Designed
by Kan Li
Winner 2000/01
LHS Library
Bookmark Contest
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Lawrence
High School Library
Lawrence, Kansas
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Today's
World (Current
Events)
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6
Billion Human Beings
http://www-popexpo.ined.fr/english.html
There will soon be 6 billion human beings on Earth: according to
the latest population estimates released by the United Nations.
This site offers interactive features allowing users to determine
how they can affect the population growth in the 21st century and
beyond. |
The
Advocate
http://www.advocate.com
A national, award winning gay and lesbian e-zine. |
Airline
Seat Guru
http://www.seatguru.com/
SeatGURU.com is the source for airplane seat information.
· Do you have a long flight coming up and want a quiet, comfortable
seat?
· Could you really use some extra leg room?
· Do you keep getting stuck in a seat that doesn't recline?
At this site you can find the seat that best suits your needs by
selecting the aircraft you're flying. |
America’s
Safest and Most Dangerous Cities
http://www.morganquitno.com/cit01pop.htm
To determine the America’s Safest City and Metro Area six basic
crime categories (murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary
and motor vehicle theft) were plugged into a formula that measured
how a particular city or metro area compared to the national average. |
Cyberschoolbus
http://www.un.org/Pubs/CyberSchoolBus/
United Nations Statistics Division
Reviewed 8 March 2004
This site serves as a valuable resource for primary and secondary
school educators developing curricula focused on global concerns
such as peace, poverty and work. For up to five UN member states,
InfoNation allows users to compare statistical data drawn from the
World Statistic’s Pocketbook, Statistical Yearbook and Demographic
Yearbook. “Country at a Glance allows users to view statistics
on the population, economy, health, technology, and environment
as well as current news for a single member state. The interactive
format is fun and easy to use; colors and charts present information
in clear and meaningful patterns. The introduction provides an overview
of the history and the work of the UN complete with an organizational
chart that links to the appropriate homepages.
Best Free Reference Web Sites 2004
Sixth Annual List
RUSA Machine-Assisted Reference Section (MARS) |
Earthtrends:
the Environmental Information Portal
http://earthtrends.wri.org/
World Resources Institute
Reviewed 25 February 2004
Earthtrends is a free online database that focuses on issues of
sustainable development and the environment. It includes data from
over 40 internationally recognized sources, including international
and national agencies as well as private corporations and organizations.
This attractive and well laid-out site includes time series for
over 200 countries and 500 variables in subjects ranging from agriculture
and food, biodiversity, climate, economics, business and the environment,
energy, population, and water resources. In some cases statistics
go back forty to fifty years, depending on the availability of data.
In addition, the site offers country profiles, maps, selected articles,
and links to related information. Free registration is required
to view some data. Although some of the data is very specialized,
this is a useful resource for quickly accessing and comparing a
variety of sources and for comparing countries and regions on a
wide range of environmental and social topics such as the percentage
of the population living on less than $1 per day, CO2 emissions
per capita, the number of organic farms, or the number of mobile
telephone subscribers.
Best Free Reference Web Sites 2004
Sixth Annual List
RUSA Machine-Assisted Reference Section (MARS) |
Economist
Country Briefings
http://www.economist.com/countries/
Economist Newspaper, Ltd.~ Reviewed 26 Feb. 2002.
This up-and-coming resource is a good way to get a quick, relatively
up-to-date profile on 60 major world countries. Compiled by the
Economist Intelligence Unit, this resource gives access to a fact
sheet with basic data (similar to the World Almanac) as well as
an economic and political forecast for the month. The site provides
quick access to up-to-date gross domestic product data, policy issues,
taxation information and other material not found in the World Almanac
or related Web sites. Although there is substantial information
available without charge, not all of the content on the site is
freely available. Full country reports, including reports on countries
not for which there are no Economist Country Briefings, as well
as other Economist premium content, are available only with payment
of a substantial fee.
Best Free Reference Web Sites 2002
Fourth Annual List
RUSA Machine-Assisted Reference Section (MARS)
American Library Association |
Emergency
E-mail Alerts
http://www.newsemergency.com/
Sign up to receive Emergency Email, notification of natural disasters
or other emergencies in your area. |
ERsys
http://www.ersys.com
Synergos Technologies, Inc
Reviewed 12 March 2004
Quoting from the ERsys home page: “Using maps, charts, reports,
and relevant links, ERsys covers over 2600 U.S. cities with detailed
information on demographics, environmental factors, economic indicators,
housing statistics, media schools, transportation, [and] local contacts.
While most of the information provided by this site is available
elsewhere, the ease of use and the amount of information available
makes this an excellent site for someone looking for information
about the 2600 cities covered. The site was designed for people
who are preparing to move or travel or who are working in site analysis
and selection or real estate. Much of the information is presented
in easy to read, well-labeled charts, graphs, and maps. Links to
many of the site’s sources are available for those looking
for more detailed information.
Best Free Reference Web Sites 2004
Sixth Annual List
RUSA Machine-Assisted Reference Section (MARS) |
Federal
Bureau of Investigation
http://www.fbi.gov/
The FBI has created a Web site with information on fugitives,
the most wanted, missing children, and major investigations. |
The
Federal Trade Commission
http://www.ftc.gov/
Where do you report email scams? The Federal Trade Commission has
a Web site where complaints about all kinds of cyber scams can be
filed online. Go to the FTC's Consumer Protection web site and click
the "file a complaint online" button. |
The
Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network
http://www.glsen.org
An organization dedicated to ensuring safe and effective schools
for all students. |
Gay
Straight Alliance Network
http://www.gsanetwork.org
A youth organization committed to developing Gay Straight Alliance
Clubs in schools. |
Google
News
http://news.google.com/
Google.com. Reviewed 6 March 2003.
This Beta site searches 4500 news sources worldwide, displaying
related headlines and photos, so users may quickly compare how different
news organizations are reporting the same story. A unique feature
is the use of an automated grouping system based on computer algorithms
which match stories with search terms without human intervention.
When a headline is displayed, a link to that news story is displayed
along with a link to other reports on the subject. The site also
offers preset categories such as sports, business, scitech, entertainment
and health, as well as a search function across the full Google
news site. Results may be resorted by date in order to follow the
development of a story. Google News is an excellent reference tool
for studying how the news is reported around the world.
Best Free Reference Web Sites 2003
Machine-Assisted Reference Section (MARS) of the reference and User
Services Association (RUSA) of American Library Association |
GPO
Access
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/.
U.S. Government Printing Office. Reviewed 5 March 2003.
GPO Access provides "access to a wealth of important information
products produced by the Federal Government," including the
use of "over 2,200 databases of Federal information in over
80 applications," many containing full text. This site includes
the Budget of the United States, numerous Congressional resources,
the Code of Federal Regulations, core documents of U.S. democracy,
Economic Indicators, the Federal Register, the U.S. Code, U.S. Supreme
Court decisions, the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents
and more. GPO Access offers a clean, well-organized gateway to a
wide spectrum of U.S government information resources useful for
anyone seeking to locate the text of recent United States government
documents.
Best Free Reference Web Sites 2003
Machine-Assisted Reference Section (MARS) of the reference and User
Services Association (RUSA) of American Library Association |
How
Much is That Worth Today?
http://www.eh.net/ehresources/howmuch/dollarq.php
Did you know that $29.09 in the year 2000 has the same "purchasing
power" as $5.00 did in the year 1960? Did you know that $50.00
in the year 2000 has the same "purchase power" as $4.18
in the year 1937. This site compares the purchasing power of money
in the United States (or colonies) from 1665 to any other year including
the present. |
ID
Theft
http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/
How can someone steal your identity? By co-opting your name, Social
Security number, credit card number, or some other piece of your
personal information for his or her own use. In short, identity
theft occurs when someone appropriates your personal information
without your knowledge to commit fraud or theft. |
ihigh.com
http://ihigh.com/
The High School Internet Network. Click on the left on Road Tour,
then click on Lawrence 2. You will love the Lawrence High School
article and all the pictures! A Beth Buhler web site. |
Inflation
Calculator
http://www.westegg.com/inflation/
The form located at this site adjusts any amount of money for
inflation, according to the Consumer Price Index, from 1800 to 1998. |
Libweb:
Library Servers via www
http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/Libweb/
This is National Library Week and it is time to celebrate Libraries.
At this site, you will find up to date listing of libraries on the
Web by country, region, and by state. |
Money
Magazine: The Best Places to Live
http://money.cnn.com/best/bplive/ |
National
Address Server
http://www.cedar.buffalo.edu/adserv.html
Given a valid U.S. postal address, this server attempts to rewrite
the address in the proper format along with the ZIP+4 code. If it
is successful, you can retrieve a Postscript or a GIF file of the
address for printing, with a barcode! |
The
New York Times Learning Network
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/
Building on news and archives from The New York Times, the Learning
Network connects teachers, students, and parents to news and education
resources on the Web. Includes daily lesson plans, interactive news
quizzes, and opportunities to interact with The Times reporters.
Lesson plans cover many subjects, including social studies, mathematics,
fine arts, language arts, technology, and science. |
Parents,
Families and Friends of Lesbian and Gays
http://pflag.org
An organization that promotes the well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual
and transgendered person. |
Pew
Research
Center for the People and the Press
http://people-press.org/
At this site you can find surveys, attitudes and commentary which
could be incorporated into lesson plans when discussing the war
in Iraq |
PollingReport.com:
Public Opinion Online
http://www.pollingreport.com
PollingReport.com, the digital offspring of the print publication
"The Polling Report," calls itself "an independent,
nonpartisan resource on trends in American public opinion."
Of interest to students, journalists and everybody interested in
American politics, this site features national poll highlights on
subjects like "Politics and Policy" (President, Congress,
Issues, Elections), "Business/Economy" (Consumer confidence,
Investing) and "The American Scene" (Sports, Hollywood,
Work and play, Health). It is updated whenever new polls are released.
Additional data, including state-by-state, presidential, congressional,
and gubernatorial polls, plus analyses by leading pollsters, are
available to subscribers. PollingReport.com is a handy resource
that rounds up these elusive data from a variety of sources and
keeps them all in one place.
Best Free Reference Web Sites 2001
Machine-Assisted Reference Section (MARS) of the Reference and
User Services Association (RUSA) of American Library Association |
Protecting
Privacy
http://www.bbbonline.org/understandingprivacy/
Consumer tips on protecting your privacy. |
Social
Security On-line
http://www.ssa.gov/howto.htm
This site is a how to manual:
How to apply for Social Security Retirement and/or Spouse’s
Benefits
How to apply for social security Disability Benefits
How to apply for a New or replacement Social Security Card
How to change your address
How to find your local office
How to change your name on your Social Security Card
And much more. |
Sperling's
BestPlaces
http://www.bestplaces.net
Comparing two cities in order to choose a place to live, work or
retire is simplified thanks to Sperling’s BestPlaces. Statistics
for categories such as crime, climate, cost of living, and schools
are available for many cities. The "Find Your Best Place"
link offers two versions of this comparison tool: a quick version
with fifteen categories and a full version with forty categories.
Under the "Reviews" link, evaluations of guides developed
by other authors are given, and a bibliography of recent articles
about rating places is located under the "Articles" link.
Bert Sperling developed his comparison software in 1985 and has
been refining it ever since; he develops "Best Places"
guides for many publications including Money magazine.
Best Free Reference Web Sites 2001
Machine-Assisted Reference Section (MARS) of the Reference and
User Services Association (RUSA) of American Library Association
|
StartSpot
Network
http://www.startspot.com/.
StartSpot MediaWorks, Inc. Reviewed June 2003.
The StartSpot Network is a family of "Spot" sites, each
serving as an indepth web portal for its category by guiding users
to a wealth of outstanding resources which have been selected by
an editorial team. Current spots include BookSpot, CinemaSpot, EmploymentSpot,
GovernmentSpot, GenealogySpot, HomeworkSpot, HeadlineSpot, LibrarySpot,
MuseumSpot, and TripSpot. Of particular note are LibrarySpot and
BookSpot LibrarySpot provides links to the web pages of public,
K-12, academic, and other specialized libraries and a reference
desk linking to reference works of all types. The site also links
to sources of speeches, full-text articles, library associations,
conferences and jobs, as well as some categories overlapping in
part with BookSpot, such as sources of literary criticism. Among
the offerings of BookSpot are links to best seller lists, pre-pub
alerts, book club titles and read-a! likes as well as book reviews,
book awards, poetry, and links to full text classics. Although these
sites do carry advertising, in comparison with many such sites,
their lack of annoying pop-up-boxes greatly increases their appeal
and makes them outstanding starting points for anyone seeking to
quickly and easily find first-rate information on the Web.
Best Free Reference Web Sites 2003
Machine-Assisted Reference Section (MARS) of the reference and User
Services Association (RUSA) of American Library Association |
State
and Local Government on the Net: A guide to government sponsored
Internet sites
http://www.statelocalgov.net/index.cfm
This helpful site contains over 6000 links to U.S. state and local
government web pages, as well as to those for American Samoa, District
of Columbia, Guam, Tribal
Governments, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S.
Virgin Islands. Also included are links to multi-state resources,
selected U.S. federal resources, and national organizations. The
date of last update is included for each. Information for each state
is presented in a standardized format and includes links as available
to the home page and other related sites. To navigate the site,
the user can either link from an alphabetic list of states and organizations
or do a simple Boolean search on the search form. Criteria for inclusion
are clearly listed and include those whose servers are controlled
by government agencies and those with obvious state, city, or county
governmental domain names. Searchers can rely on this site for official
resources.
Best Free Reference Web Sites 2001
Machine-Assisted Reference Section (MARS) of the Reference and
User Services Association (RUSA) of American Library Association |
STATE
GOVERNMENTS
http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/state.html
Information on state government. |
Stolen
Identity.com
http://www.victimsassistanceofamerica.org/
Have you had your purse or wallet stolen? Do you suspect theft of
your credit cards, social security number, or drivers license number?
Is someone writing bad checks or applying for credit in your name?
If so, you are the victim of identity theft, stolen identity, or
credit fraud. "A victim of stolen identity offers free advice
on how to prevent identity theft, stolen identity, credit card fraud,
and what to do about it if you become a victim." |
Tolerance.org
http://www.tolerance.org
A project created by the Southern Poverty Law Center. A free Teaching
Tolerance Newsletter is available to educators who are interested
in anti-bias issues and new educational materials. |
United
Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: The 2002
Revision. Population Database
http://esa.un.org/unpp/
At this site you will find the official UN estimates (1950-2000)
and projections (2000-2050) for every country in the world, including
estimates and projections of 28 demographic indicators, including
birth rates, deaths rates, infant mortality rates and life expectancy. |
University
of Michigan Documents Center
http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs
Grace York, University of Michigan
Reviewed 7 March 2004
The Documents Center, the Statistical Resources1 section of which
was featured in the 2001 MarsBest list2, is one of the best gateways
for government information on the web today. Geared to students
and the general public, the Documents Center has a search engine
and topical links to connect users with a wide array of government
information from federal, state, local, and international sources.
The comprehensiveness and ease of use make it superior to many of
the gateways provided by the federal and state governments. Users
looking for a central reference point for government documents will
find this site invaluable.
Best Free Reference Web Sites 2004
Sixth Annual List
RUSA Machine-Assisted Reference Section (MARS) |
Unwanted
Telephone Marketing Calls
http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/tcpa.html
Has your evening quiet time been disrupted or your dinner been interrupted
by a call from a telemarketer? If so, you’re not alone. Consumers
are increasingly complaining to the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) about unwanted and uninvited calls to their homes from advertisers
and telemarketers. The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA)
of 1991 was created in response to consumer concerns about the growing
number of unsolicited telephone marketing calls to their homes and
the increasing use of automated and prerecorded messages. |
Virtual
Reference Desk
http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/reference/b_three_sections_with_
teasers/virtual.htm
If you are seeking general information on the Senate, the legislative
branch and process, or on the federal government, this is a good
place to begin. Links are arranged broadly by subject and may take
you to PDF documents, useful sources on the Web, or other Senate
Web pages. |
World
Fact Book
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html
The World Fact Book has been updated and revised. Recent additions
include four new economic measures which frequently foretell changes
in a country's economic growth, welfare, and position relative to
the rest of the world: Current account balance, Investment (gross
fixed), Public debt, and Reserves of foreign exchange and gold |
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