Internet Picks: General Reference Sites

Start your Internet search with sites suggested by our Reference Staff

See also: Teen Room Links

Search Engines / Directories / Andover / Andover Recreation / Books / Biography / Business / Child Care / Computers & Technology / Consumer / Disabilities / Education / Education-MA / Employment / Find a Number / Genealogy / Health / History / Languages /Legal / Libraries / Literature / Massachusetts & New England / Movies & Music / News & Entertainment / Recipes / Taxes / Time & Money / Travel / U.S. Government / Weather

Search Engines:

• AltaVista: access to the largest web index.
• GO (formerly Infoseek): searches done by natural language includes related topics.
• Google: simple search strategies with ranked results.
• Hotbot: Wired Magazine's search engine.
• Lycos: general purpose search service.
• Metacrawler: query done in multiple search engines.
• Yahoo: keyword searching and a hierarchical subject guide.       Back to Top

Directories:

• Free Email Address Directory: all about email resources on the web.
• Internet Public Library:  a virtual library with sites chosen by librarians and maintained by a group of univeristies.
• Librarians' Index to the Internet: subject directory selected by librarians.
• Refdesk.com: easy access to hundreds of essential reference sites.      Back to Top

Andover:

• Andover Educational Statistics: public and private schools .
• Andover Historical Society: in depth historical information about the town.
• Andover Public Schools: the official homepage of the public schools including school calendars and telephone numbers.
• Andover Townsman: the local weekly newspaper.
• Commonwealth Communities: information about Andover from state agencies including a town profile and statistics.
• Demographic profile: Andover, MA from the 2000 census.
• Lawrence Eagle Tribune: featuring today's headlines, archives, features, obituaries, stock quotes and weather reports.
• Official Town of Andover Home Page: information about Andover's government, schools, cultural events, and businesses.    Back to Top

Andover Recreation:

• Andover Trails Committee: maps and guidebooks to the recreational areas of Andover.
• Andover Village Improvement Society (AVIS): reservations open to all for hiking, birding, and cross country skiing.
• Harold Parker State Forest: lies in Andover, North Andover, North Reading and Middleton and comprises just over 3000 acres.
• Shawsheen River Recreational Map: from the Shawsheen River Watershed Association. Highlights the many recreational opportunities in the watershed area, including boating, hiking, biking, fishing, and sightseeing.     Back to Top

Biography:

• Biography.com: more than 25,000 biographies from the A&E television network. Includes links to related people, places, and organizations.
• Find a Grave: resource for finding the final resting places of famous people, including pictures and biographical information.    Back to Top

Books:

• Amazon Book: the earth's biggest bookstore.
• Barnes and Noble: online bookstore with out of print titles and reviews.
• Bibliofind: database of 1500 booksellers dealing in four million old, used and rare books.
• BookBrowser: guide for avid readers featuring reading lists, book reviews, forthcoming titles, and author information.
• Bookfinder: used and rare book search -- very comprehensive.
• BookWire: links to book reviews, author information & book awards.
• New York Review of Books: a searchable archive of full text reviews back to 1996.
• New York Times: book reviews from the New York Times Book Review.
• Powells City of Books: the largest new and used physical bookstore in the world also has a great online presence.     Back to Top

Business:

• Annual Reports Library: links to over 1000 company annual reports --click on the Annual Reports Gallery in the Links section.
• Big Charts: access to interactive charts, quotes, reports and indicators on stocks, mutual funds and market indexes.
• Bonds Online: information on bonds, treasuries, and municipals.
• CEO Express: A portal with links to all types of business sites, including magazines, newspapers, financial info, etc.
• Companies Online: A directory of U.S. companies, searchable by name, location, type of business, or telephone number.
• EntreWorld: Information for small business owners, divided into 3 sections: Starting your Business, Growing your Business, and Supporting Entrepreneurship.
• Europages: A directory of European businesses, searchable by product, company name or business sector. Includes some company catalogs.
• Hoover's Online: business information, lists, and links.
• Internet 800 Directory: one of the most reliable toll-free directories.
• Massachusetts Office of Business Development: for help starting, relocating, or expanding a MA business.
• Merrimack Valley Chamber of Commerce: serves businesses throughout the Valley.
• Search SEC EDGAR Archives: publicly traded corporations filings required by the SEC.
• SBA, Small Business Administration: information on publications, loan programs, and local offices of the SBA.
• Smart Money: Wall Street Journal Magazine of personal business.
• Thomas Register / Thomas Register Regional Searches for finding manufacturers.    
• Yahoo! Finance: Info on U.S. and world markets, investment editorials, financial news, and more.   Back to Top

Child Care:

• Child and Family Web Guide: A directory of child development resources rated by experts at Tufts University.
• Child Care Circuit: A Massachusetts based private non-profit organization providing child care referrals, training and parent & provider services locally and nationwide.
• Massachusetts Office of Child Care: information for families, child care providers, and child care consultants from the Massachusetts Office of Child Care Services. Lists all MA licensed child care providers by town.    Back to Top

Computers & Technology:

• C|NET: provides expert and unbiased advice on technology products and services to inform users and expedite purchasing.
• Download.Com: the most comprehensive and useful resource on the Web for digital downloading.
• Junkbusters: a leading consumer resource on the control of junk communications and the protection of privacy.
• Online Netiquette: Online social graces for newbies and lazy netizens.
• PDAStreet: the most complete 3rd party resource on the Internet for information relating to PDAs and similar devices.
• Price Watch: the fastest way to find a great street price on a computer product.
• Scanning: An AARP feature on how to use a scanner
• Symantec Security Response: Up-to-date information on computer virus threats and security advisories.
• Tom's Hardware Guide: the Internet's premier resource for PC hardware reviews and news.
• Webopaedia: the only online dictionary and search engine you need for computer and Internet technology.     Back to Top

Consumer:

• Appliance 411: links to sources for manufacturers and repair parts for home appliances.
• Autozone: repair guides offer detailed information about your vehicle - everything from step-by-step repair instructions to wiring diagrams free on the web.
• Better Business Bureau: links to Boston's Better Business Bureau for area business information .
• Charity Navigator: a site that evaluates the financial health of America's charities.
• Consumer Price Index: published by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics; updated on the 15th of each month.
• Consumer World: a public service site which has gathered over 1700 useful consumer resources on the Internet and categorized them for easy use.
• Dollar Stretcher: tips on stretching your budget.
• Edmunds: links to automobile consumer site for new and used car prices.
• GuideStar: clearing house of information on nonprofit organizations
• Household Products Database: information on over 4,000 consumer brands and their chemical ingredients.
• Kelly Blue Book: links to automobile consumer site for new and used car prices.
• NADA: price guides for new and used trucks, cars, recreational vehicles, aircraft, marine vehicles, and manufactured housing.
• United States Postal Service: consumer information on products and services provided by the Post Office.     Back to Top

Disabilities:

• Andover Commission on Disability: Addresses Andover's disability needs for the town and its residents, visitors, and families with disabilities.
• Disability-related information and programs available from the federal government: on subjects such as civil rights, education, employment, housing, health, technology, and transportation.
• Customizing Microsoft products: How to customize Microsoft products for various types of disabilities; includes features built into Microsoft products and software that can be purchased.
• Massachusetts Office on Disability: State agency that advances legal rights, supportive services, accommodations and accessibility for citizens with disabilities.     Back to Top

Education:

• American Universities: a list of schools with a web presence.
• Career Guidance Foundation: college information resource.
• Certification Requirements for 50 States: links for all states, including links to online position announcements and other related sites
• Educator's Reference Desk: lesson plans, fulltext journal articles and educational materials, links to educational organizations, FAQs. Formerly AskEric.
• Federal School Code List: list of unique codes of schools for Title IV Federal student aid programs.
• Financial Aid InfoCenter: Prentice Hall guide to scholarships and fellowships for math and science students.   Back to Top

Education - Massachusetts

• Higher Education Information Center: academic, financial aid and career information for Massachusetts residents.
• MassMentor: information for students on the Independent Colleges and Universities of Massachusetts.
• Massachusetts Department of Education: includes information on MCAS and teacher certification tests.
• Massachusetts School District Profiles
• Overview and Guides to the MCAS: includes school district results and retest questions.     Back to Top

Employment:

• America's Job Bank: site of the U.S. Department of Labor and state employment agencies.
• BostonWorks: Boston Globe's Online listings of job openings.
• CareerPath: search newspaper employment ads from nineteen major cities.
• Chronicle of Higher Education: Hundreds of current job listings in the field of education.
• FedWorld Federal Job Announcement Search: abstracts of federal government jobs by state.
• MA Division of Employment and Training: find a job, file a claim, get training.
• MA JobBank: MA sections of Amerca's Job Bank.
• Monster Board: one of the largest career sites on the Web. 50,000 jobs, recruiting resources, and career communities.
• New England Employer: Databank of jobs in New England
• Opportunity Knocks: searchable database of jobs with nonprofit organizations.   Back to Top

Find a Number:

• AT&T Toll-Free Internet Directory: AnyWho Directories for toll-free numbers.
• Currency Converter: exchange rates for the 164 currencies for any day since 1 January 1990 to current.
• Calendar Zone: comprehensive calendar catalog: celestial, cultural, historic, holidays, religious, etc.
• Infobel: International telephone numbers.
• Infospace: the "Ultimate Directory" of phone numbers, E-mail addresses, fax numbers and #800 numbers.
• Statistical Abstracts: National Data Book from the Census Bureau.
• Statistics Online: statistical resources by categories on the Web.
• Switchboard: residential & business address & phone number searches.
• ZIP+4 Code Lookup: United States Postal Service site for zipcode+4 code lookup.
• World Clock: 130 world cities listed for current times plus a full list available of cities or continents.     Back to Top

Genealogy:

• American Family Immigration History Center: information on 22 million passengers and ships' crews who entered the U.S. thru Ellis Island.
• Cyndi's List: categorized and cross-reference index to genealogical resources.
• Family TreeMaker: large online genealogy resource.
• Geni: Create a family tree on this free site.
• Massachusetts Historical Society: lists holdings, policies, publications and links to New England sites.
• Massachusetts Special Collections, Archives, and Manuscripts Directory:The Manuscripts, Archives and Special Collections Directory is a guide and locator of collections residing in Massachusetts libraries, archives, historical societies and town clerk's offices.
• MassCat: A library catalog of holdings of Massachusetts museums and historical societies libraries as well as other special libraries including the American Textile Museum and Lowell National Park.
• New England Historic Genealogical Society: Genealogical Society offers some free information and a wealth of resources for members.
• Northeast Massachusetts Digital Library: Includes digitized documents of the Essex County Heritage Online Exhibit (ECHOES) and Town Images Indexing Project for Lawrence & Gloucester.
• OAIster: Offers digitized resources from over 600 libraries including full text family genealogies. 
• RootsWeb: Internet's oldest and largest genealogy site includes searches by state, surname, ship's passenger lists, and links to other sites.
• RootsWebAndover: Andover historical resources including full text of many titles.
• Social Security Death Index (SSDI): searchable database of over 68 million records created from SSA payment records.     Back to Top

Health:

• Centers for Disease Control: U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services. Health topics A-Z with links to statistics.
• Healthfinder.gov: free guide to reliable health information from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
• Human Anatomy Online: an educational site for the systems of the body.
• Lowell General Hospital Web Library: includes consumer-evaluated health sites organized by subject.
• Massachusetts Physician Profiles: a comprehensive look at over 27,000 physicians licensed to practice medicine in Massachusetts.
• Mayo Clinic: consumer-oriented online health resource provided by the physicians and scientists of the Mayo Clinic .
• MedicineNet: Medical information for the public produced by a network of over 70 U.S. Board Certified Physicians.
• Medlineplus.com: health info from the National Library of Medicine.
• Merck Manual Home Edition: full-text online version of the Merck Manual specifically written for the layperson with up-to-date, understandable medical information.
• Oncolink: cancer information provided by the University of Pennsylvania Cancer Center which includes menus, journals, consumer information, personal experiences, causes and prevention information.
• Physician Select: American Medical Association's physician information site .
• PubMed: National Library of Medicine site which includes over 14 million citations for biomedical articles back to the 1950s.  
• Womenshealth.gov: National Women's Health Information Center.
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History:

• American Memory from the Library of Congress: National Digital Library's photographs from history.
• Charters of Freedom Exhibit: site of documents from the National Archives including Declaration of Freedom & Constitution.
• History Channel: search by keyword or time period for historical events or topics. Includes a "this day in history" feature.
• History Net: Where history lives on the Web.
• History of Mathematics: University of St Andrews' history of mathematics archives with a biographies index and chronologies.
• National Archives and Records Administration: historical documents and links to government sites.
• Old Sturbridge Village: a New England community of the 1830s.
• Smithsonian Institution: America's treasure house of learning.
• Women in Mathematics: historical biographies of women engaged in the field of mathematics.     Back to Top

• Languages:

• Language Learning Library: a free comprehensive guide to learning nine different languages.   Back to Top

Legal:

• American Law Sources On-line: A compilation of links to freely accessible online sources of law for the United States and Canada.
• Code of the Town of Andover:  Later revisions and additions available in Town Clerk's Office.
• FindLaw.com: a free gateway to legal information and services includes a lawyer search.
• Martindale-Hubbell Lawyers.Com: lawyer locator.
• Massachusetts Court System: a site to respond to your jury service, change summons or request assistance.
• Massachusetts State Law Libraries: Homepage and catalog of the MA state law libraries including Lawrence Law Library.     Back to Top

Libraries:

• Boston Public Library: access to information about Boston Public Library and the BPL catalog.
• Internet Public Library: University of Michigan's virtual library.
• Library of Congress: access the vast storehouse of knowledge located at the LOC - search the online catalogs, visit online exhibits, access legislative information, etc.
• Massachusetts State Law Libraries: homepage and catalog of the MA state law libraries including Lawrence Law Library.
• Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners official website: a guide to the library resources of Massachusetts including public, academic, and special library catalogs.
• Merrimack Valley Library Consortium: homepage of MVLC including information and links to member libraries plus MVLC internet picks.
• Metro Boston Library Network: homepage of MBLN includes the resources of the public library systems of Boston, Chelsea, and Malden.
• Northeast Massachusetts Regional Library System: NMRLS homepage.
• North of Boston Library Exchange: homepage of NOBLE with information and links to their libraries along with a subject guide to the WEB.
• Public Libraries: an extensive guide organized by state.
• Talking Books from the Perkins School for the Blind
• U.S. Public Libraries on the Web: from the SunSite at Berkeley.     Back to Top

Literature:

• Bartleby.com: Internet publisher providing free access to full text titles, including Shakespeare's works, the American Heritage Dictionary, Gray's Anatomy, quotations, etc.
• Librarians' Index to the Internet: links to multiple sites about books.
• Internet Public Library: literature resources.     Back to Top

Massachusetts & New England:

• 50 States--MA: basic information about the Bay State with lots of great pictures and links.
• Boston Magazine's Lists of "Best of..": doctors, lawyers, schools, where to live, etc.
• Boston.com: the Boston Globe's homepage & links to news of New England.
• Citizen's Guide to State Services: information about state services, agencies, and contact points.
• Commonwealth Communities: to find information on the 351 cities and towns in MA.
• Commonwealth of Massachusetts: access to Massachusetts government information services.
• Essex County Registry of Deeds (Northern District): all land transactions in Northern Essex County, with research library dating back to 1869.
• Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles: renew your license or registration, check for the nearest registry, find info on tickets and laws, etc.
• MassStats: A wide variety of statistical maps for Massachusetts towns. Demographic, education, housing, etc.      Back to Top

Movies & Music:

• All Music: reviews and rates recordings of all types of music; artist biographies and discographies.
• Billboard.com: reviews of CD's and concerts; previews of upcoming releases; current chart information.
• Historic America Sheet Music: over 3000 pieces from 1850-1920, along with cover art and ads.
• Ice Magazine: music industry magazine that provides release dates for soon-to-be released CDs.
• Internet Movie Database: everything you ever wanted to know about every movie ever made.
• Leo's Lyrics: contains over 120,000 song lyrics.
• Ultimate Band List: biographies and discographies with links to fan pages and concert information.
• Video ETA: tells you when recent films are due out on video.    Back to Top

News & Entertainment:

• ABC: homepage of the American Broadcasting Company.
• CBS: homepage of the Columbia Broadcasting Station.
• CNN: homepage of the Cable News Network.
• Crazy About TV: episode titles, original air dates, cast lists, plot descriptions and trivia.
• Disney.com: Disney's homepage.
• MSNBC.com  homepage of MSNBC.com
• NBC: homepage of the National Broadcasting Company.     Back to Top

Recipes:

• All Recipes: includes recipes, menu ideas, meal prep tips, cooking terms, and more.
• Bed and Breakfast Inns Online: 2,000+ recipes - innkeeper tasted, guest approved.
• Cook's Thesaurus: a cooking encyclopedia that covers thousands of ingredients and kitchen tools.     Back to Top

Taxes:

• Massachusetts Department of Revenue: Forms and publications for the state of Massachusetts.
• Internal Revenue Service: Forms and publications from the IRS.
• State Revenue Web Sites: 1040.com links to tax forms for all states.     Back to Top

Time & Money:

• Calendars through the Ages: Calendars currently in use and historical calendars plus holidays in other cultures.
• Currency Converter: exchange rates for the 164 currencies for any day since 1 January 1990 to current.
• Calendar Zone: comprehensive calendar catalog: celestial, cultural, historic, holidays, religious.
• Universal Currency Converter: foreign exchange rate calculations using live, up-to-the-minute currency rates.
• World Clock: Current local times around the world shorted by city, country, or time zone.     Back to Top

Travel:

• About.com -- Travel: great site for a variety of types of travel. Especially interesting is Travel with Kids.
• Expedia.com: vacation information and shopping for low fares.
• Google Maps: Maps and directions to your destination.
• GORP: Great Outdoor Recreation Pages with hiking articles and maps.
• How far is it?: find the distance between your choice of places.
• Manchester Airport: MHT, Manchester-Boston Regional Airport.
• Mapquest: enter a starting point and destination for directions and maps.
• MassPort: Travel information for Boston's Logan Airport.
• PARKNET: the National Park Service Place on the Web.
• Travelocity.com: one stop shopping for low fares on flights, car rentals, lodging, and vacation packages.
• U.S. Department of State: Consular Affairs, travel information for the world.
• Virtual Cities: guide to accommodations and restaurants throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Carribbean.     Back to Top

U.S. Government:

• Census Bureau: United States census data plus links to regional and state census bureaus.
• Centers for Disease Control: U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services. Health topics A-Z with links to statistics.
• Code of Federal Regulations: access to the CFR titles online.
• Consumer Price Indexes: Bureau of Labor Statistics site for CPI information.
• Copyright Office: forms and publications for information on copyright laws.
• FEDSTATS: access to full range of statistics and information provided by 70 government agencies.
• FedForms: one stop shopping for forms needed for the top 500 government services.
• Federal Register: official publication for Presidential documents, as well as, rules from federal agencies and organizations.
• USA.gov: the official government gateway to information.
• IRS-Digital Daily: Internal Revenue information and forms.
• Kennedy Space Center: information on planned, current, and historical flights.
• Statistical Abstract: statistics from the Census Bureau and other government agencies.
• THOMAS: legislative information on the Internet.
• U.S. House of Representatives: send a message to your Congresspeople or find information on pending bills or laws.
• U.S. Senate: biographies of Senators, listings of committees, and information on touring the Capitol.
• Vote Smart Web: information on candidates and elected officials.
• White House: home pages of the President, Vice President and First Lady plus information on the Cabinet, speeches, and a digital library.     Back to Top

Weather:

• Intellicast: USA and World weather reports including specific reports for the National Parks plus USA and World ski reports.
• Boston Weather: National Weather Bureau's Boston field office.
• National Weather Service: weather reports for the nation.
• Wunderground: look up the five day forecast for your area, or check the conditions on any day back to 1994.     Back to Top