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Biography
Authors
Inventors
Presidents and First Ladies |
Saints
Women
General Resources |
Author sites
In the Books and More InfoCenter.
Great Writers and Poets
According to Book Lovers bookstore.
Online Literary Criticism Collection
Over 4000 web sites with critical and biographical information about US and British authors. Browse by author, title or literary period. From Internet Public Library
Inventors Biographies
Inventor's Hall of Fame index of inventors.
Presidents and First Ladies of the United States of America
Picture and background on each past President and First Lady.
Saint Search
Alphabetical listing, brief biography and feast days, from Catholic Online.
Distinguished Women of Past and Present
Search by name or subject.
Women's History Month: Biographies
Biographies, activities and a timeline, provided by Thompson Gale Publishing.
Women's International Center Biography Index
Living Legacy Award recipients and other exceptional humanitarians.
General Resources
Biography Resource Center
A comprehensive database of biographical information. Includes full-text articles from 250 periodicals. Search for people based on personal facts, nationality, ethnicity, occupation or gender, or combine words to create a customized search. (Available on public PCs in BCPL Libraries or elsewhere with a valid BCPL library card.)
Bio Search
Search Biography.com for famous names, past and present.
Dead People Server
Database of celebrities who are long dead, newly dead or might plausibly be dead.
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Calendars and Calculators
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Virtual Perpetual Calendars
Calendars for the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries.
Cooking Measures and Conversion Calculator
U.S.-British measurement equivalents and oven temperatures. U.S.-Metric volume, weight and length tables.
USA Today Calculator
Calculate not only currency but consumer loans, tuition, new car payments, mortgage, retirement, and 401(k).
Home Depot
Provides a list of calculators to estimate the amount of carpet, drywall, insulation, grass seed, paint, tile or wallpaper needed in standard or metric units.
Inflation Calculators
NASA's list of many on-line inflation and cost of living calculators.
Body Fat and Mass
Choose from several calculators.
How Far Is It?
Provides a calculator to determine "as the crow flies" distances between cities worldwide.
Martindale's Reference Desk
Just about every calculation you can think of.
The Original Tipping Page
Provides guidelines for domestic and international tipping as well as a tipping calculator.
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Countries and States
Countries |
States and Counties |
Countries
Grolier Online: Lands and Peoples
Provided by Grolier. An encyclopedia of countries, cultures, and current events with the latest information on every country in the world. Describes the country's land, people, economy, history, and government, as well as statistics, a full-color map and photographs. (Available on public PCs in BCPL Libraries or elsewhere with a valid BCPL library card.)
Background Notes
Country information recommended for school projects, provided by the U.S. Department of State.
Chiefs of State and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments
CIA World Factbook
The most up-to-date information for quick country overviews including geography, demographics, government, and economy.
Country Studies
102 countries and regions are covered in this highly used source provided by the Library of Congress.
Embassies - Foreign
Foreign Embassies in Washington, D.C.
Embassies - United States
U.S. Embassies in Foreign Countries
Library of Congress Portals to the World
World Rulers
Prime Ministers, Presidents, Kings and more in order.
Grolier Online: America the Beautiful
Provided by Grolier. Authoritative information on U.S. states and territories. Articles describe the geography, plants, animals, history, economy, language, religions, culture, sports, art, and people of each state with maps and photographs. (Available on public PCs in BCPL Libraries or elsewhere with a valid BCPL library card.)
BCPL Government InfoCenter
Local Maryland and Baltimore County links, including Census information.
50states.com
U.S. state symbols, flags, seals, geography, and people.
State and County QuickFacts
Includes Census 2000 data for quick access to facts about people, business and geography. Highly recommended!
Statistical Abstract of the United States
Published by U.S. Census, available in free Adobe Acrobat PDF Files. Links also to State and Metropolitan Area Data Book and County and City Data Book.
See also Maps and Atlases | Travel InfoCenter
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Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
Dictionaries:
Acronyms
English Language
Topical Dictionaries and Glossaries
Translation |
Encyclopedias:
BCPL Encyclopedias and Magazine Databases
General and Topical Encyclopedias |
WWW Acronym Server
Finds abbreviations. Search by acronym or by word.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary and Thesaurus
Very easy to use.
OneLook Dictionary Search
A search engine for words and phrases that indexes more than 5 million words in over 900 online dictionaries. It can be used to define words, translate words, or find words using a pattern search (useful for crossword puzzlers). It also includes a reverse dictionary feature.
Rhyming Dictionary
From the RhymeZone. Rhymes, synonyms, definitions and more.
Roget's Thesaurus (1911)
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913, Merriam)
Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1894)
Over 18,000 entries giving the derivation, source, or origin of common phrases, allusions, and words that have a tale to tell
Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897)
Alphabetical list of names and places from the Bible.
American Sign Language Browser
Merriam-Webster Medical Dictionary
From Intelihealth.com. Basic and advanced search engine.
OneLook Dictionaries
Uses many dictionaries to find definitions and translations.
Translation
Babel Fish Translation
Free text translation to and from various European and Asian languages. Provided by AltaVista.
Foreign Language Translation
Free text translation from English to Spanish or Spanish to English, and other European languages. Also includes Russian and Chinese.
General and Topical Encyclopedias
Catholic Encyclopedia
Alphabetical index of information on Catholic interests and doctrine.
HighBeam Encyclopedia
Search by keyword or phrase more than 57,000 articles provided for free by the Columbia Encyclopedia.
Encyclopedia Smithsonian
Answers to many frequently asked questions at the popular museums. Topics from Aeronautics to Zoology.
Grolier Online
Includes the following databases:
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America the Beautiful
provided by Grolier. Authoritative information on U.S. states and territories. Articles describe the geography, plants, animals, history, economy, language, religions, culture, sports, art, and people of each state with maps and photographs. (Available on public PCs in BCPL Libraries or elsewhere with a valid BCPL library card.)
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Lands and Peoples
provided by Grolier. An encyclopedia of countries, cultures, and current events with the latest information on every country in the world. Describes the country's land, people, economy, history, and government, as well as statistics, a full-color map and photographs. (Available on public PCs in BCPL Libraries or elsewhere with a valid BCPL library card.)
How Stuff Works
Collection of articles that explain the workings of everyday things in the world. Diagrams are provided to complement the simple and detailed essays.
Information Please
Encyclopedia, dictionary, atlas, almanac and more.
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Contains texts of classic philosophers plus concepts, biographical and historical articles.
Islam Online
Portal to subjects and news of Islamic interest.
Judaism 101
Encyclopedia of Judaism. People, places, holidays and customs.
The Mystica
Encyclopedia of topics relating to mysticism, magic, and the paranormal.
Symbols.com
Signs and ideograms searchable by word or graphic, including descriptions.
The Why Files
Science for school age students on topics including the environment, health and technology. Includes the latest "News of the Day". Maintained by the University of Wisconsin.
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Directories
Businesses and Organizations
Grants
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Postal Information
Telephone Directories |
AllPages.com
Locate businesses by state and city or use the extensive subject headings.
AnyWho
Includes reverse lookup, area codes, maps and directions.
Associations on the Net (AON)
Links to trade and professional associations, cultural and arts organizations, political parties, advocacy groups, labor unions.
Directory of Maryland Ethnic Organizations and Resources
Sixth edition, available online only (fifth edition from 2002 available in print format)
Reference USA
11 million company profiles. (Available on public PCs in BCPL Libraries or elsewhere with a valid BCPL library card.)
Thomas Register of American Manufacturers
Free but requires registration.
Foundation Center
Information about foundations, corporate giving and related subjects.
Maryland Grant Resource Center
provided by the Maryland Department of Planning.
SRA International Grants Web
A mega site for government, general and private funding resources.
Canadian Postal Code Lookup
ZIP codes for Canadian addresses.
US Postal Service
Complete postage rates, ZIP Code Lookup, fees and services.
Telephone Directories
International Country Dialing Codes
Country and city codes.
Internet 800 Directory
Find toll free phone numbers searchable by product, service, company name or toll free number.
SuperPages.com
Find people or businesses. Includes reverse address and reverse phone lookup, area and zip code locators, maps and directions.
Switchboard
Find a person, business or product.
Telephone Directories on the Web
White, yellow and business pages, plus e-mail and fax listings from more than 140 countries.
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Maps and Atlases
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Maps of the United States
Provided by the U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the Interior
National Geographic Society's MapMachine
Grolier Online: America the Beautiful
provided by Grolier. Authoritative information on U.S. states and territories. Articles describe the geography, plants, animals, history, economy, language, religions, culture, sports, art, and people of each state with maps and photographs. (Available on public PCs in BCPL Libraries or elsewhere with a valid BCPL library card.)
Tip: Access the Grolier Online atlas by selecting "Atlas" in the bottom pane of the Grolier Online screen.
Grolier Online: Lands and Peoples
provided by Grolier. An encyclopedia of countries, cultures, and current events with the latest information on every country in the world. Describes the country's land, people, economy, history, and government, as well as statistics, a full-color map and photographs. (Available on public PCs in BCPL Libraries or elsewhere with a valid BCPL library card.)
Tip: Access the Grolier Online atlas by selecting "Atlas" in the bottom pane of the Grolier Online screen.
See also Countries and States | Travel InfoCenter
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Quotations and Speeches
Writing and Literary Criticism
Citations and Bibliographic Formats
Copyright
English Grammar and Usage |
Literary Criticism
Literature Resources
Writing as a Process |
The following provide tip sheets for some of the common citations used in bibliographies.
APA Style Guide
MLA Style Guide
Turabian (Chicago) Style Guide
Citing Electronic Sources:
APA Style
Citation Styles
Includes MLA, APA and Chicago styles.
MLA Style
Copyright Internet Resources
Links to organizations granting permission to use copyrighted material
United States Copyright Office
Provides application forms and registration information
Common Errors in English
Explains common spelling and English usage errors.
Guide to Grammar and Writing
Provides suggestions about writing in a hyperlinked format. Searchable through an index or search engine. Created and updated daily an English professor at Capital Community-Technical College.
Random House
Suggestions for avoiding biased and sensitive language.
Literature Resource Center
A full text database that provides biographies, bibliographies and critical analysis of novelists, poets and essayists from Contemporary Authors, Contemporary Literary Criticism and other literary sources. Searchable by author, title, time period and literary themes. (Available on public PCs in BCPL Libraries or elsewhere with a valid BCPL library card.)
Literary Resources on the Net
A searchable collection of links to English, American and ethnic literature. May be searched by historical literary periods.
OnLine Literary Criticism
Critical and biographical web sites about authors and their works that can be browsed by author, by title, or by nationality and literary period
Quick Look-Up of Titles or Authors
Search for the title or author of a literary work to locate discussion in of Gales literature series.
CliffsNotes Read literature notes online. Commercial site.
SparkNotes Literature study guides like CliffsNotes. Commercial site.
NoveList
Contains full text book reviews and book lists for all ages: children, teens and adults. Locate books to read by describing a plot or find similar titles or authors. (Available on public PCs in BCPL Libraries or elsewhere with a valid BCPL library card.)
On-line Writing Lab, Purdue University
Handouts and links to other writing-related sites intended to help authors meet a variety of writing demands including punctuation, grammar, writing the research paper and business writing, including English as a Second Language (ESL) materials.
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