Reference Web Sites

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For staff, especially those in libraries with a small materials budget, it is important to learn to successfully navigate the Web and locate needed information.  Because all Web sites are not equally dependable, a helpful shortcut to locating reliable sources is to consult selective Web directories.  These directories have been organized by librarians and other experts who have evaluated and selected each site for quality and ease of use.  Following are some of the best-known:

Internet Public Library.  University of Michigan.  School of Information.
All entries on this site, http://www.ipl.org, have been selected for their quality, and all have brief annotations.  Note that the "Reference Center" contains ready reference sources and is divided by type of product, such as almanacs, dictionaries, and encyclopedias.  There is a search engine, in addition to links to information organized by subject, for both children and adults.

Librarian's Index to the Internet.  Library of California.
The entries on this site, http://www.lii.org, are arranged in directory format by subject.  Only the best Internet resources are selected and indexed by librarians, and each Web site listed contains a short annotation.  A keyword search option is included.  "Search Tools" will link you to a variety of search engines and subject directories, as well as links to "how-to" tools on searching the internet, including the excellent charts prepared by the California State Library's Infopeople Project, http://infopeople.org

Michigan eLibrary.  Library of Michigan.
Known as MeL, http://web.mel.org/index.jsp, is "an information gateway to selected Internet sources."  This site is arranged by categories and covers all disciplines; a search feature is included.  While there is an emphasis on Michigan, most of the information can be used by anyone.  You will find ready reference links under the "Reference Desk" heading.  All links have been selected and evaluated by librarians.

Refdesk.  Bob Drudge, Webmaster. 
As Refdesk has indexed quality internet sites, http://www.refdesk.com is a resource worthy of your attention.  Because its arrangement is unusual, you will want to scroll down through the first screen or use the site map to get a sense of the range of topics covered.  Refdesk is family friendly and does not link to sites with objectionable content.

Bartleby.com:  Great Books Online.  Bartleby.com, Inc.
Unlike the other sites in this section, which organize and link to worthwhile Web sites, Bartleby, http://www.bartleby.com, gives you actual content - that is, it reproduces important reference and literary works.  It claims to be the "preeminent Internet publisher of literature, reference and verse, providing students, researchers and the intellectually curious with unlimited access to books and information on the Web, free of charge."  Among its fine reference sources are three quotation books:  Columbia World of Quotations, Simpson's Contemporary Quotations, and Bartlett's Familiar Quotations.

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