what they sound like! There are also fun games and activities.