Reference Links                                                    

Abington Public Library Reference Links

Reference Help – Live/ Online Databases / Quick Reference

Automobiles / Books & Literature / Business / Consumer Issues / Education / Environment / Food & Nutrition / Government / Health / Law / Libraries / Massachusetts Information / Research / Senior Citizens / Statistics / Studying & Report Writing / Taxes / Travel / Veterans / Weather

REFERENCE HELP – Live!

Mass Answers http://www.massanswers.org/

24/7 online librarian will help locate answers to your reference questions.

QUICK REFERENCE

Information Please Almanac http://www.infoplease.com/
Includes almanac, atlas, dictionary, encyclopedia, thesaurus, country information, and timelines.

Internet Movie Database  http://www.imdb.com/
Searchable movie database – what’s playing, what’s coming on DVD, trailers, trivia.

RefDesk.com http://refdesk.com/  An extensive list of links to news, stock quotes, puzzles, and reference tools.

Library Spot  http://www.libraryspot.com/ Find links to home sale prices, events in history, photos, podcasts, calculators, calendars, GovSpot, HomeworkSpot,  and more.

Map Quest http://www.mapquest.com/  Get road maps and directions.

Vital Records (where to write for birth, marriage, death) http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/howto/w2w/w2welcom.htm

Telephone Numbers  http://www.whitepages.com

Toll Free Number Directory http://www.anywho.com/tf.html

Zip Code Lookup - USPS http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/welcome.jsp

AUTOMOBILES

Edmunds http://www.edmunds.com/ 
Provides information on pricing, car reviews, ratings, and advice.

Kelley Blue Book http://www.kbb.com/
Offers new and used car pricing, comparisons, reviews and ratings.

Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles http://www.mass.gov/rmv/ Online transactions include registrations, licenses, address changes, and tickets.

NADA Guides http://www.nadaguides.com/
Find information on new, used, and classic cars aswell as motorcycles, boats, recreation vehicles, and manufactured homes.

BOOKS & LITERATURE

Bartleby.com http://www.bartleby.com
Find reference works, literature, poetry, fiction, and nonfiction.

Book Awards  http://www.powells.com/prizes/prizes.html Look here for winners of the Newbery and Caldecott medals, National Book Awards, Booker, Pulitzer, and Edgar prizes, and more.

OverBooked http://www.overbooked.org/stars/index.html
A resource for readers offering reviews and themed book lists.

Project Gutenberg  http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page
Electronic archive of full-text literature to read or search.

Reading Group Guides  http://www.readinggroupguides.com/index.asp
2050 guides are searchable by author, title, awards, and categories. Also find tips for reading groups from getting started to keeping things going and even some recipes!

BUSINESS

Kirstein Business Library http://www.bpl.org/research/kbb/kbbhome.htm

South Shore Chamber of Commerce http://www.southshorechamber.org/

CONSUMER ISSUES

Better Business Bureau   http://www.bosbbb.org/

Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation – Massachusetts Homepage http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=ocahomepage&L=1&L0=Home&sid=Eoca

Federal Citizen Information Center  http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/
Information about cars, computers, education, employment, family, federal programs, food, health, housing, money, small business, travel, and more.

Fighting Back Against Identity Theft  http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/
“Deter, Detect, Defend – Avoid ID Theft.” This site tells you what to do.

Household Products Database http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/index.htm
Includes health and safety information about household products.

Looks Too Good to Be True http://www.lookstoogoodtobetrue.com/index.aspx
Don’t fall victim to Internet scam artists- this site tells you how. Check  out the links for Teens and Consumer Alerts.

Recalls http://www.recalls.gov/ Six federal agencies join to alert consumers about recalls of unsafe, hazardous or defective products.

EDUCATION

Abington Public Schools  http://www.abington.k12.ma.us/

United States Department of Education http://www.ed.gov/index.jhtml

Massachusetts Department of Education http://www.doe.mass.edu
Find MCAS results, curriculum frameworks, and town profiles.

ENVIRONMENT

Endangered Species http://eelink.net/EndSpp/endangeredspecies-mainpage.html
Follow the links to search for endangered species.

Green Buildings  http://www.epa.gov/oppt/greenbuilding/
Site provides links and information about “green” or healthier, resource-efficient buildings.

Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection http://www.mass.gov/dep/
Information about Air & Climate; Water, Wastewater & Wetlands; Waste & Recycling; Toxics & Hazards; Cleanup of Sites & Spills.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency http://www.epa.gov/
Use the Quick Finder or the search window to find topics.

FOOD & NUTRITION

All Recipes.com  http://allrecipes.com/
This searchable recipe database includes more than 40,000 recipes.

Recipe Source  http://www.recipesource.com/
Recipes are organized in two groups – recipes associated with an ethnic cuisine and recipes categorized by main dish.

Food Safety  http://www.foodsafety.gov/
Gateway to government food safety information offers links that include News & Safety Alerts, Consumer Advice, Foodborne Pathogens, National Food Safety Programs, and more.

USDA National Agricultural Library  http://fnic.nal.usda.gov/
Provides accurate and useful resources about food and nutrition including diet, food safety, food labeling, the food pyramid, and more.

GOVERNMENT

Commonwealth Communities  www.state.ma.us/cc/
Find information on the 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts provided by state agencies and official city/town websites.

USA.gov http://www.usa.gov/index.shtml
Search for government information by topic or agency or use the search window.

Mass.gov  http://www.mass.gov Links to state agencies, tax information, vehicle registration, vital records, driver’s license, unemployment, sex offender registry.

HEALTH

A Users’ Guide to Finding Health Information on the Web http://www.mlanet.org/resources/userguide.html
This site created by medical librarians offers a guide to searchers seeking reliable health information.

The American Academy of Pediatrics Parenting Corner http://www.aap.org/parents.html

Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs  http://www.crbestbuydrugs.org/
Free guidance for consumers on prescription medicines.

Healthfinder.gov  http://www.healthfinder.gov/
This award-winning Federal Web site for consumers is a guide to reliable health information.

MayoClinic.com  http://www.mayoclinic.com/
Find information on Diseases & Conditions, Drugs & Supplements, and Healthy Living.

PubMed  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed
Search over 17 million citations from MEDLINE and other life science journals for biomedical articles back to the 1950s. Use the tutorial links to learn how to use this resource.

MedLine Plus http://medlineplus.gov/
Includes health topics, drug information, clinical trials, an illustrated medical encyclopedia, interactive patient tutorials, and latest health news.

NIH Senior Health http://nihseniorhealth.gov/listoftopics.html
Locate aging-related health information that is reliable and easy to understand.

National Institute of Mental Health http://www.nimh.nih.gov/
Find information on mental illness and behavioral disorders.

LAW

Guide to Massachusetts Laws by Subject
http://www.lawlib.state.ma.us/topics.html

Office of the Attorney General
www.ago.state.ma.us

The Massachusetts Court System http://www.mass.gov/courts/resources.html
Resource links include: Attorney Referral; Forms; Guidelines and Standards; Juror Information; Trial Court Law Libraries; Opinions; Press Releases; Probation.

LIBRARIES

Boston Public Library http://www.bpl.org Lists exhibits, programs, Internet links, and more.

Dyer Memorial Library http://www.dyerlibrary.org/  Located in Abington, the Dyer focuses on genealogy and local history of Old Abington and surrounding communities.

Internet Public Library http://www.ipl.org  Features a searchable, subject-categorized directory of authoritative websites.

Library of Congress http://www.loc.gov/index.html Browse online exhibitions, research guides, American Memory Collections.

Massachusetts Library Portal
http://mass.gov/libraries
Locate library catalogs for Massachusetts libraries through the official website of the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.

SouthEastern Massachusetts (Regional) Library System (SEMLS)
www.semls.org
SEMLS is one of six multi-type library systems funded through and administered by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.

MASSACHUSETTS INFORMATION

Mass Moments http://www.massmoments.org
This electronic almanac of Massachusetts history allows users to listen to or read about events and people in Massachusetts history.

Massachusetts Office of Tourism and Travel  http://www.mass-vacation.com/jsp/index.jsp Things to do and places to go in Massachusetts.

Massachusetts Museums http://www.museumlink.com/massachu.htm List of websites of Massachusetts museums.

Massachusetts Attractions  http://www.visit-massachusetts.com/current_category.1164/companies_list.html

Massachusetts Facts  http://www.sec.state.ma.us/cis/cismaf/mafidx.htm
From history and symbols to statistics and politics, find it here.

RESEARCH

Librarians’ Internet Index  http://lii.org/
Searchable and annotated subject directory organized into 14 main topics and hundreds of related topics.

Internet Public Library http://www.ipl.org/
Features a searchable, subject-categorized directory of authoritative websites.

Research Topics from Multnomah Public Library  http://www.multcolib.org/ref/topics.html
This list of common research topics leads to useful links.

Science Research Portal http://www.scienceresearch.com/search/
This free web portal provides access to scientific journals and public science databases.

SENIOR CITIZENS

AARP  http://www.aarp.org

ElderHolstel  http://www.elderhostel.org/
Travel adventures offer a variety of learning experiences in the United States and abroad.

Medicare & You 2007  http://www.medicare.gov/publications/pubs/pdf/10050.pdf
This is the official government handbook about Medicare with information about “what’s new, what’s covered, health plans, prescription drug plans, and your rights.

Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs  http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=eldershomepage&L=1&L0=Home&sid=Eelders
Includes phone numbers and information links about Housing, Home Care, Caregiver Support, Regulations and Statistics, Health Care, Meals and Nutrition, and Service Organizations and Advocates.

NIH Senior Health http://nihseniorhealth.gov/listoftopics.html
This web site makes aging-related health information available in a reliable, easy-to-understand online resource.

STATISTICS

Statistical Resources on the Web http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/statsnew.html

State Health Facts http://www.statehealthfacts.org/cgi-bin/healthfacts.cgi?

National Center for Health Statistics http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/

The U.S. Census Bureau  http://www.census.gov/main/
The Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality data about the nation's people and economy.

STUDYING & REPORT WRITING

Study Guide Zone http://www.studyguidezone.com/
This site provides free study guides for a variety of standardized tests used for admissions, licensing and educational assessment including GED, SSAT, SAT, NCLEX, and more.

Study Guides and Strategies http://www.studygs.net/index.htm

Citation Style for Research Papers http://www.liunet.edu/cwis/cwp/library/workshop/citation.htm

TAXES

1040.com  http://www.1040.com/
This is not a government site. It provides Federal Tax Forms back to 1996 and State Tax Forms back to 2000.

Internal Revenue Service
www.irs.ustreas.gov/
Search for forms, file taxes or research tax information.

Massachusetts Department of Revenue
www.massdor.com/
Find tax forms, information and regulations.

TRAVEL

CDC Travelers’ Health Information  http://www.cdc.gov/travel/
Offers specific information about your travel destination. Includes vaccinations diseases and more.

Currency Converter http://finance.yahoo.com/currency?u

Fodor’s Travel Guides  http://www.fodors.com

Frommer’s Travel Guides http://www.frommers.com/

Let’s Go Travel Guides http://www.letsgo.com/

National Park Service  http://www.nps.gov/

New Travel Requirements for U.S. Citizens - U.S. Department of State  http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2223.html

Tourism Offices Worldwide Directory  http://www.towd.com/
Guide to official tourist information sources.

VETERANS

Massachusetts Veterans’ Guide to Benefits  http://www.sec.state.ma.us/cis/cisvet/vetidx.htm

United States Department of Veterans Affairs  http://www.va.gov/health

Veteran’s Employment Resource Center http://jobsearch.usajobs.opm.gov/veteranscenter/ Tools and resources for all U.S. Veterans - job opportunities, forms, benefits, and program information as well as training assistance for private sector employment.

WEATHER

AccuWeather http://home.accuweather.com/index.asp?partner=accuweather

National Weather Service http://www.nws.noaa.gov/

Weather Channel  http://www.weather.com/

Weather History http://www.weatherforyou.com/history/