Ready Reference

 

Merriam-Webster OnLine

This site includes the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary and Thesaurus plus links to 1,800 dictionaries in 230 languages. The site also includes information on American writers plus "Word of the Day" and word games.

Common Errors in English

This site deals with usage problems in English. As the site says, "You have the right to express yourself in any manner you please, but if you wish to communicate effectively, you should use nonstandard English only when you intend to not when you fall into it.

CIA World Factbook

These profiles of the countries of the world include a map of the country along with information on the geography, history, climate, environment, health and literacy, government, economy, and infrastructure, as well as political and transnational issues.

Chiefs of State

This site provides information on the heads of state and their cabinet members. It even includes some governments that are not officially recognized by the United States. The CIA updates this information every week, so it is very current.

Occupational Outlook Handbook

The "handbook describes what workers do on the job, working conditions, the training and education needed, earnings, and expected job prospects in a wide range of occupations."

 

Science

 

Physics Laboratory

This site from the National Institute of Standards and Technology includes many databases relating to the study of physics.

HowStuffWorks - Learn how Everything Works!

The title says it all. The professor who created this site describes it "as a call-in program that's being held on the WWW instead of the radio. Past questions and answers are searchable by date, topic, and keyword."

Periodic Table

"This was the first periodic table on the WWW. It aims to be a high quality source of information...relating to the periodic table... It is updated frequently; it even includes elements 113, 115 and 117 which are not known but are expected.

 

Statistics

 

Crime Statistics

Statistics on crime from the U. S. Department of Justice, the National Clearinghouse for Criminal Justice Information Systems and more.

FedStats

A gateway to statistics from over 100 U. S. Federal agencies. It can be searched by geographical region or by agency.

Bureau of Labor Statistics

This site includes information from the federal government on consumer spending, employment, industries, safety and health issues related to the workplace and much more. Go there to get the Consumer Price Index or to use the inflation calculator.

United States Economy at a Glance

This is a page from the Bureau of Labor Statistics which tracks eight segments of the U. S. economy month by month. The segments include unemployment, productivity and consumer price index.

Statistical Abstract of the United States

A compilation of statistics on social, political and economic aspects of the United States. Some of the topics include Health and Nutrition, Education, Elections and National Defense and Veterans Affairs.

 

History

 

Ad*Access

This site presents images from over 7,000 advertisements printed in U. S. and Canadian newspapers and magazines between 1911 and 1955.

American Memory

"American Memory is a gateway to rich primary source materials relating to the history and culture of the United States. The site offers more than 7 million digital items from more than 100 hisorical collections" at the Library of Congress.

 

 

Indexes to the Internet

 

Librarians' Index to the Internet

This site was "created by librarian's for librarians and the general public." It is maintained by volunteer librarians "who look for free, primarily noncommercial sources of current, accurate, and, if possible, unique information about a subject."