A Journal of the Canadian Association for School Libraries

 

Reference Sources on the Web

SLIC SOURCES

The SOURCES issue of School Libraries in Canada (SLIC) provides a compilation of useful sources of information for teachers and teacher-librarians.

Issue Contents

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Acronyms

Acronym Server
http://www.ucc.ie/cgi-bin/uncgi/acronym
This is a useful site, but it won't find everything. For example, the server will find the words represented by CLA and AASL.

Conversion Tables


Interactive Units Converter
http://www.convert-me.com/en/
Here you will find interactive calculators for many measurement systems.

Measure for Measure

http://www.wolinskyweb.net/
measure.htm

"A collection of interactive sites on the Web that estimate, calculate, translate, etc." Just about anything you want to convert can be done here, except converting apples to oranges. This site includes everything from a percent calculator to a graphing Vector calculator. Interesting health calculators include activity calorie calculator, body fat estimator, blood alcohol content calculator, etc.

Online Conversion

http://www.onlineconversion.com/
"Convert just about anything to anything else. Over 5,000 units and 50,000 conversions."

Currency Converters

Universal Currency Converter
http://www.xe.net/ucc/

Dictionaries
Hyperdictionary

http://www.hyperdictionary.com/
This site has a number of dictionaries cross-referenced together. You get definitions for one word from several dictionaries at one time.

The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

http://www.m-w.com/netdict.htm
Contains both the abridged and unabridged dictionary as well as the thesaurus.

One Look Dictionary Search

http://www.onelook.com/
Find definitions or translations. Be sure to try the useful wildcard search.

Your Dictionary.com

http://www.yourdictionary.com/
This is really a one-stop site containing dictionaries in many languages, free translation service, thesaurus, glossaries for many subjects, specialty dictionaries for many subjects, and grammar guides. Interesting sections include Word of the Day which you can have emailed to you, puzzles, and Write your name in 10 languages.

Xlation Dictionaries

http://www.xlation.com/dictionaries/
If you can't get enough of dictionaries, try this site which contains over 1600 dictionaries.

Subject Dictionaries
Online Biology Dictionary

http://www.biology-online.org/dictionary.asp
This online dictionary of approximately 1800 terms uses British spelling. Explanations are brief. The interface is clear, uncluttered, and easy to use.

BioTech Life Science Dictionary

http://biotech.icmb.utexas.edu/
search/dict-search.html

This award-winning site comes from the Indiana Institute for Molecular and Cellular Biology, Indiana University. Search instructions are included.

Chemistry
Chemistry Dictionary Terminology

http://www.netaccess.on.ca/~dbc/
cic_hamilton/dictionary/a.html

Short, basic definitions.

Chemistry Consortium Online
Chemistry Dictionary (From ThinkQuest)

http://library.thinkquest.org/10676/
dict.html?tqskip1=1&tqtime=0925

Common definitions and terms in Organic Chemistry

http://www.brunel.ac.uk/depts/
chem/definit/definit.htm

Eric Weisstein's World of Chemistry

http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/
chemistry/

Scholarly and wide coverage of topics.

Computers
Dictionary of Programming Languages

http://cgibin.erols.com/ziring/cgibin/
cep/cep.pl?_alpha=f

Computer science students will like this site. Includes a description and history of different program languages as well as examples of the code for that language.

FOLDOC Free Online Dictionary of Computing

http://foldoc.doc.ic.ac.uk/foldoc/
index.html

Over 13,000 terms.

High Tech Dictionary (From Computeruser.com)

http://www.computeruser.com/
resources/dictionary/noframes/

Contains links to emoticons, file types, and domain names as well as definitions.

NetLingo
http://www.netlingo.com/inframes.cfm
An online dictionary about the Internet.
PC Technology Guide
http://www.pctechguide.com/
A visual dictionary of the components of a computer and its peripherals.

Webopedia

http://www.webopedia.com/
A top-pick online dictionary for computer and Internet terminology.

Whatis ?.com

http://whatis.techtarget.com/
Definitions of thousands of the most current IT- related terms.

Costume
Bissonnette on Costume

http://dept.kent.edu/museum/costume/
There are several ways to search this beautiful, online dictionary by Anne Bissonnette from Kent State University Museum: geographic search, time period search, and subject search.

English Usage
Common Errors in English

http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/
From the book Common Errors in the English Language by Brian Burns, this site provides alphabetically access to common English language errors. You can also browse an extensive list of errors.

Etymology
Online Etymology Dictionary

http://www.etymonline.com/
The site, maintained by Douglas Harper, was created to get around subscribing to the OED for $550 per year.

Geography
Geography Dictionary (From Geoexplorer)

http://www.geoexplorer.co.uk/sections/
dictionary/dictionary.htm

A comprehensive, geographical dictionary from Geoexplorer.

Law
Duhaime's Law Dictionary

http://www.duhaime.org/diction.htm
By Lloyd Duhaime, a lawyer in Victoria. B.C. Canadian emphasis.

Law.com Dictionary

http://dictionary.law.com/

Literary Terms
Glossary of Literary Terms (From Gale's Free Resources)

http://www.galegroup.com/
free_resources/glossary/

Yes, Gale does provide some free reference sources as well as the reference sources that it sells.

Literary Terms
Glossary of Literary Terms (From Gale's Free Resources)

http://www.galegroup.com/
free_resources/glossary/

Yes, Gale does provide some free reference sources as well as the reference sources that it sells.

Virtual Classroom Glossary of Literary Terms


http://www.english.cam.ac.uk/
vclass/terms.htm

Mathematics
Eric Weinstein's World of Mathematics

Search by subject
(http://mathworld.wolfram.com/topics/)
or search alphabetically
(http://mathworld.wolfram.com/letters/).

Interactive Mathematics Dictionary

http://www.intermath-uga.gatech.edu/dictnary/homepg.asp
"The Interactive Mathematics Dictionary is a dictionary for middle school students, teachers, parents, and anyone else interested in learning more about mathematical topics in the middle school curriculum." Browse or search this detailed, well-illustrated dictionary.

Platonic Realms Interactive Mathematics Encyclopedia

http://www.mathacademy.com/
pr/prime/index.asp

Elementary and secondary topics to be browsed alphabetically. Articles at both the elementary and advanced level.

Medicine
Online Medical Dictionary

http://cancerweb.ncl.ac.uk/omd/
Published by the Dept. of Medical Oncology, University of Newcastle upon Tyne. Short definitions with extensive hyperlinks for associated terms.

Music
Cadenza Glossary: A Multi-lingual dictionary of musical terms

http://www.cadenza.org/glossary/
English, French, German, and Serbian.

Eric Weinstein's Treasure Trove of Music

http://www.ericweisstein.com/
encyclopedias/music/letters/

Search alphabetically.

Music Dictionary Online

http://www.dolmetsch.com/
musictheorydefs.htm

Contains an extensive music dictionary as well as dictionaries of music theory and the physics of music instruments.

Music Dictionary Online

http://www.dolmetsch.com/
musictheorydefs.htm

Contains an extensive music dictionary as well as dictionaries of music theory and the physics of music instruments.

Physics
Dictionary of Physics (From About.com)

http://physics.about.com/library/
dict/blglossary.htm

Rhyming Dictionaries
Rhyming Dictionary and Thesaurus (From Poetry.com)
http://rhyme.poetry.com/
Results can be organized in a number of ways: by syllables, letters, and with or without phrases.

WriteExpress Online Rhyming Dictionary

http://www.rhymer.com/

Sign Language
Sign Language Dictionary

http://www.masterstech-home.com/ASLDict.html
A basic dictionary of ASL Terms with both animated and text definitions.

Slang
The Online Slang Dictionary: A collaborative project

http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/
~wrader/slang/

Rationale: "Though Webster publishes a slang dictionary, it could potentially take years for a new word or phrase to enter its pages. Now, with the power of the Internet, it can be in a dictionary in a matter of hours." People submit slang expressions and their definitions.

Slangsite.com

http://www.slangsite.com/
"SlangSite.com is a dictionary of slang, webspeak, made-up words, and colloquialisms".

VoxSlang

http://www.voxcommunications.com/
slang15.htm

Be prepared for this visual, frank, slang dictionary of street talk. Brocolli, blunt, and cracker take on new meanings here!

Symbols
Symbols.com

http://www.symbols.com/
"Symbols.com contains more than 2,500 Western signs, arranged into 54 groups according to their graphic characteristics. In 1,600 articles their histories, uses, and meanings are thoroughly discussed.

 

Free Encyclopedias on the Web
Allrefer.com

http://reference.allrefer.com/
encyclopedia/

This comprehensive site contains encyclopedias for most subject areas studied in secondary school. Browse by category or use the allrefer reference search.

Columbia Encyclopedia (6th Edition from Bartleby.com)

http://www.bartleby.com/65/

Encyclopedia.com - Powered by elibrary)

http://www.encyclopedia.com/

Encarta Encyclopedia

http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/
features/reference.aspx

Contains links to Encarta Encyclopedia, dictionaries, and a dynamic atlas.

InfoPlease

http://www.infoplease.com/
An atlas and dictionary as well as an encyclopedia.

Free Internet Encyclopedia

http://www.cam-info.net/enc.html
Created and Maintained by Clif Davis and Margaret Adamson Davis, MLS. Consists of MicroReference and MacroReference.

Wikipedia

http://www.wikipedia.org/
"Wikipedia is a multilingual project to create a complete and accurate free content encyclopedia." Experts contribute articles about their specialty to built a free source encyclopedia.

Subject Encyclopedias
The Canadian Encyclopedia Online

http://www.canadianencyclopedia.ca/
Available in both French and English.

The Catholic Encyclopedia

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/

Concise Encyclopedia of Economics

http://www.econlib.org/library/
CEE.html

Browse the articles by title:
http://www.econlib.org/library/
CEETitles.html

Browse the encyclopedia by category:
http://www.econlib.org/library/
CEECategory.html

See Basic Concepts Section
http://www.econlib.org/library/
CEECategory.html#A

Encyclopedia Mythica

http://www.pantheon.org/
An encyclopedia of mythology, folklore, and legend.

Encyclopedia of Music in Canada

http://www.nlc-bnc.ca/4/17/
index.html

Available in both French and English.

Encyclopedia of Music in Canada

http://www.nlc-bnc.ca/4/17/index.html
Available in both French and English.

Medline Plus Health Encyclopedia

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/
medlineplus/encyclopedia.html

"The Adam Health Illustrated Encyclopedia includes over 4,000 articles about diseases, tests, symptoms, injuries, and surgeries. It also contains an extensive library of medical photographs and illustrations."

Grammar and Writing
Guide to Grammar and Writing

http://ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/
Maintained by Charles Darling, Professor of English Capital Community College.

Holidays
Earth Calendar

http://www.earthcalendar.net/
index.php

"The Earth Calendar is a daybook of holidays and celebrations around the world."

Maps and Atlases

Ancient World Mapping Center
http://www.unc.edu/awmc/
content/xhtml/index.html

In addition to downloadable maps, there's a wealth of information here. See Maps for Students Revamped and Expanded (http://www.unc.edu/awmc/content/
xhtml/mapsforstudents.html
)
See Downloads (http://www.unc.edu/awmc/
downloads/index.html
)
Image of the month will be of interest to ancient history buffs.

Big Wide World of Maps

http://www.big-wide-world-ofmaps.com/index.html
Learn a lot about maps here: The History of Maps, How Maps Tell us About the Land, Accuracy, Using Flat Maps in a Round World.

How Far is It?

http://www.indo.com/distance/
"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."

MapBlast

http://mappoint.msn.com/
Created maps for specific locations for various places in the world.

Maps.com

http://www.maps.com/reference/
Contains Political and Physical Maps and Thematic Maps, including World Volcanoes and Population Density.

Outline Maps

http://www.eduplace.com/ss/maps/
These outline maps may be printed and copied for personal and classroom use.

Names and their Meanings
Babynamesworld.com

http://www.babynamesworld.com/
names-meaning-origin.html

There are many ways to search this large database of names: by alphabet, with a quick search, or an advanced search. Includes top name by year.

Behind the Name, the Etymology and Meaning of First Names

http://www.behindthename.com/
Includes names from many nationalities.

Find Names and What They Mean

http://www.zelo.com/firstnames/ index.asp
Over 600 names in this database.

Last Name Index: Surname and Last Name Meanings

http://www.baby-namesmeanings.com/lastnames/
Includes over 1,700+ American and English surnames and their meanings.
Nations of the World (Free Internet Sources)

Atlapedia Online
http://www.atlapedia.com/
"Atlapedia Online contains full color physical maps, political maps as well as key facts and statistics on countries of the world."

CIA World Factbook

http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/
factbook/index.html

This is a first stop on the Web for information about countries of the world. The 2003 edition of this excellent reference source is now available.

Country Reports.org

http://www.countryreports.org/
Profiles of hundreds of countries which include economy, government, background, and statistics. There are separate links for flags, national anthems, reference maps, history of countries, and weather. Premium content is available for a charge.

Country Studies From the Library of Congress

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/

Country Briefings (From The Economist)

http://www.economist.com/countries/
Country profiles, statistics, and forecasts on many countries of the world.

Countries and Regions From the World Bank

http://www.worldbank.org/html/
schools/explore.htm

Countries of the World

http://www.studentsoftheworld.info/
menu_infopays.html

Statistics, photos and cultural information about all countries of the world. The selection is made through interactive maps. Information is easy to read. Layout relies on graphs and symbols to represent much of the data making the information easy to read.

Compare Your Nation

http://www.your-nation.com/
This program compares any country with another on any number of criteria, and shows the results in a bar graph.

Fact Monster Countries of the World

http://www.factmonster.com/
countries.html

This layout would appeal more to upper elementary and middle school students.

Globastat

http://globastat.com/
"Globastat is an award-winning web site which shows how over 190 countries compare to each other in more than 140 categories, ranging from population size to electricity consumption per person. Globastat uses the CIA World Factbook statistics."

Nationmaster

http://www.nationmaster.com/
This site contains an encyclopedia of nations of the world, contains country
profiles, and a graph producer which can produce graphs, scatterplots, and
pie charts.

Portals to the World (From the Library of Congress)
http://www.loc.gov/rr/
international/portals.html

Links to electronic resources from around the world.

Rulers of Countries of the World

http://www.rulers.org/
"This site contains lists of heads of state and heads of government (and, in certain cases, de facto leaders not occupying either of those formal positions) of all countries and territories, going back to about 1700 in most cases. Also included are the subdivisions of various countries (the links are at the bottom of the respective country entries), as well as a selection of international organizations. Recent foreign ministers of all countries are listed separately."

State of the World Population 2003 (From the United Nations Populations Fund)

http://www.unfpa.org/
swp/swpmain.htm

Population Issues section very useful.
(http://www.unfpa.org/
issues/index.htm
)
See also Graphs and Tables, and Indicators. Available in English, French, and Spanish.

UC Atlas of Global Inequality

http://ucatlas.ucsc.edu/home.html
From the Center for Global International Regional Studies. "The Atlas of Global Inequality explores some aspects of inequality using online, downloadable maps and graphics. All these materials can be used freely providing they are attributed to the UC Atlas of Global Inequality."

News Services on the Web
Google News

http://news.google.ca
Does not seem to have as precise a search search engine of its database as Rocket News, but it archives its news for 30 days.

Rocket News

http://www.rocketnews.com/
search/index.html

Rocket News can search the news for the last five days in a number of categories.

Newspapers Newspaper Museum: The Interactive Museum of News

http://www.newseum.org
View today's front pages throughout the world. Check out the cybernewseum to see coverage of the events such as September 11th or the war in Iraq from different news sources.

Online Newspapers.com

http://www.onlinenewspapers.com/ Thousands of the world's newspapers, arranged by country.

Quotations Sources on the Web Bartlett's familiar Quotations (1901 edition from Bartleby.com)

http://www.bartleby.com/100/

BrainyQuote

http://www.brainyquote.com/
Over 38,000 quotes by over 10,000 authors.

Famous Quotations Network

http://www.famous-quotations.com/
A searchable database. This database can be browsed by author, categories, and alphabetically. Contains a proverb section.

Mathematical Quotation Server

http://math.furman.edu/
~mwoodard/mquot.html

Online Dictionary of Quotations

http://www.quotationreference.com/ Searchable by author and subject

Quotation Center

http://www.cyber-nation.com/victory/quotations/
Search by author, by subject, or by keyword. A section for quote of the day.

The Quotations Page

http://www.quotationspage.com/
This site maintained by Michael and Laura Moncur has been on the Web since 1994. It contains an author and subject index as well as a search option. Users can contribute quotes to this site

Quoteland.com

http://www.quoteland.com/
A searchable database. Also has a thematic arrangement, and a useful FAQ.

Simpson's Contemporary Quotations (From Bartleby.com)

http://www.bartleby.com/63/
The most notable quotations: 1950- 1988. Compiled by James B. Simpson, this site has 9,000 quotations from 4,000 sources. Subject and author index. Sources are documented

Shopping Yahoo

Shopping http://shopping.yahoo.com/ This is not eBay! Yahoo has provided a serious reference site to find reviews and recommendations for consumer items. Try a search for digital camera and see Top Brands, and plenty of buying advice from Consumer Reports, Buyer's Guides, etc.. Highly recommended.

Thesaurus on the Web Plumb Design Visual Thesaurus

http://www.visualthesaurus.com/
online/index.html

This is a very popular thesaurus with a 3D-look showing the web-like relationship between words of similar meanings.

Roget's Thesaurus Alphabetical Index

http://thesaurus.reference.com/roget/

Roget's II: The New Thesaurus (From Bartleby's com)

http://www.bartleby.com/62/

Time and Time Zones World Clock

http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/ Check times and time zones around the world

Timelines on the Web Age of Exploration Timeline

http://www.mariner.org/age/
histexp.html

From ancient times to 1779

Chemsoc Timeline

http://www.chemsoc.org/timeline/

A beautiful exploration of the history of science with an emphasis on chemistry

Cold War Timeline (From the Federation of American Scientists)

http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/ops/docs/coldwar_timeline.htm

Cold War Timeline (From CNN)

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/
cold.war/timeline/frameset.html

An interactive timeline.

Decades.com

http://www.decades.com/
This is an interesting timeline finder which is searchable from either the decade in history or specific subjects such as World War I.

Encyclopedia of World History: Ancient Medieval, and Modern

http://www.bartleby.com/67/
Don't be deceived by the name encyclopedia. This is really a comprehensive chronology of world history. All the historical timelines you need are here.

Geography and Environment Timeline

http://www.gesource.ac.uk/
geography_timeline.html

"A look at significant dates and events that have shaped the geographical world, from the formation of the Earth to the present day." This section is divided into a number of key areas

History of Mathematics Timeline

http://faculty.oxy.edu/jquinn/
home/Math490/timeline.html

An interactive mathematics history timeline which was used as a class assignment. Complete with references.

Holocaust Timeline (From The History Place)

http://www.historyplace.com/
worldwar2/holocaust/timeline.html

Hyperhistory

http://www.hyperhistory.com/
online_n2/History_n2/a.html

Hyperhistory is an interesting timeline to use once you master its use. Select the Options of the left hand side of the screen: People, History, Events, or Maps. Select the Time Period on the right for which you wish to view one of the Options. Note the color code on the bottom which identifies the field of knowledge to which the People, History, Events, or Maps belong. For example, you could select to view People from the discipline of Art, Music and Poetry from the Time Period 1000-1500. This site is recommended by The History Channel and Discovery School Channel.

Nuclear Age Timeline (From the U.S. Dept. of Energy)

http://www.em.doe.gov/timeline/ Organized by decade

Science Timeline

http://www.sciencetimeline.net/
From Prehistory to Modern times.

Timeline of the Great Depression

http://www.korpios.org/
resurgent/Timeline.htm

Sources for this timeline are referenced.

Timeline of the 20th Century (From About.com)

http://history1900s.about.com/
library/time/bltime1900.htm

Select a decade from the top of the page to produce a timeline for that decade.

Timelines of Medieval History

http://www.btinternet.com/
~timeref/hsttime0.htm

This site provides a "history of Medieval Britain from the time of Alfred the Great, through the Norman Conquest and up to the start of the Tudor Age. Detailed Timelines contain events for years between 800 and 1499AD. Maps show the locations of castles, abbeys and cathedrals in England, Scotland and Wales. Every person and building on this site has its own timeline and links to related subjects."

Timelines of Roman Emperors (From About.com)

http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/
bl/bl_time_europe_rome_emperors.htm

Who What When Interactive Historical Timelines

http://www.sbrowning.com/
whowhatwhen/index.php3

There are a number of ways to search this site and create timelines: by date and year, by a specific name which you search, by category, or by time period. The timeline created can be sorted to show the people who lived at the time and the significant events of the period or date.

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