Databases - Searching
Best of the Web
By Fullerton Public Library Reference Staff
| Basic Tools | Other Useful Sites |
| Books (full text online) | People Finders |
| Business | Ready Reference |
| Genealogy | Statistics |
| Keeping up with Changes | Students (homework) |
| Law | Travel |
| Medical |
Google [http://www.google.com/]
This is an uncannily precise search engine. Use for almost everything, including spell checking and finding quotes.
Librarians Index to the Internet [http://www.lii.org]
Find quality information here, searchable, classified, annotated, and signed.
About.com [http://about.com]
Here is a great place to get the hobbyist's view of "popular" topics on the Web.
The Internet Public Library (IPL) [http://www.ipl.org]
Use their reference section for current links to quality resources.
InfoPlease Almanac [http://www.infoplease.com/]
Quick answers to many questions. Find maps, definitions, and brief biographies here.
Merriam-Webster [http://www.m-w.com/dictionary.htm]
It's a dictionary and a thesaurus. Keep it open always.
Bartleby [http://www.bartleby.com]
Full text of the Columbia Encyclopedia, American Heritage Dictionary, Bartlett's Quotations, and many other reference works.
SuperPages [http://www.superpages.com/]
Use Verizon's interface to do nationwide searches of white and yellow pages.
Worldpages.com [http://global.wpz.com/]
Click into the phone books of over 235 countries.
The Ultimates [http://www.theultimates.com]
The Ultimates will run a name through several telephone directories without forcing the user to retype.
Search Systems [http://www.searchsystems.net]
Here is a directory of links to over 1,250 searchable, freely accessible public record databases.
KnowX [http://www.knowx.com]
Search its business, people, and professional license databases for free. If you find your person, pay a minimal fee to view detailed results.
Anywho [http://www.anywho.com]
This United States telephone directory from AT&T allows reverse phone number lookups and provides maps and directions for people and businesses found. Has white pages, yellow pages, toll-free listings, and links to other national online phone books.
American family Immigration History Center [http://www.ellisisland.org/]
Records of those who passed through Ellis Island.
Internet Family Finder [http://www.genealogy.com/ifftop.html]
Searches thousands of genealogy pages across the Internet.
FamilySearch Internet Genealogy Service [http://www.familysearch.org]
The Mormon Church provides this portal for searching their vast genealogical records.
Vital Records Information - United States [http://www.vitalrec.com/]
An important link to obtaining birth, marriage, and death record information for every county in the United States. Also provides a list of genealogical resources.
Social Security Death Index [http://www.ancestry.com/search/rectype/vital/ssdi/main.htm]
Covers those who lived after the inauguration of Social Security in the 1930's.
Nolo [http://www.nolopress.com/]
Use "Law Centers" for free information on everyday legal topics.
FindLaw [http://www.findlaw.com]
This is the first-stop, premier law resource on the Web.
Legal Information Institute at Cornell University [http://www.law.cornell.edu/]
Find state, federal, and international laws.
The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy [http://www.merck.com/pubs/manual]
Lists the causes, symptoms, and prognosis of most illnesses. Too hard to understand? Try The Merck Manual Home Edition [http://merckhomeedition.com].
MayoClinic.com [http://mayohealth.org/home]
General information about many different ailments.
InteliHealth [www.intelihealth.com/]
Consumer health site from the Harvard medical School.
MEDLINEplus Health Information [http://medlineplus.gov]
The National Library of Medicine has assembled its resources onto one portal designed for general health consumers.
RxList.com [http://rxlist.com]
RxList offers drug information and direct access to Taber's medical Encyclopedia.
ClinicalTrials.gov [http://clinicaltrials.gov]
Provides patients, family members and members of the public current information about clinical research studies.
CenterWatch Clinical Trial Listing Service [http://www.centerwatch.com/]
CenterWatch lists approved clinical trials and promising therapies newly approved by the FDA.
FedStats: One Stop Shopping for Federal Statistics [http://www.fedstats.gov]
Easy access to the full range of statistics and information produced by Federal agencies.
University of Michigan Documents Center [http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/index.html]
Local, state, federal, or international government information.
Biography.com [http://www.biography.com/]
Use this site to "search over 25,000 of the greatest lives, past and present."
Science Fair Central [http://school.discovery.com/sciencefaircentral/]
Visit the Discovery Channel's guide to science fair projects.
QuickMath [http://www.quickmath.com/]
Type in an algebra or calculus problem and have the MathScript server calculate the results for you.
FinAid: The Financial Aid Information Page [http://www.finaid.org]
Here is a comprehensive page of student financial aid links.
QIXO [http://www.qixo.com]
Here is a metasearch engine for travel, a "bot" that aggregates data from at least 27 independent travel sites – One Stop Shopping!
MapBlast [http://www.mapblast.com/]
MapBlast was one of the first mapmakers on the Web. Get directions for over 200 countries.
Indo.com: How Far Is It? [http://www.indo.com/distance/]
Tells the distance between any two cities.
Oanda.com [http://www.oanda.com]
Get your current and historical currency conversion rates here.
Weather Underground [http://www.wunderground.com/]
This site offers forecasts where others fear to tread – i.e. Cuba.
Expedia.com [http://www.expedia.com/]
Expedia, an off-shoot of Microsoft Corporation, is a major full-service travel agency with an excellent reputation for service.
Project Gutenberg [http://gutenberg.org]
The definitive Web site for public domain books online in full-text. More than 17,000 texts online so far. Foreign language books, too.
On-line Books Page [http://www.digital.library.upenn.edu/books/]
This definitive, searchable directory to books freely readable over the Web will help you find any copy of a classic written before 1922 that you might need.
FindArticles.com [http://www.findarticles.com/PI/index.html]
Free archive of full-text articles dating back to 1998 from more than 300 magazines and journals.
MagPortal.com [http://www.magportal.com/]
MagPortal collects and classifies links to those newsletters and magazines that offer current, interesting, yet free content online. (mostly industry newsletters)
Bibliomania [http://www.bibliomania.com]
Included here are fully searchable full-text editions of over 2,000 classic works of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and a few reference titles and contemporary articles. The complete plays of Shakespeare are featured and it is possible to search the full texts of the entire collection, or limited parts of it.
Hoovers Online [http://www.hoovers.com]
This is the best site for reliable, and often free, business information on the Web.
Thomas Register [http://www.thomasregister.com/]
In return for a free registration, find out who manufactures what, where in the U.S.
BigCharts.com [http://bigcharts.com]
Includes a "Historical Quotes" sections with coverage as far back as January 1985.
Yahoo! Finance [http://finance.yahoo.com/]
Current and historical company data, investment information, stock quotes from major U.S. and Canadian exchanges.
CorporateInformation [http://www.corporateinformation.com]
Register for free to find information about companies in 65 countries.
Kelley Blue Book [http://www.kkb.com]
Find the value of old and new cars on this site.
Internet Movie Database [http://www.imdb.com/]
Visit this site for an amazing amount of information about everything cinematic.
AllMovies.com [http://www.allmovies.com]
Visit this site for plot, synopsis, and reviews of movies.
Cdnow.com [http://www.cdnow.com]
Visit this site for music information.
How Stuff Works [http://www.howstuffworks.com] Visit this site to learn how everything works. Includes complete and detailed information on autos, electronics, home, and more. Excellent photographs, diagrams and step by step instructions.
Librarian's Index to the Internet: New This Week [http://www.lii.org/search/file/mailinglist]
Sign up for LII's current awareness service for keeping track of great new Web sites.
Yahoo! What's New [http://dir.yahoo.com/new/]
Get the scoop on new, hand-picked sites added to Yahoo! in the last week.
Resource Shelf [http://www.resourceshelf.com/] Gary Price offers a subscription to his unmatched updates on all things in the information community.
SearchDay Newsletter [http://www.searchenginewatch.com/searchday/searchday.html]
Chris Sherman keeps us informed about Web search trends.
BusinessWeek Online: Technology [http://www.businessweek.com/technology/]
Designed so that non-technical managers can stay abreast of new technologies.