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Electronic Reference Sources

Table of Contents:

**NOTE for people looking for journal/magazine articles:***

  • Articles
    If you are looking for scholarly articles on a research topic, you will want to visit the Search for Articles section of our website. The resources below are online reference works such as encyclopedias and dictionaries.
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Atlases & Maps

  • Holt, Rinehart & Winston World Atlas
    Includes location maps, and maps of nations include encyclopedic information such as area, population, languages, GDP, etc. along with an image of the national flag.
  • National Geographic Map Machine
    The Map Machine allows you to find any place on Earth, and view it by population, climate, and more. Plus, browse antique maps, find country facts, and view trail maps.
  • National Atlas of the United States of America
    This interactive map tool allows users to create their own maps of areas within the 50 states according to a number of variables, including geology, environment, people, agriculture, and biology. Created by the U.S. Department of the Interior.
  • Terraserver
    High resolution aerial photographs and topological maps covering the United States from the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Searchable by clicking on a map, entering a placename, or selecting a site on the Famous Places page.
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Biographies

  • Biography Resource Center (InfoTrac)
    The Biography Resource Center combines over 400,000 biographies on nearly 320,000 people from respected print sources, with full-text articles from more than 265 magazines.
  • Oxford Reference Online
    Oxford Reference Online brings together 100+ reference works into a single cross-searchable resource. Reference sources include subject specific dictionaries and encyclopedias, collected quotations, bilingual dictionaries, and more.
  • Science Biographies
    Biographies of prominent scientists and mathematicians, from Access Science and the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology.
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Countries

  • Country Studies (Library of Congress)
    From the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress: "This website contains the on-line versions of books previously published in hard copy by the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress as part of the Country Studies/Area Handbook Series sponsored by the U.S. Department of the Army between 1986 and 1998. Each study offers a comprehensive description and analysis of the country or region's historical setting, geography, society, economy, political system, and foreign policy." Funding for updating these reports was restored by Congress in 2004.
  • Oxford Reference Online
    Oxford Reference Online brings together 100+ reference works into a single cross-searchable resource. Reference sources include subject specific dictionaries and encyclopedias, collected quotations, bilingual dictionaries, and more.
  • Portals to the World
    Portals to the World contains selective links providing authoritative, in-depth information about the nations and other areas of the world.
  • World Factbook (CIA)
    Provides current information on countries of the world. Includes, geography, people, communications, government, economy, transportation, and more.
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Dictionaries

  • Oxford English Dictionary
    The standard in the field. The OED covers words from across the English-speaking world. It also offers the best in etymological analysis and in listing of variant spellings, and it shows pronunciation using the International Phonetic Alphabet.
  • yourdictionary.com
    Language portal on the web with more than 2500 dictionaries and grammars in over 300 languages, games that build language skills, and a forum (The Agora) for discussing language issues.
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Encyclopedias

  • Gale Virtual Reference
    Gale Virtual Reference is a collection of reference "e-books" that is searchable just like a database. The collection is made up of authoritative and respected subject encyclopedias and more. Gale Virtual Reference is a great place to begin your research, gather background information, or explore possible research topics.
  • Encyclopedia Britannica Online
    The online version of the classic encyclopedia, with graphs, photos, and movies. Supplemented with the Merriam-Webster Dictionary and Thesaurus, a world atlas, a timeline, and a year in review feature. Articles include links to relevant websites.
  • Oxford Reference Online
    Oxford Reference Online brings together 100+ reference works into a single cross-searchable resource. Reference sources include subject specific dictionaries and encyclopedias, collected quotations, bilingual dictionaries, and more.
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Quotations

  • Quotations (Bartleby)
    Bartleby.com combines quotations collections into a searchable database of over 87,000 entries. The sources are: Bartlett, John. 1919. Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. The Columbia World of Quotations. 1996. Simpson’s Contemporary Quotations. 1988. Respectfully Quoted: A Dictionary of Quotations. 1989.
  • Oxford Reference Online
    Oxford Reference Online brings together 100+ reference works into a single cross-searchable resource. Reference sources include subject specific dictionaries and encyclopedias, collected quotations, bilingual dictionaries, and more.
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Search Engines

  • Clusty
    Clusty is a search engine that uses a "clustering engine" to organize search results into folders grouping similar items together.
  • Google
    A popular search engine, Google indexes over 4 billion webpages. Also available are image searches and a directory.
  • Yahoo!
    A popular search engine and internet directory.
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Statistics

  • US Census Bureau
    The Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality statistical data about the nation's people and economy.
  • Datanet
    "Datanet is an online system consisting of summarized statistical information designed to serve Minnesota's governments, businesses, schools, nonprofit agencies, and citizens. The system contains statistics about social, economic, and demographic conditions in Minnesota."
  • Statistical Abstract of the United States
    As the National Data Book, it contains a collection of statistics on social and economic conditions in the United States. Selected international data are also included. The Abstract is also your guide to sources of other data from the Census Bureau, other Federal agencies, and private organizations. The online version has full text of the latest editions. Please note the title is also a link to the online version.
    • Location(s): HA202.U58 2003 MINNEAPOLIS REFERENCE Location: HA202.U58 2003
    ST PAUL REFERENCE
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Weather

  • Old Farmer's Almanac
    Charts and information on common weather phenomena, including links to related sites. Also includes long-range forecasts and weather history.
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Weights and Measures

  • Convert-me.com
    Perform online conversions for many types of measurements.
  • How Many?
    A Dictionary of Units of Measurement
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Page Coordinator: Jennifer DeJonghe jennifer.dejonghe@metrostate.edu