Reference Department

Reference Questions
Databases provided by the Commonwealth of Massachusetss (available from home)
Databases provided by the Eldredge Public Library (available from home)
Databases only available from within the Eldredge Public Library
Search Utilities on the Web
Ready Reference Links

Reference Questions

Reference Librarian Amy Andreasson can help you find answers to your questions through our growing on-site reference collection or on-line resources. We also have access to back-up sources like the Falmouth Public Library and the Boston Public Library, with its many specialty collections, including the famous Kirstein Business Library. The reference department is available to help you with any questions, be it for school, business, research, or just plain old curiosity.

If you have a reference question, please include your name and contact information, either email, phone, or mailing address. Please provide any information you already know about the subject or question. The more information you can provide the better. Please also include any resources you have already checked so we do not duplicate our efforts. Send your reference questions to or use our Ask a Question form.

MassAnswers 24/7 Virtual Reference is a cooperative project of Massachusetts Regional Reference Center libraries and other cooperating libraries, joined with the nationwide 24/7 Reference collaborative. If you need an answer after library hours, this is an excellent reference resource.

Databases provided by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (available from home)

These databases are available to all CLAMS card holders. Once you enter your barcode, you will be directed to the Massachusetts Library and Information Network page for remote access to the library databases.

From there you can choose which database you would like to use. A description of the different databases is provided below.

Infotrac (Gale Group)

General Reference Center Gold, Expanded Academic, Professional Collection, InfoTrac OneFile, Academic Onefile, Educators Reference and Health Reference Center have abstracts and full-text articles from general interest magazines, business, professional, research and medical journals. General BusinessFile ASAP has articles on business and management topics. Biography Resource Center provides complete biographical information, including Who's Who and author information. Contemporary Literary Criticism is an extensive collection of critical essays on contemporary authors. InfoTrac Student, InfoTrac Junior and Kids Infobits are all excellent sources for students doing reports. Massachusetts History Online and Gale Virtual Reference Library have also been added to the collection.

Big Chalk E- Library

A full text database of consumer-oriented magazines, books and newspapers, broadcast transcripts, maps and photographs. This database is funded by the Southeastern Massachusetts Regional Library System.

Cape Cod Times

Full-text articles (11/1/1998 to present). This database is funded by the Southeastern Massachusetts Regional Library System.

New York Times & Wall Street Journal

New York Times is full-text articles (1980 to present). Wall Street Journal is full-text articles (1982 to present).These databases are funded by the Southeastern Massachusetts Regional Library System.

ProQuest

ProQuest includes newspaper articles from the Boston Globe (1980-), Boston Herald (1991-), Worcester Telegram and Gazette (1989-) and Patriot Ledger (1995-). (Access to 12 Massachusetts newspapers in all)

Literary Reference Center

Literary Reference Center includes author biographies, plot summaries, critiques, literary journal entries, short stories, author interviews and more.

Databases provided by the Eldredge Public Library (available from home)

These databases are available from home to Eldredge Public Library card holders only. Anyone can access the databases from within the Eldredge Public Library.

HeritageQuest Online

HeritageQuest Online is designed specifically for patrons in public libraries who are either just beginning their family research or who after years of work are still uncovering their past. With over 25,000 books, the entire U.S. Federal Census, and other expanding collections, HeritageQuest Online gives any library the chance to tap in to one of the largest collections of genealogy material in the country.

NoveList

NoveList is a fiction database that provides subject heading access, reviews, annotations, and much more for over 120,000 fiction titles. It also includes other content of interest to fiction readers, such as Author Read-alikes, Book Discussion Guides, BookTalks, and Feature Articles. For school media specialists and teachers there are Standards-Based Thematic Units and Picture Book Extenders, as well as specific teaching guides for using fiction in the classroom.

ReferenceUSA

ReferenceUSA database contains detailed information on more than 14 million U.S. businesses, 120 million U.S. households, 683,000 health care providers, 1 million Canadian businesses and 11 million Canadian residents.

Databases only available from within the Eldredge Public Library

This databases is provided by the Eldredge Public Library but there is no remote access from home. Any patron can access the database from within the Library.

Ancestry.com

A Genealogy database. Search for ancestors, census records, obit collection, US Immigration collection and birth, marriage and death records.

Search Utilities on the Web

HOT WEBSITES

Google Find anything and everything with Google.
Amazon Books Search and order from millions of titles.
This link is to the text-only search page which is a lot faster and easier to use.
Art Resources World Wide Art, artists, galleries, museums, exhibitions and art for sale.
Ask.com A unique, natural-language user interface.
Bartleby.com A collection of on-line reference books.
Currency Converter - Oanda Find daily exchange rate in 164 currencies or print summary sheet.
Dictionary/Thesaurus A web of over 500 dictionaries in 140 languages!!!
Genealogy Cyndi's List is your best starting place - 26,000 links & awesome resources.
Google GroupsUsenet discussion groups
Healthfinder Health Gateway by US Dept of Health
Library of Congress Catalog A variety of search methods to find anything in the Library of Congress
LibrarySpot Comprehensive list of the best library and reference sites on the web.
MapQuestCustomized directions and maps.
Search.com Search multiple search engines at one time.
Search Engine Watch All about search engines (how to use them, how to fool them).
AnyWho Search for any person or business in US, included reverse lookup.
The Ultimates New type of index which accesses 25 net services, yellow/white pages, email...
Webcrawler Search multiple search engines at one time.
WhoWhere? Searches for e-mail addresses of persons or businesses.

College Search

http://www.collegeboard.com
The College Board features online registration for SAT and help with essay preparation. Gives profile information for colleges.

http://www.collegenet.com
Apply to colleges online, or find information about schools and financial aid.

http://www.fastweb.com
A database of scholarships and grants.

http://www.fafsa.ed.gov
Online version of the federal financial aid form.

http://app.commonapp.org
Common application for undergraduate college admissions.

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/rankindex_brief.php
An annual ranking of colleges according to U.S. News & World Report, and a database that can be searched for specific criteria.

http://www.collageanswer.com
Help with financial planning.

http://www.finaid.org
College directory, etc.

http://www.petersons.com
College directory and more

http://www.princetonreview.com
The Princeton Review

http://studentaid.ed.gov
Department of Education, FAFSA information.

http://www.students.gov
Planning and paying for …

http://www.bls.gov/oco
Occupational Outlook Handbook and training needed for various jobs.

http://www.studentaffairs.com
Links to many college related things

http://www.allaboutcollege.com
Directory to information and more

http://www.collegenews.com
College newspapers

http://www.massmentor.edu
Plan high school courses to meet admissions requirements, virtual campus tours, admissions and financial aid info, apply online for admissions. This is the online connection for students to the Independent Colleges and Universities of Massachusetts.

http://www.masscolleges.org
View profiles and find information about the Independent Colleges and Universities of Massachusetts.

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Consumer Information

Vehicles

http://www.kbb.com
Kelley Blue Book – Get values for new and used vehicles.

http://www.nadaguides.com
The NADA guides online give new and used values for cars, motorcycles, boats, recreational vehicles and more.

http://www.edmunds.com
Edmunds offers values for new and used cars, vehicle comparisons, car reviews and more.

http://www.vehix.com
Vehix has online car comparisons, check for recall information, reviews, vehicle history and more.

http://www.cars.com
Trying to find a new or used car to buy on Cape Cod? Try this website before hitting the pavement.

http://www.autotropolis.com
Autotropolis helps consumers research automobiles, find dealerships and more.

Products

http://www.pricegrabber.com
Price comparisons and reviews.
http://abtolls.com
Compare long distance phone rates.

http://www.wirefly.com
Compare cell phone rates, plans and companies.

http://www.mysimon.com
Compare prices and products for online products.

http://shopper.cnet.com
CNET offers pricing and availability of computer products.

http://www.dpreview.com
Digital camera reviews and comparisons.

http://www.dcresource.com
Digital camera reviews and comparisons.

http://www.camerareview.com
Reviews on all types of cameras.

http://www.ebay.com
Online auction for new and used items nationwide.

http://www.craigslist.com
Find new and used items for sale locally.

http://www.swapthing.com
Opportunities to swap your items for items that you want.

Internet Fraud

Do you need to check on an Internet Business?
Better Business Bureau
http://www.bbb.org

Find out if an email, rumor, gossip, etc is true.
Snopes.com
http://www.snopes.com

Do you need to report Internet Fraud?
Internet Fraud Complaint Center
http://www.ic3.gov

File a consumer complaint
State Attorney General Office
http://www.ago.state.ma.us

Federal Trade Commission
http://www.ftc.gov

Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs
http://www.mass.gov/consumer (or call toll free 888-283-3757)

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Government

Massachusetts

http://www.mass.gov
Official website of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

http://www.dor.state.ma.us/forms/formlist.htm
Massachusetts tax forms.

http://www.massrmv.com
Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles

http://lawlib.state.ma.us
Massachusetts Trial Court Law Library – Links to Mass laws, regulations and cases.

United States

http://www.usa.gov
Easy to find information, including Social Security, loans, passport info, etc.

http://govspot.com/
Don't miss this site! Contains just about everything government related.

http://www.firstgov.gov
FirstGov is an official United States Government website with links to government services, state and local governments and much more.

http://www.house.gov/
U.S. House of Representatives web site. You can search for members by state.

http://www.senate.gov
U.S. Senate web site. You can search for members by state.

http://www.usdoj.gov/
U.S. Department of Justice web site.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/
Official White House web site.

http://www.irs.gov/
Federal tax forms and publications.

http://thomas.loc.gov/
Acting under the directive of the leadership of the 104th Congress to make Federal legislative information freely available to the Internet public, a Library of Congress team brought the THOMAS World Wide Web system online in January 1995. The three major areas covered by Thomas are legislative, congressional record and committee information.

http://www.access.gpo.gov/uscode/index.html
United States Code – (tax code is title 26).

http://www.cdi.org
Center for Defense Information (CDI) is an independent monitor of the military.
CDI operates as one of the foremost research organizations in the country analyzing military spending, policies, and weapons systems. Retired military officers and experienced civilians work together to analyze military and security issues and inform the public with unbiased facts and valid alternatives.

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html
Federal Register. Database for the 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004 Federal Register (Volumes 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68 and 69) The Federal Register is the official daily publication for Rules, Proposed Rules, and Notices of Federal agencies and organizations, as well as Executive Orders and other Presidential Documents.

http://govbenefits.gov
Govbenefits.gov is a web site managed by the U.S. Department of Labor and is designed to help citizens find out what government benefits they may be eligible to receive.

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Investment and Business

Investment

www.bigcharts.com
Includes historical stock quotes.

http://www.annualreportservice.com
Free annual reports, either online or hard copy. Provided by Public Register's Annual Report Service.

http://www.fool.com
Motley Fool webpage.

http://www.fantasystockmarket.com
Fun, free and educational investment game.

http://www.dailystocks.com
200 financial links in categories such as insider reports, earnings, market commentary, stock screens, etc.

http://www.howstuffworks.com/recession.htm
What is a recession?

http://investopedia.com
Investing dictionary as well as articles and tutorials on many aspects of the market.

http://investorguide.com

http://www.bankrate.com

http://finance.yahoo.com

Business

Reference USA by American Business Directory
ReferenceUSA provides basic company profiles for both large and small businesses throughout the U.S. You can also search for industry specifics. The library pays for access to this database and it is only available to patrons with an Eldredge Public Library CLAMS card. Please ask the Reference Librarian if you need assistance.

http://www.hoovers.com
Hoovers is a business directory which includes basic company profiles. This database is not very big and mostly contains information about larger corporations.)

http://www.anywho.com
Yellow and white page directory, including a criss-cross directory.

http://www.superpages.com
Verizon super pages telephone directory.

http://www.thewarrengroup.com
Banker and Tradesmen (includes town statistics, find median housing costs. We also have this in print form)

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Job Search

http://www.capecodemployer.com
Cape Cod and the Island job opportunities.

http://www.capecodworks.com
Cape Cod job opportunities.

http://www.cctechcouncil.org/jobs
Cape Cod Technology Council. Career opportunities in Technology from Plymouth to Provincetown.

http://www.newenglandemployer.com
New England Employer. Job opportunities in New England.

http://www.boston.com/jobs/cape
Cape Cod job opportunities.

http://www.detma.org
Massachusetts Department of Labor and Workforce Development, witha link to the Hyannis office www.capejobs.com.

http://www.monster.com
Search for jobs and post your resumes. Monster connects companies with qualified career minded individuals.

http://hotjobs.yahoo.com
Search for jobs and create an online resume.

http://www.careeronestop.org
Career One Stop has nationwide career and workforce information. This site is sponsored by the US Department of Labor.

http://www.employmentguide.com
Search for jobs by city, country, or employer.

http://www.truecareers.com
TrueCareers, formerly Careercity, was launched by the publishers of the Knock ‘Em Dead books and Job Bank books. This site is specifically designed for those technical and professional people seeking positions in their chosen field. You can post resumes and look at job listings.

http://www.careerbuilder.com
A giant web site that searches more than 50 other web sites for jobs.

http://www.jobsearchengine.com
Like Career Builder, this sites allows you to search up to 10 different job banks for jobs nationwide.

http://www.careersuccessassociates.com/links.html
Along with job skill coaching and training, this site offers links to professional networking organizations.

http://www.flipdog.com
job search engine, powered by Monster, with access to a large job database and helpful career resume tools.

http://www.indeed.com
Search engine for job sites, newspapers, associations and company career pages.

http://www.transitionsabroad.com
The guide to learning, living and working overseas.

http://www.salaryexpert.com
Search salary information by job and location. Evaluates wage in context of local cost of living factor.

http://www.bls.gov/oco
Occupational Outlook Handbook. Employment statistics and projections by industry and profession.

http://www.rileyguide.com
The RileyGuide will help guide you through many online sites and services that are useful for your online job search. Information is available in 6 languages. They do not post jobs or resumes, they don't review resumes and they cannot forward resumes.

http://www.eresumes.com
Transform your resume into electronic format and build a web portfolio.

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Law

Massachusetts Law

http://www.lawlib.state.ma.us/
Massachusetts Trial Court Libraries. The law library consists of seventeen public law libraries located across Massachusetts. This web site has two primary goals: to assist the public in taking advantage of the services of the Law Libraries and to guide users to other resources on the web that may be valuable in conducting legal research. This site includes Code of Regulations, court rules, Mass General Laws, Mass cases, Federal laws and laws from other states.

http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/mgl
Massachusetts State website contains Mass General Laws.

http://www.massbbo.org
Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers. Find information on Massachusetts lawyers, including disciplinary action.

http://www.mass.gov/obcbbo
Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers, Office of the Bar Counsel. Information on how to file a complaint against a lawyer in Massachusetts.

Barnstable County Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service
508-362-2121

United States Law

http://www.findlaw.com/
FindLaw includes cases and opinions from U.S. Supreme, Federal and District courts. (also see: http://supreme.lp.findlaw.com)

http://www.loc.gov/law/public/law-guide.html
Library of Congress web site.

http://supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/index.html
Supreme Court Opinions is made available through Cornell University.

http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode
Cornell University has a very easy to use website for the US Code.

http://www.access.gpo.gov/uscode/uscmain.html
Official government site for the US Code.

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/cfr/index.html
Official government website for the Code of Federal Regulations.

http://pacer.mad.uscourts.gov/opinion.html
United States Court of Massachusetts decisions since Nov. 2001.

General Law Information

http://www.laworld.com/
Laworld is a network of commercial law firms from around the world.

http://www.neighborhoodlaw.org
Legal information for common legal disputes, arranged by topic. Also offers legal information in Russian and Spanish.

http://www.abanet.org/aging
American Bar Association Commission on Law and Aging. Their mission is to strengthen and secure the legal rights of elders.

Lawyer Locators

http://lawyers.martindale.com
Click on lawyer locator on left side of screen.

http://www.lawyers.com
Click on “Search by Name."

http://lawyers.findlaw.com
Lawyer Directory web site.

http://www.massbbo.org
Look at Commonly Asked Questions on the left side of screen.

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Travel

Books

Hotel and Travel Index (Ref 917.4 Hot) and Woodall's 2000 North American Campground Directory (Ref 917.3 Woo)

World Chamber of Commerce Directory Ref 659 Wor
Includes US states, US cities, Canada, foreign chambers and tourist information bureaus, and more

Travel Guide Books Nonfic 910.2

** Discover New England again with guide books, historic places, romantic inns, beautiful scenery, and places for children. Browse through Nonfiction 917.4 located upstairs.

Websites

http://www.mapquest.com
Mapquest not only gives written directions and a map to your destination, you can request locations of restaurants, hotels, news and entertainment.

http://travel.state.gov
Bureau of Consular Affairs offers information for those planning to travel outside the U.S.

http://www.fodors.com
Travel guides and more.

http://www.lonelyplanet.com
Travel guides and more.

http://www.nationalgeographic.com
Looking for interesting vacation ideas?

http://www.tripspot.com
Tripspot brings together some of the best travel sites on the web. They have travel guides, destination ideas, how to get where you want to go, FAQ's, where to stay, what to do once you get there, and city guides.

http://www.expedia.com
Discount flight, hotel, car rental and vacation packages.

http://www.cheaptickets.com
Discount flight, hotel, car rental and vacation packages.

http://www.travelocity.com
Discount flight, hotel, car rental and vacation packages.

http://www.travel.com
International travel and vacation packages.

http://www.hotwire.com
Discount flight, hotel, car rental and vacation packages.

http://www.airgorilla.com
Discount flight, hotel, car rental and vacation packages.

http://bootsnall.com
Resource for the Independent Traveler, including hostels, eurail passes, etc.

http://www.restaurantrow.com
Find restaurants anywhere. World's largest dining guide.

http://www.travelzoo.com

http://www.travelsecrets.com
Check out the travel secrets, tips and advice page

http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps
World Maps

http://www.cheapcaribbean.com
Travel deals to the Caribbean.

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Citing Internet Sources

http://www.ifla.org/I/training/citation/citing.htm
International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) offers many citation guides for Electronic Documents, including web pages.

http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Style.html
Style Sheets for Citing Internet & Electronic Resources:
Humanities (MLA & Chicago), Scientific (APA & CBE), and History (Turabian) from UC Berkeley - Teaching Library Internet Workshops.

http://www.ccc.commnet.edu/mla/index.shtml
A Guide for Writing Research Papers based on Modern Language Association (MLA) Documentation prepared by the Humanities Department
and the Arthur C. Banks, Jr., Library Capital Community College, Hartford, Connecticut

http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/citex.html
Online! A Reference Guide to Using Internet Sources - a book by Andrew Harnack and Eugene Kleppinger. Several chapters of their book are available online, including the chapter on citation. Covers MLA, APA, and Chicago style for web pages, e-mail, listserve, web discussion, and more.

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Health

MGH Treadwell Library
http://www.massgeneral.org/library
Treadwell Library at Massachusetts General Hospital is the largest hospital library in Massachusetts and also one of the largest in the United States.

Medicine Net
http://www.medicinenet.com
Since 1996, a network of U.S. board-certified physician writers and scientists have provided relevant, easy-to-read, in-depth medical information for consumers via their robust, user-friendly, interactive web site.

Health Web
http://www.healthweb.org
Created in a collaborative effort of over twenty member libraries to provide organized access to evaluated non-commercial health related Internet accessible resources.

American Heart Association
http://www.americanheart.org

Medicare
http://www.medicare.gov

National Library of Medicine
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/hinfo.html
This web site has access to Medline, MedlinePlus, PubMed, clinical trials and more.

Healthfinder
http://www.healthfinder.gov
Healthfinder is a free gateway to reliable consumer health and human services information developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Healthfinder can lead you to selected online publications, clearinghouses, databases, web sites, and support and self-help groups, as well as the government agencies and not-for-profit organizations that produce reliable information for the public.

HerbMed
http://www.herbmed.org
Herbmed is an interactive, electronic herbal database, which provides hyperlinked access to the scientific data underlying the use of herbs for health.

Mayo Clinic Oasis
http://www.mayoclinic.com
The Mayo Clinic Health Oasis is a source of reliable health information from the Mayo
Clinic.

Web MD
http://www.webmd.com

Looking for Doctor Information?

American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery
http://www.surgery.org
Find a plastic surgeon in your area, or check on your doctor's certification.

American Board of Medical Specialties
http://www.abms.org
Check on the certification of a medical specialist.

American Medical Association
http://www.ama-assn.org
The official site of the American Medical Association. This site has a “doctor finder” which lists doctors who are members of the Association, their specialty, where they studied, etc.

AIM Doc Finder
http://www.docboard.org
This site is from the Association of State Medical Board Executive Directors to find licensed doctors in participating states (Massachusetts is included)

Massachusetts Division of Professional Licensure
http://www.state.ma.us/reg/home.htm
At this site you can check on the license of Massachusetts professionals, including dentists.

Quackwatch
http://www.quackwatch.org
A non-profit company whose purpose is to combat health related frauds, myths, fads and fallacies.

Nursing Homes

Nursing Home Evaluations
http://www.state.ma.us/dph/qtool/qthome.htm
A division of the Department of Public Health has made these nursing home survey's available to the public to evaluate the quality of care provided by the State's medicare and medicaid certified nursing homes. Local nursing homes are included.

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