Ready Reference
To Use or Not to Use Wikipedia that is the Question
How can Wikipedia be credible and reliable when anyone can edit? Should we point students to it as a reference source? In a recent LM_Net discussion, a member suggested that Wikipedia could be used in the context of information literacy. He provided an excellent example of how to use it with students to teach them to critically look at the encyclopedia articles, make editing recommendations, and present them to the editorial staff. In other words, let students discover whether or not the articles are credible and reliable by having them look at other sources and verify the information.
- Almanacs
- Encyclopedias
- Calendars and Time
- Government
- Conversion Programs
- Historical Documents
- Dictionaries, Thesauri, & Quotations
- Maps
- Directories
- Statistics
Handy Reference Tools
Build an Online reference collection for finding quick facts. Create your resources so they are geared toward teaching or meeting information literacy standards. Some sites offer free access to their databases while others such as encyclopedia publishers charge subscription fees. Many schools are forming consortiums to defray the costs for these pay as you go services. An excellent example is InfOhio. This core collection of electronic resources, including titles such as Britannica Online, EBSCO Host, Newsbank, Sirs Discoverer, and more is free to all of Ohio's K-12 students and teachers.
Almanacs
The World Fact Book, published annually by the Central Intelligence Agency, provides information about countries around the world, including population, maps, flags, and other statistical data. The section on Chiefs of State and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments is updated on a weekly basis. In addition, you can download The World Fact Book to your personal computer for free.
Fact Monster provides loads of features targeted to students. Students will find the on-line dictionary, encyclopedia, maps, and homework center easy to use. The print and citation page tools make it easy to print and cite an article. Daily offerings include, today in history, today’s birthday, word quiz, spelling bee, and in the news. There is also a weekly poll on a relevant topic of interest to kids. Fact Monster will be a popular destination for students.
Encyclopedias
- Britannica Online
Preview articles, browse topics, and review timelines from the free areas of the Encyclopedia Britannica. One nice feature listed at the end of the article is the citation in MLA, APA, and Britannica Style formats. On the front page of the online school edition site is a biography of the day, this day in history, and Britannica highlights. See the Website for pricing information.
- Columbia Encyclopedia
The Columbia Encyclopedia originated in the 1920s and was large one volume reference guide for home use. Over 51,000 concise articles are included from the sixth edition of the Columbia Encyclopedia published in 2001 and updated in November 2004. Searching the encyclopedia can be accomplished by using full text or entry words or you can browse and locate information by perusing different categories, including a special section of biographies.
- Encarta
Microsoft Encarta was a digital encyclopedia that was part of a larger software suite called Microsoft Student, which was created in the early 1990s and used CD-ROMs to store information.
- Encyclopedia.Com
Encyclopedia.Com has over 17,000 short entries from the Concise Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia with premium services available for a fee.
- Encyclopedia Mythica
This is an encyclopedia on mythology, folklore, legends, and more. It contains over 5100 definitions of gods and goddesses, supernatural beings and legendary creatures and monsters from all over the world.
- World Book Encyclopedia
World Book is subscription only. There are no freebies on the site. Once you subscribe, you have access to the articles from the 22-volume print set, plus up-to-date information. In addition, there are more than 9,500 pictures and maps, 115 videos and animations, 9,300 sounds, 129 panoramic 360° views, and more than 100 simulated historic Web sites. Visit the Website for pricing information.
Calendars and Time
This guide attempts to list all of the world's countries, and many of its islands, with a pointer to the local time in the region.
Conversion Programs, Weights and Measures
How much do you weigh on Mars? How many square feet make up an acre? How many days are left in the year? This mega tool converts and calculates weights, measures, and units. The site also has a scientific calculator that performs practically any common function and many uncommon functions. Conversions are a snap with an easy to use interactive dial.
Dictionaries, Thesauri, and Quotations
- Bartleby
Begin with the quote of the day. Then, search over 87,000 quotations from a variety of both classic and contemporary sources. In addition to quotations, you will be pleasantly surprised to discover the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language with audio pronunciations plus the 1922 and 1995 editions of Roget’s Thesaurus.
- Internet Picture Dictionary
The Internet Picture Dictionary is a completely free, online multilingual picture dictionary designed especially for ESL students and beginning English, French, German, Spanish and Italian language learners of all ages.
- A Maths Dictionary for Kids
An Australian primary teacher needed a reference resource for her students. In her quest to meet that need, she learned Flash and created a dictionary that is animated, interactive, and allows students to practice. Click on "billion" and discover that you have 10 billion brain cells working for you right now. Roll your mouse over the world time zone chart and you instantly know the time for that part of the world. Over 500 terms are explained in simple language. Every math teacher should bookmark this Web site.
- Merriam-Webster Dictionary and Thesaurus
Older students who need to look-up words or find synonyms online can visit the Merriam –Webster Dictionary and Thesaurus site. It offers a choice between searching the dictionary or thesaurus. Younger kids can check out the student dictionary at the Word Center, build their own dictionary, or create a poem. Students using the Firefox browser can add a side bar, lookup button, or search plug-ins.
- yourDictionary
Features include definitions, pronunciations, translations, word of the day, and activities for increasing vocabulary. There is a specialty glossary with over fifty categories of subjects. Translate foreign languages or visit the multilingual library. Enter the game room and find crossword puzzles, encryptions, fill-in puzzles, word jingles, and semantic scramblers. Write you name in fourteen different languages. The educational services section offers essays from leading linguists about word histories. This is and excellent reference site to add to your bookmarks.
Directories
Search for 800 and 888 numbers throughout the country.
Look-up zip+4 code information.
Government
- 50 States of the United States
Brief information about each state.
- All of the Washington D.C. Embassies
Street address, phone and fax numbers are provided along with any Web links.
- FirstGov
FirstGov.gov, the official U.S. gateway to all government information, is the catalyst for a growing electronic government. Our work transcends the traditional boundaries of government and our vision is global - connecting the world to all U.S. government information and services.
- Flags of All Countries
This site has been on the Web for several years and offers images of country flags.
- Thomas Legislative Information on the Internet
Follow the legislative process of current bills in Congress, learn about how a bill becomes a law, or find information about government.
- Rulers
This site contains lists of heads of state and heads of government (and, in certain cases, de facto leaders who don't occupy either of those formal positions) of all countries and territories, usually going back to at least 1900.
- United Nations
Information about the United Nations and its programs.
- U.S. House of Representatives
Tour the U.S. House of Representatives and find information about current members.
- U.S. Senate
Tour the U.S. Senate and find information about current members.
- White House
On the White House web server, you can listen to messages from the President and Vice-President, learn about the First Family, leave a message for the White House, and link to other government servers.
Historical Documents
- American Memory
The Library of Congress has prepared an exhibit with representative papers of many historical figures from presidents to women suffragettes.
- National Archives
The National Archives provides and online exhibit, The Charters of Freedom, that include the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.
Maps
- Color Landform Atlas of the United States
The Color Landform Atlas of the United States supplies a topographic and county outline map for each state except Alaska and Hawaii.
- Google Maps
View a satellite image of your house by typing your address in the search box. This aerial representation in Google Maps gives you with a sense of the topography and population density of the location. This would be a great tool to use in a geography lesson.
- How Far Is It?
This service uses data from the US Census and a supplementary list of cities around the world to find 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, using the Xerox PARC Map Server.
- MapQuest
Create your own travel map or pinpoint locations using MapQuest. The zoom and pan features allow you to follow streets and county roads from one place to another. This is very handy, especially in rural areas. Printing maps is simple, just click on the print button. You will receive directions and several maps for navigation.
- Perry-Castñeda Library Map Collection
Hundreds of maps are available from the University of Texas at Austin, which houses the Perry-Castañeda Library (PCL) collection, a good source for contemporary and historical material. Since the PCL maps have no copyright, they can be downloaded and used for any purpose.
Statistics
- Population Clocks
Find out the current U.S. or World populations at this Website.
- FedStats
FedStats is a gateway to statistics from over 100 U.S. federal agencies. Browse more than 400 topics, search by key word or phrase, generate a profile for your State, county or federal district, and link to agencies and program summaries. This is a good starting point for finding data and facts.
- U.S. Census Bureau
Find out the current U.S. or World populations. Search for demographic records about your community. Read the latest news about national trends. The U.S. Census Bureau provides a wealth of data about the people and the economy of the United States and supplies information on topics such as poverty, genealogy, and housing. Click on Kids’ Corner for easy to read statistical facts about each state. Quizzes on population, housing employment, income, and American social characteristics help students to think about and analyze statistics. Kids’ Corner is a great resource for incorporating statistics into social studies or math classroom. Rounding out the site is a section for teachers with lessons and a very intriguing item in the reference materials titled Facts for Features that highlights little known tidbits of data collected by the Census Bureau.
Ask a Librarian
Through Government Information Online (GIO) you can ask government information librarians who are experts at finding information from government agencies of all levels (local, state, regional, national international) on almost any subject. Chat or Email
Reference Librarians provide assistance with using the digital collections and assistance with searching the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Email or Chat
Contact them about any government question you have. Phone and Chat are available weekdays between 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM Eastern Time except federal holidays. E-mail anytime.