Wisconsin Lawyer
Vol. 79, No. 12, December 2006

Reference Sites on the Web

by Mary J. Koshollek

Looking for a word, fact, or phone number? The Web has many high quality sources for ready reference available quickly and usually free. Searching the Web with the specialized tools in some search engines will yield facts like phone numbers, addresses, definitions, maps, and some calculations, but sometimes you need an even more specialized source.

This article highlights ready reference sites, divided into several categories, that are some of the best resources for providing factual, accurate, and up-to-date information on any topic. A sidebar showing Web sites useful for reference accompanies the article.

Dictionaries

Many dictionaries and word books can be found on the Web; several are from well known publishers. Probably the most famous one comes from the venerable Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. The content of this source originates from the Webster Collegiate, with updates added annually. Each word is accompanied by its definition, pronunciation, usage, grammatical function, and origin. A synonym finder or thesaurus also is available. Download the handy toolbar to your browser for quick reference.

Another lexicographer's delight is AskOxford.com, which includes a word of the day, quotations, definitions of grammar and literary terms known as the "Jargon Buster," guides to better writing and presentation, crossword puzzle help, and a guide to how English is used around the world.

Several excellent specialized dictionaries appear on the Internet. For legal terms, check Wex from the Cornell Legal Information Institute. As the Web site states, "Wex is an ambitious effort to construct a collaboratively-created, public-access law dictionary and encyclopedia." Findlaw's Legal Dictionary also is helpful and queries Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law (1996). MedTerms contains easy-to-understand explanations of more than 16,000 medical terms. It was created by the medical professionals who authored the Webster's New World™ Medical Dictionary.

Does an abbreviation have you stymied? Abbreviations and Acronyms of the U.S. Government, maintained by the Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis University Library, offers a guide to the alphabet soup of more than 500 abbreviations and acronyms for government agencies, programs, and publications, with direct links to particular agency's home page. For other acronyms, try Acronym Finder, which has been maintained in various forms since 1985.

Directories

If you need to find a telephone number fast, try the Ultimate White Pages for searching online residential telephone books. Six sources can be queried. Simply type into the boxes the name, city, and state (or as much information as you know) of the person you are looking for. For foreign listings, Infobel includes links to online telephone, fax, and business directories from around the world. It includes white pages, yellow pages, and toll-free directories.

Governments, both state and federal, recognized early on the benefits of offering directory information via the Web. Today, the Web sometimes may be the only way to obtain listings of officials. Should you need something from the federal government, the U.S. Blue Pages is searchable by state, city, area code, agency or service, and keyword. To retrieve information from all 50 states on how to obtain birth, death, marriage, and divorce certificates, Where to Write for Vital Records will provide addresses and costs. The state of Wisconsin has an excellent Web site at Wisconsin.gov, which provides both an alphabetical list of agencies and a directory by name. The Wisconsin State Law Library also maintains a directory of miscellaneous local, federal, and international government sources.

Tracking down professionals of any kind is fast on the Web, and lawyers and doctors are prime examples. The classic search tool at Martindale Hubbell Lawyer Locator helps you to find attorneys and law firms and now has a side-by-side firm comparison feature. For physicians, look to the WebMD "Physician Directory." This site is designed for use by the general public as a quick reference of information about physicians. It shows address and hospital affiliations, but does not list credentials.

If you need help concerning mailing and packages, several sites should be of interest. To get proper zip codes for an address, or to generate a list of zip codes in a certain radius or by county, try the information at Melissa Data's Free Online Zip Code. If you send parcels, PackTrack can track the progress of your packages shipped with any one of about 60 carrier companies (UPS, USPS, FedEx, DHL, and more) with a tracking number. The site also includes a directory of these companies and a help page with general information about preparing and sending packages.

Atlases and Maps

Mapquest is a very popular tool for creating quick maps and driving directions. However, have you tried the sources at the National Geographic Society's Map Machine? This site brings together all the National Geographic maps in a searchable online database. Use the "Quick Map Search" engine tool to find a place (city, country, region, continent, U.S. zip code, and so on), browse historical maps, find country facts, and see satellite photos of almost every mappable place on Earth.

U.S. government mapping sites also are helpful for locating hard to find geographic information. A gazetteer (a geographical dictionary) and more can be found at USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). This site retrieves detailed data about specific places or points of interest in the United States, U.S. territories, and Antarctica. It includes elevation, population, description, history notes, and variant names. Additionally, you can bring up maps from the U.S. Census Bureau's Tiger Mapping Service. A new utility is available at the National Atlas.gov site, allowing you to create and print your own maps based on your own or predetermined criteria.

Almanacs

An almanac is an annual handbook of lists, charts, and tables of useful information, and several almanacs now are on the Web. Infoplease.com comes from the Information Please Almanac and contains a biography database, a dictionary, an atlas, and articles from the Columbia Encyclopedia. You also may want to check The Old Farmer's Almanac, which is the online companion of the print almanac of the same title. The online version contains information on sunrises, weather, astronomy, folklore, and more.

The World Factbook, an annual publication by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, contains basic almanac-style information about the countries of the world. Once you have selected a country from a pull-down menu, you are presented with a small map and a list of information covering categories such as geography, government, and economy. The site also is an important source for obtaining diplomatic representation information.

Statistics

Excellent statistical sources abound on the Web, and many are from respected government sources. The American FactFinder uses Census Bureau data - population, housing, economic, and geographic - to create tables, reports, and maps down to the census block level. The U.S. Census Bureau site contains the most comprehensive data for current U.S. demographics. It includes information on the nation's population, housing, business and manufacturing activity, international trade, farming, and state and local governments. Similarly, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) provides reports on employment and unemployment, prices (such as the Consumer Price Index), living conditions, compensation, productivity, and more. Another classic statistical source is the State and Metropolitan Area Data Book, which contains information on social and economic conditions in the United States at the state and metropolitan area levels. Historical Statistical Abstracts presents editions of the annual U.S. Census Bureau publication, from the inception of the Statistical Abstract in 1878 to the present.

Sometimes you may need statistical information by zip code. The Melissa Data source mentioned above is helpful. Community Information by Zip Code provides links to selected Internet sources for statistical data on population, education, health, environment, business, and politics, which can be retrieved by entering a zip code.

Specialized law-related statistical sources also are available. One important site from the Department of Justice reports Civil Justice Statistics. This site is a collection of U.S. government publications with statistics about civil court cases in state and federal courts. It includes information about federal tort trials and verdicts, punitive damage awards, and contract, intellectual property, and medical malpractice lawsuits. Bankruptcy Statistics can be found at the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, which compiles statistics on bankruptcy filings for each quarter ending December, March, June, and September. The Bureau of Justice Statistics collects data on murder rates, drug use, and crime rates in the U.S., and reports on such subjects as violence against women, capital punishment, drugs and crime, guns used in crimes, and prison populations.

Encyclopedias

While the quality of the content on this site varies dramatically, Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia is worth exploring. Wikipedia is a free-content encyclopedia that is being written collaboratively by contributors from around the world. The site is a "wiki," which is similar to a "blog" in structure and logic, but is different in that it allows anyone using a browser to edit, delete, or modify content that has been placed on the Web site, including the work of previous authors. Also helpful in this category is the source at Yahoo Reference containing the Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, which contains almost 52,000 entries.

Writing Guides

Another helpful offering from "Information Please" is found at Forms of Address, containing salutations for teachers, members of clerical and religious orders, government officials, military and naval officers, and members of professions. If you are stuck on what to call a collective of animals, link to the Beastly Garden of Wordy Delights, which contains a handy list of more than 150 nouns like a "charm" of finches. The site also lists the commonly associated sounds that various animals make (alligators "peep," penguins "bleat"); the various names given to animal young (a baby swan is a "cygnet"); and animal adjectives (if you are apelike, you are said to be "simian").

Quotes on almost every topic can be found on the Internet. Quoteland contains quotations by topic, literary quotations, humorous quotations, random quotations, and more. One classic source is Bartlett's Familiar Quotation, containing the 10th edition by Bartleby.com.

Quotes about law also are available from the University of Texas through The Mouthpiece: Lawyerly Quotations From Popular Culture. This site contains more than 200 quotations about lawyers from motion pictures, books, television programs, theater, and other popular culture sources. Most of the quotes are from the 20th century, with a few from earlier centuries. The Internal Revenue Service has put together an interesting collection of Tax Quotes from individuals such as James Madison, Frederick the Great, Albert Einstein, Plato, and Will Rogers. Note that the IRS clearly states that "[t]hese quotes reflect the opinions of their authors; their inclusion here is not an official IRS endorsement of the sentiments expressed."

Calculators, Calendars, and Timekeepers

Google has a built-in calculator among its many excellent features. The Google Guide: Calculator presents a tip sheet for Google's built-in calculation function, providing tips on how to "add up a list of numbers, convert from miles to kilometers, or evaluate some other mathematical expression." Note that the site is not affiliated with or endorsed by Google.

Online Calculators, Conversion Tools, Measurements & Weights lists resources to calculate a variety of things and includes a cost of living calculator, a Roman numeral equivalencies calculator, a time zone converter, mortgage and credit card rates calculators, a currency converter, and several other tools. If you need even more calculations, Online Conversions converts just about every possible measurement, such as acceleration, area, clothing sizes, cooking, density, luminance, mass, power, pressure, velocity, voltage, and volume, just to name a few. Should you need to convert currency, OANDA has exchange rates for 164 currencies plus historical charts of rates. Travelers also can print out a cheat sheet to facilitate making calculations while traveling.

Time and calendar sites also are helpful to plan travel and meetings. The Time and Date.com collection of clocks, calendars (including holidays and observances), countdowns, time zone information, and related tools for different regions of the world is excellent. The Official U.S. Time, from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the U.S. Naval Observatory (USNO), is accurate to within one second. Worldtimeserver.com will retrieve the correct time for elsewhere in the world. The site also features a world meeting planner for arranging conference calls or videoconferences. Lastly, when organizing an overseas meeting, check to make sure that it is not scheduled for a holiday by linking to Earth Calendar. The "Today" button creates a list of holidays around the globe for the current day.

General Sources and Online Help

Finally, if you are not sure what you need or if you want to be fairly comprehensive in finding data, you might want to try a classified collection of reference tools like the ones at the Internet Public Library. This site, which is hosted by the students in the University of Michigan School of Information, not only lists reference sources but also has an "Ask a Question" page. Another great site comes from the American Library Association: Best Free Reference Sites, which annually recognizes outstanding reference sites on the Web. Since 1995, Refdesk.com has offered a free and family-friendly Web site that indexes and reviews quality, credible, and current Web-based resources.

Last of all, if you are not having success finding the sought-after information on the Web, or are unsure of which sources are appropriate to search, consult a librarian. Some public libraries now offer online assistance, like "Ask Away" offered through the Milwaukee and Madison public libraries. Help may be just a click away.

Wisconsin Lawyer