Ready Reference Resources

These resources have been selected by the Reference Staff at the Eldredge Public Library.  They are a list of suggested websites for popular reference subjects. 

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.FS

http://studentaid.gov
Department of Education, information about and an online version of the Federal Financial Aid Form (FAFSA)

http://www.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.salliemae.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://ctcl.org
Colleges that Change Lives is a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement and support of a student-centered college search process.

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

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

http://www.collegenews.com
College newspapers

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

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

http://www.iihs.org
Insurance institute for Highway Safety is especially useful for its motor vehicle ratings.

Products

http://www.pricegrabber.com
Price comparisons and reviews.

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

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

http://www.shopping.com
Offers comparison shopping services.

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

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

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.freeshipping.com
Provides free shipping options.

http://www.greenmangaming.com
Video game deals.

http://camelcamelcamel.com
View historical Amazon prices to make sure you are getting a good Amazon deal.

http://www.freecycle.org
This is a nonprofit movement of people giving and getting things for free within their community to help keep things out of the landfill.

 

Fraud

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

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.mass.gov/ago/consumer-resources

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

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

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Government

Massachusetts

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

https://www.mass.gov/service-details/dor-tax-forms-and-instructions
Massachusetts tax forms.

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

http://www.mass.gov/courts/case-legal-res/law-lib
Massachusetts Trial Court Law Library – Links to Mass laws, regulations and cases.

United States

http://www.usa.gov
United States Government official web portal with links to government services, information and resources.

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://politicalgraveyard.com
The Internet's most comprehensive source for American political biography, living and dead.

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

http://www.congress.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://uscode.house.gov
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.federalregister.gov
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://www.benefits.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.

http://www.factcheck.org
Annenberg Political Factcheck monitors the factual accuracy of what is said by major US political players in the form of ads, speeches, debates, interviews and news releases.

http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu
The American Presidency Project dedicated to the study of the Presidency.

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/
Real Clear Politics provides balanced, non-partisan analysis of important news and policy issues.

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Investment and Business

Investment

http://bigcharts.marketwatch.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.dailystocks.com
Stock research site with links to stock quotes, profiles, charts, news, market commentary and more.

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://www.bankrate.com

http://finance.yahoo.com

http://www.mfea.com
Published by the Mutual Fund Education Alliance, this site provides information and investment tools.

http://www.valueline.com
Independently created research information for investors. Chatham CLAMS patrons have online access.

http://www.marketwatch.com
Financial gateway for the individual investor.

http://www.prars.com
The Public Register provides free company financials, annual reports, and more on over 3,500 public companies.

http://money.cnn.com
Business news, personal finance calculators and other tools and global financial market information.

https://investor.gov
Created by the Securities and Exchange Commission Office of Investor Education and Assistance, links to SEC tips and publication for people to invest wisely and avoid costly mistakes and fraud.

Business

http://www.sba.gov
US Small Business Association- useful resource for small business owners.

http://www.thomasnet.com
Thomas Register of Manufacturers online. Search for manufacturers, trace brand names. Good for business to business needs.

http://www2.guidestar.org
Database with information about and for non-profit organizations.

http://www.bbb.org
Better Business Bureau helps consumers find businesses and charities they can trust

http://www.zillow.com
Your source for real estate values and sales.

http://www.dnb.com
Dun and Bradstreet is a leading global provider of business decisioning data and analytics.

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
The Warren Group, parent company of Banker and Tradesmen is a leading source for real estate and financial data, analytics and market insights.

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Career Resources

https://capecodgethired.com/
Regional specific job postins.

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

https://www.capecodtimes.com/jobs/
Cape Cod Times job postings

https://masshire-capeandislands.com
Cape and Islands career center

https://www.mass.gov/orgs/executive-office-of-labor-and-workforce-development
Massachusetts Department of Labor and Workforce Development

http://onetonline.org
ONet contains meticulously described definitions for 900+ job titles

http://www.monster.com
Search for jobs and post your resumes.  Monster connects companies with qualified career minded individuals. Monster.com will combine with Yahoo hotjobs in early 2011.

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

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/ooh
Occupational Outlook Handbook. Employment statistics and projections by industry and profession.

http://www.glassdoor.com
Glassdoor is the worlds most transparent career community that is changing the way people find jobs. They offer a growing database of 6 million reviews, salary reports, interview reviews and questions, company benefits and more that is entirely shared by employees. They also list job opportunities.

http://www.ziprecruiter.com
ZipRecruiter is a leading online job search engine.

http://myperfectresume.com
An online resume guide that helps you build from scratch or adapt a current resume.

http://resumebuilder.com
Another strong resume guide that offers a variety of support.

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

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Law

Massachusetts Law

http://www.mass.gov/courts/case-legal-res/law-lib
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.malegislature.gov
Massachusetts State website contains Mass General Laws.

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

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)

https://www.loc.gov/research-centers/law-library-of-congress/
Law Library of Congress web site.

https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text
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.gpo.gov
Official government site for the US Code and Code of Federal Regulations

http://www.mass.gov/courts/case-legal-res/law-lib/laws-by-source/cases/
United States Court of Massachusetts decisions since Nov. 2001.

http://www.ecfr.gov
Electronic Code of Federal Regulations from the US Government Publishing office.

General Law Information

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

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

Lawyer Locators

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

http://www.lawyers.com
Legal information from LexisNexis.

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

http://www.tsa.gov/travel
 Transportation Security Administration.  This travelers section of the website is for security related requirements for trips on public transportation.  It includes security screening information and what you can bring on an airplane.

https://www.google.com/maps
Google Maps 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.expedia.com
Discount flight, hotel, car rental and vacation packages.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/
Trip information

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.kayak.com
Compare rental deals.

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

http://www.airbnb.com
 Connects renters with property owners worldwide.

http://vrbo.com
 Book vacation rental properties.

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

http://www.momondo.com
 Source for travel deals.

http://www.travelzoo.com
Source for travel deals.

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Citing Internet Sources

http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html
 Chicago-style citation quick guide.

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01
 MLA formatting and style guide.

http://libary.ctstate.edu/citations
 Connecticut State Community College

http://www.citationmachine.net
 Automatically generates citations in MLA, APA, Chicago, Turabian and more.

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Health

MGH Treadwell Library
http://library.massgeneral.org
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.

American Heart Association
http://www.heart.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.

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
WebMD provides health information and resources for the public

Physicians Desk Reference Health
http://pdr.net
Drawing  information from the PDR, the PDR Health site provides information for prescription drugs, OTC medications and herbal supplements.

American Academy of Family Physicians
http://familydoctor.org

American Academy of Pediatrics
http://www.healthychildren.org
The American Academy o9f Pediatrics has a wonderful parent-friendly website with KidsDoc Sympton Checker to answer some of your questions based on body part and symptom.

March of Dimes
http://www.marchofdimes.org
Pregnancy and Newborn Health Education site.

Center for Disease Control
http://www.cdc.gov
The Center for Disease Control offers health information for all ages and stages, traveler's health, workplace safety, diseases, emergency preparedness, Covid-19 and much more.

National Vaccine Information Center
http://www.nvic.org
NVIC publishes information about vaccination and health to encourage educated decision-making.

Dr. Greene
http://www.drgreene.com
Dr. Greene offers info in pediatric medicine and health with a focus on green living.

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://docfinder.docboard.org/docfinder.html
This site is from the Association of State Medical Board Executive Directors to find licensed doctors in participating states (Massachusetts is not included, but there is a link to the Massachusetts Medical Board)

Massachusetts Division of Professional Licensure
http://www.mass.gov/ocabr/government/oca-agencies/dpl-lp
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.mass.gov/nursing-home-consumer-information
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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Book Reviews

http://www.bookpage.com - Book reviews and author interviews

http://www.bookreporter.com - Book reviews and author information

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/books/chapterone.htm
Look for a book, read the first chapter

http://www.libraryjournal.com/section/reviews – Under "Book News" choose PrePub Alert to see what's coming.

http://www.amazon.com – Look up the book, and scroll down.  Most books have reviews included.

http://www.nytimes.com/pages/books/index.html – New York Times book reviews.

http://www.booklistonline.com/reader-issues - Digital edition to BookList.

http://www.goodreads.com - A good place to find what to read next.

Reading Guides

(check the publisher's website; a few are listed below)

Harper Collins - http://www.harpercollins.com/ 

W. W. Norton and Company - http://wwnorton.com/reader

Penguin Publishing Group – http://www.penguin.com

Penguin Random House – http://www.randomhouse.com/rgg

Knopf Doubleday - http://knopfdoubleday.com/reading-group-center

Macmillan Press - http://us.macmillan.com/

Simon & Schuster – http://simonandschuster.com/bookclubs 

BookBrowse- http://www.bookbrowse.com

Reading Group Guides - http://www.readinggroupguides.com

Reading Group Choices - http://www.readinggroupchoices.com

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Chatham

http://www.chatham-ma.gov
Town of Chatham.  Includes town department information, reports, zoning map, housing assessments, pay bills online, etc.

http://www.chathaminfo.com
Chatham Chamber of Commerce and Merchants Association

https://eldredgelibrary.org
Eldredge Public Library

http://www.chathamhistoricalsociety.org
Atwood House Museum and Chatham Historical Society

http://www.outermostharbor.com
Outermost Harbor Marine.  Includes tide and weather information.

http://www.atlanticwhiteshark.org
 Atlantic White Shark Conservancy is raising awareness about white sharks as a keystone species of the ocean ecosystem.

http://www.sailflow.com
Tide and wind information for boaters.

http://www.wxusa.com/MA/Chatham/
Current and historical weather log for Chatham.

http://www.trulia.com/for_sale/Chatham,MA/map_v
Chatham real estate listings

 http://www.firstnightchatham.com
Official First Night Chatham website. 

https://www.historic-chatham.org/
Historic Chatham is a cooperative effort among Chatham's many museums and organizations focused on history.

https://www.stchristopherschatham.org/chatham-food-pantry/
Chatham Food Pantry

https://chathamma.myrec.com
Chatham Community Center

http://www.chathamha.org/Home.aspx
Chatham Housing Authority

Cape Cod

http://www.capecodchamber.org
Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce

http://www.capecod.com
Cape Cod information.

http://www.capecodcommission.org
Cape Cod Commission is a land-use planning and regulatory agency for Barnstable County.

http://capecodrta.org
Cape Cod Transit Regional Transit Authority

http://www.nps.gov/caco
Cape Cod National Seashore

http://massnationalguard.org/JBCC/index.html
Joint Base Cape Cod

http://www.clickcapecod.com
Click Cape Cod is a guide to the Cape & Islands for residents and visitors.

http://www.ccmnh.org
Cape Cod Museum of Natural History

http://getoutsidecapecod.com
Walking trails on Cape Cod

http://www.localharvest.org
Nationwide directory of farmer's markets, small family farms and organic food sources.

http://www.buyfreshbuylocalcapecod.org
 Source for fresh, local and in-season food on Cape Cod, including farmers markets

http://www.capecodbeachdog.com
 Explore dog friendly Cape Cod

https://www.boatma.com/tides/Cape-Cod.html
Cape Cod Tide Chart

Newspapers

http://www.capecodchronicle.com/
Cape Cod Chronicle Newspaper - local news

http://www.capecodtimes.com/news
Cape Cod Times Newspaper