Quick Online Reference

Use these online sources to look up of definitions, facts and figures and other types of quick information.

For specific materials in the Library's collection please search the InvestiGator catalog. For subject specific research try either the list of databases or specific subject guides.

Dictionaries, Thesaurus & Quotations

• Bartlett's Familiar Quotations - 10th edition (1919)
• Dictionary of Phrase & Fable - traces the origins of "words with a tale to tell"
• Merriam-Webster Online - dictionary and thesaurus

Almanacs

• Information Please - a collection of statistics and up-to-date facts and figures
• World Factbook - CIA publication about world nations; includes data on geography, government, economy and demographics

Encyclopedias

• Britannica.com - provides access to the complete Encyclopedia Britannica plus links to high quality Web sites and more
• Encyclopedia.com - the Concise Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia contains brief entries with links to related websites

Phone, Email & Zip Code Directories

• International Telephone Directories (Infobel) - phone books and yellow pages for many countries
• Internet 800 Directory - search for products services and companies with 800 numbers
• Switchboard.com - white pages, yellow pages and e-mail addresses
• Zip Code Lookup - look up U.S. zip codes for any address

Maps & Atlases

• Harvard University Map Collection - excellent collection of maps arranged by subject, time period, place, etc.
• Mapquest - popular site which generates maps and driving directions to U.S. locations
• U.S. Gazetteer - population, location and zip code information for places in the U.S.

Style Guides, Citations & Writing Tools

• Elements of Style - guide for writers that concentrates on the rules of usage and principles of composition
• Guide to Grammar & Writing - a good tool for help with grammar and writing
• Citation Guides - links to major style guides showing how to list or cite footnotes, sources, etc.

Government Information & Statistics

• FirstGov - one stop access to state and federal government information
• United States Government Manual - names, addresses, phone numbers of many U.S. government offices
• FedStats - the gateway to statistics from over 100 U.S. Federal agencies
• Statistical Abstract of the U.S. - statistics on population, education, employment and more
• Measuring America - The Decennial Censuses From 1790 To 2000

Consumer Information

• Consumer Reports - consumer information for a variety of products
• Kelly Blue Book Online - new and used car prices and values
• Consumer.gov - consumer information from the Federal Government

Associations & Organizations

• ASAE's Gateway to Associations - searchable directory of the Web sites of associations
• Associations on the Net - links to professional, trade and other types of associations

Conversion Tools

• Currency Converter - lists current exchange rates for many currencies around the world
• Weights, Measures & Units Converter - units of measure and conversion tools

Acronyms & Abbreviations

• The Acronym Database - list of acronyms (abbreviations mostly from the initial letters of the words of a phrase)
• Acronym Search - over 40,000 acronyms and abbreviations in many categories

Tax Information

• Tax Forms - tax forms and publications from the U.S. government (IRS)
• California Tax forms - California tax forms, instructions and information