Reference Shelf
Key: E = Elementary (K–5), I = Intermediate (6–8), HS = High School (9–12), C = College, G = General Public
Ask an Expert
- Ask an Expert Sites. from Center for Improved Engineering and Science Education, Stevens Institue of Technology.
- Suitable for all grades the Ask an Expert Page provides links to experts in a number of different categories.
One of the greatest values of the World Wide Web is the people that are part of the Internet community. This
site offers a quick one-step process for finding experts in any field.
URL: http://www.k12science.org/askanexpert.html - Ask Dr. Universe. from Washington State University.
- A very curious cat answers your questions.
URL: http://www.wsu.edu/druniverse/ - Ask Doctor Global Change. from US Global Change Research Information Office. (HS, C, G)
- “Dr. Global Change” is a Reference Service that assists researchers, students, educators, resource
managers, decision-makers, and the general public in finding information and data relevant to global environmental
change. This site features a searchable database of previously asked questions, and allows users to submit original
queries. Help is available in the areas of climate variability and change, atmospheric composition, global carbon
cycle, global water cycle, changes in ecosystems, and human dimensions of global change. This site also contains
links to some of the best web sites on global change data and information.
URL: http://gcrio.custhelp.com/ - MadSciNet: The Mad ScientistsNetwork. from Washington University Medical School
- MadSci Network represents a collective cranium of scientists providing answers to your questions. For good measure
we provide a variety of oddities and other ends as well.
URL: http://www.madsci.org/
Kids’ Reference
- Ask Jeeves for Kids.
- Ask Jeeves for Kids is a fast, easy and kid-friendly way for kids to find answers to their questions online.
Designed to be a fun destination site focused on learning and “edutainment,” Ask Jeeves for Kids
uses natural-language technology that allows kids to ask questions, such as “Why is the sky blue?”
or “What’s it like to live in space?” in the same way they would ask a parent, friend or
teacher. The service combines human editorial judgment with filtering technology to enable kids to find both
relevant and appropriate answers on the Web.
URL: http://www.ajkids.com/ - Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th Edition. from Information Please
- URL: http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia.html
- Fact Monster. from Information Please (E, I)
- Information Please has been providing authoritative answers to all kinds of factual questions since 1938
— first as a popular radio quiz show, then starting in 1947 as an annual almanac, and since 1998 on
the Internet. Fact Monster is the Internet version designed for kids.
URL: http://www.factmonster.com/?link=tmplnav- Fact Monster: Almanac — Chemical Elements. from Information Please
- URL: http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0001826.html
- Fact Monster: Almanac — Energy and the Environment. from Information Please
- URL: http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0769046.html
- Fact Monster: Almanac — Weather. from Information Please
- URL: http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0772916.html
- The Reader’s Digest Children’s Atlas of the Universe. Robert Burnham. Pleasantville, NY: Reader’s Digest Children’s Books, 2000. 128pp. Library ISBN 1-57584-379-X. (I)
- Beautiful illustrations and a strong layout create an eye-catching, informative reference. This atlas visits
the planets in our solar system as well as asteroids, comets, and meteors before proceeding to the stars and
galaxies of deep space. Suggested activities for the reader encourage hands-on exploration of the concepts
presented. Glossary, Index, Universe Fact File (includes facts on our solar system and other celestial objects,
astrological and technological events, timeline of astronomy, and universal records).
Source: NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K–12 for 2001 (http://www.nsta.org/ostbc01) - Weather Watch (12 Volumes). Bethel, CT: Grolier Educational, 2000. 576pp. ISBN 0-7172-9458-7. (E, I)
- Weather never ceases to fascinate, delight, and occasionally make life difficult. Weather Watch, a month-by-month
guide to the world’s weather, is a 12-volume reference set focusing on weather and climate. There is one
volume for each month of the year. Each volume provides a factual and interesting comparison of climates in
countries and cities around the world. Hundreds of photographs, maps, charts, graphs, and satellite images illustrate
world temperature, precipitation, winds, and ocean currents. Students will find these books ideal for researching
meteorology and geography, and educators will find them useful in explaining weather phenomena in easy-to-understand
terms. Well researched, well written, and accurate, these volumes would be an invaluable resource for every school.
Source: NSTA recommends (http://www.nsta.org/recommends/product.asp?id=11945) - World Almanac for Kids. from World Almanac Education Group
- URL: http://www.worldalmanacforkids.com/explore/index.html
- Yahooligans! Reference. from Yahoo!
- URL: http://www.yahooligans.com/reference/index.html
Ready Reference Titles
Biography
- Eric Weisstein’s World of Scientific Biography. from Wolfram Research
- This resource has been assembled over more than a decade by internet encyclopedist Eric W. Weisstein
with assistance from the internet community.
URL: http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/biography/ - InfoPlease -- Biographies -- Notable Scientists.
- Search more than 30,000 biographies in Infoplease’s almanacs, dictionary, and encyclopedia. Biographies
also searchable by category.
URL: http://www.infoplease.com/spot/scibio8.html
Directories
- Global Change Master Directory. from U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. (HS, C)
- This directory provides descriptions of Earth science data sets and services relevant to global change research.
The GCMD database includes descriptions of data sets covering agriculture, the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere
and oceans, snow and ice, geology and geophysics, paleoclimatology, and human dimensions of global change.
URL: http://gcmd.gsfc.nasa.gov/ - The National Environmental Directory.
- National Environmental Directory, a directory of more than 13,000 organizations in the United States concerned
with environmental issues and environmental education. This directory is the most complete and most comprehensive
environmental directory in the United States.
URL: http://www.environmentaldirectory.net/ - Visible Earth: A Searchable Directory of Images, Visualizations, and Animations of the Earth. (G)
- Provides a consistently updated, central point of access to the superset of NASA’s Earth science-related
images, animations, and data visualizations. These images are considered to be public domain and, as such, are
freely available to the interested public-at-large, the media, scientists, and educators for re-use and/or
re-publication. Credit and caption information is already provided in the metadata for all the materials within
the Visible Earth. At the very minimum, credit must be given to NASA for use of these materials.
URL: http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/
Encyclopedias and Almanacs
- Bartleby.
- The preeminent Internet publisher of literature, reference, and verse, providing students, researchers, and the
intellectually curious with unlimited access to books and information on the web, free of charge.
URL: http://www.bartleby.com/ - World Fact Book 2003 — Climate.
- Includes a brief description of typical weather regimes throughout the year.
URL: http://www.bartleby.com/151/fields/10.html - Encyclopedia of the Atmospheric Environment. (HS, C, G)
- This encyclopedia is a one-stop source of information on a range of atmospheric issues, including air quality,
acid rain, global warming and ozone depletion.
URL: http://www.doc.mmu.ac.uk/aric/eae/ - InfoPlease.com. from Information Please (I, HS, C, G)
- URL: http://www.infoplease.com/
- InfoPlease: Almanac - Chemical Elements. from Information Please
- URL: http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0001826.html
- InfoPlease: Almanac - Environment. from Information Please
- URL: http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0873828.html
- InfoPlease: Almanac - Weather. from Information Please
- URL: http://www.infoplease.com/weather.html
- Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th Edition. from Information Please
- URL: http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia.html
Virtual Reference Shelves
- Alexa > Subjects > Reference. from Alexa Internet
- Founded in April 1996, Alexa Internet grew out of a vision of Web navigation that is intelligent and
constantly improving with the participation of its users. Browse subject categories or search this
web site. Click on “site info” to see related links (people who visit this page also visit).
URL: http://www.alexa.com/browse/categories?catid=10 - Ask Jeeves.
- Provides authoritative and fast ways to find relevant answers to everyday questions.
URL: http://www.ask.com/ - Atmospheric Chemisty Air Quality Glossary 2003 Version. from Sam Houston State University.
- URL: http://www.shsu.edu/~chemistry/Glossary/glos.html
- Internet Public Library. from The University of Michigan
- The Internet Public Library (IPL), is a public service organization and learning/teaching environment
at the University of Michigan School of Information. Activities include: providing library services to
Internet users; finding, evaluating, selecting, organizing, describing, and creating information
resources; and direct assistance to individuals.
URL: http://www.ipl.org/ - iTools.
- Quick access to selected Internet tools: search, language, research, financial, map, and networking.
URL: http://www.itools.com/ - The LibrarySpot. from StartSpot Mediaworks, Inc.
- LibrarySpot.com is a free virtual library resource center for educators and students, librarians and
their patrons, families, businesses and just about anyone exploring the Web for valuable research
information. LibrarySpot.com was created to break through the information overload of the Web and bring
the best library and reference sites together with insightful editorial in one user-friendly spot. Sites
featured on LibrarySpot.com are hand-selected and reviewed by our editorial team for their exceptional
quality, content and utility.
URL: http://www.libraryspot.com/ - Martindale’s ‘The Reference Desk’.
- URL: http://www.martindalecenter.com/
- National Geographic Map Machine. from National Geographic Society and ESRI.
- URL: http://plasma.nationalgeographic.com/mapmachine/index.html
- Refdesk.com.
- Refdesk is about indexing quality Internet sites and assisting visitors in navigating these sites.
URL: http://www.refdesk.com/ - Search for Earth Science Data Sets by Parameters. from U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. (C)
- URL: http://gcmd.gsfc.nasa.gov/Data/portals/gcmd/param_search/ATMOSPHERE.html
Copyright © 2003 American Chemical Society