General Reference Tools

Every library worker needs a "tool box" of good print and online resources to be at hand at anytime. Here are good places to go to begin the process of finding information for all types of reference questions.

College of DuPage Library

The College of DuPage Library web site can serve as your guide to the sometimes confusing world of the Internet. When you click on "Internet" from the COD Library home page, you are led to the best in web search engines, useful reference sites for everyone, course- and subject-related web sites, job and career sources, and resources for colleges and financial aid. Always think of the COD web site as a good "first place" to start your Internet search.
[ www.cod.edu/library ]

FindLaw

"The world's most popular legal web site," this site provides law-related topics for legal professionals, students and individuals.
[ www.findlaw.com ]

Firstgov.gov

Firstgov is the U.S. government's official web portal, providing an easy-to-search, free-access and centralized place to find information from U.S. local, state and federal government agency web sites. It is YOUR first click to the U.S. government.
[ www.firstgov.gov ]

Howstuffworks.com

HowStuffWorks provides reliable explanations of how everything around us actually works.
[ computer.howstuffworks.com ]

InfoMine

Annotated and indexed, this librarian-built collection includes more than 100,000 sites and is useful to a wide range of people.
[ infomine.ucr.edu ]

Librarians' Index to the Internet

This outstanding site provides a well-organized point of access for reliable, trustworthy, librarian-selected Internet resources. Topics include Education and Libraries, Health and Medicine, Ready Reference, and Quick Facts.
[ lii.org ]

OneLook Dictionary Search

Find 6,139,483 words in 971 dictionaries indexed.
[ www.onelook.com ]

Refdesk.com

Refdesk indexes quality Internet sites and assists visitors in navigating these sites. "Since 1995, Refdesk is free and family friendly."
[ www.refdesk.com ]

StartSpot

This award-winning site helps people to quickly and easily find topical information on the web, focusing on topics that inform and educate.
[ www.startspot.com/network ]

U.S. National Library of Medicine

The National Library of Medicine is the world's largest medical library. The Library collects materials and provides information and research services in all areas of biomedicine and health care, including links to MedlinePlus, NIH SeniorHealth and a 24/7 virtual reference librarian.
[ www.nlm.nih.gov ]

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