Library Ready Reference

Useful Internet Links

Quotations
Encyclopedias
Almanacs & Factbooks
Atlases
Calendars
Dictionaries

Quotations
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations
Online version of the 1901 edition of Bartlett's Familiar Quotations. Browse by author (chronologically or alphabetically) or search by keyword.

The Columbia World of Quotations
Includes 65,000 quotations from more than 5,000 authors and speakers, classified into 6,500 subjects. Search full text, by author or category, or browse an alphabetical author index.

Encyclopedias
The Columbia Encyclopedia: Sixth Edition
Online version of the current edition of the Columbia Encyclopedia, a one volume, short-entry encyclopedia with more than 50,000 entries.

Grolier Online
Online version of World Book Encyclopedia, available through the Central Massachusetts Regional Library System with a public library card.

Microsoft Encarta Concise Encyclopedia
Includes 16,000 articles and more than 2,200 photos, illustrations, maps, charts, and tables.

World Book Online
Online version of World Book Encyclopedia, available through the Metrowest Massachusetts Regional Library System with a public library card.

Almanacs & Factbooks
Information Please Almanac
Online version, which you can search or browse by topic. Also includes the Random House Webster’s College Dictionary and the Columbia Encyclopedia.

Farmer’s Almanac
Online version of The Old Farmer's Almanac, published annually since 1792.

Flags of the World
Search for flags by country, geography, keyword, or title.

Statistical Abstract of the United States
Online versions of the latest and previous statistical abstracts.

CIA World Factbook
Relatively current information about almost every country in the world.

Atlases
National Geographic’s MapMachine Online Atlas
Although intended to sell maps, this site also provides free online versions of different types of maps of locations all around the world, both current and historical.

Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection
Online versions of more than 5,000 map images from this extensive collection, housed at the University of Texas.

Calendars
Virtual Perpetual Calendars
Calendars for every year in the 19th-21st centuries. You can also look up the dates for holidays in the United States and Canada from 1995-2010.

World Time Server
Provides current local times of any world clock on the Internet. It makes real time adjustments for Daylight Saving Time.

Dictionaries
The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th ed
Online version of the 1996 edition of this dictionary. Entries include pronunciation guide, definition, and brief etymology. Searchable only (no browsing.)

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary
Online, searchable version of the Merriam-Webster dictionary and thesaurus.

Rhyming Dictionary
Enter a word and the server will return a list of words with which your word rhymes, along with synonyms, homophones, and other similar or related words. Also find definitions, quotes, and Shakespearian works containing the word.

WriteExpress Online Rhyming Dictionary
An online rhyming dictionary that matches beginning or end rhymes.

Handspeak: A Sign Language Dictionary Online
Includes moving images of a demonstrator making each sign.

Diccionario de Regionalismos de la Lengua Española
Dictionary of regional Spanish and slang. It includes 30,000 entries from regions of Spain, Latin America, and around the world. The definitions also specify in what regions a particular meaning is used.