Northland Public Library | Reference Desk

Reference Desk: Recommended Websites

Art & Antiques

Kovels Online
Offers prices and collecting tips from America's antique experts, Ralph and Terry Kovel.
Web Gallery of Art
This remarkable art history site offers over 10,000 images dating AD1100 to 1800. Helpful comments and guided tours of famous buildings add to this site's appeal.
Artcyclopedia
Offers an alphabetical listing of artists, subjects, mediums and art movements through history.

Baby Boomers

Business

Yahoo! Finance
The best overall investment site on the web, with stocks, bonds, mutual funds, news, earnings, splits and more! Check out the research and education section for top performers, real time and after-hours quotes.
Big Charts
An excellent site for historical quotes as well as information about the best and worst performing stocks within an industry.
Corporate Information
Corporate profiles of 20,000 companies and links to over 350,000 companies in 100+ countries. Corporations are indexed by state, country and industry.

Computers

CNet
Hardware and software reviews, internet service provider information, technology news, e-business and web authoring information and lots more!
ZDNet
Much like CNet, but also includes technology career information and a personal tech section with info about electronics and home entertainment.
PC World.com
How-tos and interactive tools to help you solve your computer problems. Also has selected articles from the magazine!
Computers and Internet Links
A large collection of sites for all sorts of computer-related subjects, by the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.

Consumer Information

Better Business Bureau
Reports on fraudulent business and fundraising practices. Contains database of reports on businesses, nonprofits and charities. Complaints may be registered online.
Consumer Reports Online
Consumer news, safety alerts, product recalls, manufacturer locator, and links to consumer agencies. Subscription section with ratings and recommendation reports ($3.95 per month)
NADA Used Vehicle Values and Appraisal Guide
Price information for new, used and classic cars, boats, RVs, motorcycles, ATVs, snowmobiles, and more

Cooking

Allrecipes
Recipes for everything from soup to nuts. Features "Dinner in an Instant" and "Meal of the Day."
Copykat
Re-creations of favorite restaurant dishes, cookbook recommendations, featured recipes and links to other good cooking sites.
Bon Appetit
Great for fancier recipes or more exotic ingredients, but also includes "Every-night Cooking" and "Cooking for Health." Includes sources to purchase cooking equipment, ingredients, and more.

Entertainment

Internet Movie Database
Provides information about more than 250,000 movies and television titles. Searchable by actor, director, production crew, or filming location.
All Movie Guide
An easy-to-use website that offers reviews, biographies, ratings, images and more on thousands of movies.
American Film Institute
Top 100 lists for greatest film, funniest, thrillers, bests of the year and more.
Rotten Tomatoes
Movies rated on scale of 0-100%, or "rotten" to "fresh". Multiple reviews for each movie.
All Music Guide
Comprehensive information on all types of music. Offers reviews, performance credits, track titles and much more. Browse by genre or search by artist, album and song title.
Classical Net
Provides information on the composers and features over 1500 CDs. Also has suggestions for buying classical music and links to a wide array of classical music sites.
Billboard Online
Online companion to the print magazine. Includes are music reviews, news, and some of the charts from the past week.

General Reference

RefDesk.com
Facts and links to more facts! National and international news, facts-of-the-day, reference resources, dictionaries, encyclopedias and a lot more.
Merriam-Webster Online
Provides access to both Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary and Thesaurus in English, as well as access to 1800 dictionaries for 230 other languages!
Calculators Online
Alphabetically indexed links to all types of calculators and tables.
MLA Guide for Writing Research Papers
Shows how to format citatations or footnotes for print and online references based on Modern Language Association guidelines.
Statistical Abstract of the United States
A wide range of statistics are available here, provided by the United States Bureau of the Census.

Health & Medicine

Health Information for the Consumer
By the University of Pittsburgh Health Science Library. Links to health topics, information about drugs, medical tests and surgical procedures, and local health resources.
MEDLINEplus
U.S. National Library of Medicine consumer site. Provides access to extensive information about specific diseases and conditions.
National Institute of Mental Health
Offers information about the symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of mental illness.
Alternative Medicine Homepage
Created by a medical librarian, this page is a starting point for information on unconventional, alternative and innovative therapies.
KidsHealth
Presented by the Nemours Foundation. Offers up-to-date information about childhood health, growth and illness.
FirstGov for Seniors Health Page
Gateway to senior health information from the U.S. government. Includes links to information on general health resources, specific diseases, medical coverage, and professional resources.
Health Care Resources in Allegheny County for Uninsured or Underinsured
Health News Review

Home & Garden

Home and Garden Television
Provides comprehensive information for the home enthusiast. Step-by-step instructions for thousands of projects and tips from some of America's best homebuilders, remodelers, interior designers, gardeners, craft experts and lifestyle hosts.
DIY: Do It Yourself Network
All sorts of projects including home improvements, arts and crafts, decorating and design.
Organic Gardening
Provides in-depth, zone-based advice and solutions for organic gardens. Check out the archives for a wide variety of past articles from the magazine.
The Garden Gate
Offers gardeners a well-organized collection of databases, glossaries, FAQs, virtual garden tours and online books and catalogs.