Virtual Reference Desk


Solano County Public Library

Use your public library card to connect to SNAP to search the county library card catalog and connect to their online databases.

Bibliographies and Citations

Citation Machine
is a free, easy-to-use, online service that will quickly create properly formatted citations for MLA or APA style bibliographies. Simply fill in the blanks and then copy and paste into your document!
MLA Citation Guide
Prepared by Purdue University, this terrific guide provides examples of every imaginable citation.

Biography

Biography.com
Over 25,000 biographies from A&E are presented here. Lots of photos are available, too.
The National Inventors Hall of Fame
A great site for photos and biographies of inventors. You can search by inventor's name, use the index, and check out the timeline of inventions
American Experience: The Presidents
Background information, election results, cabinet members, notable events, and some points of interest on each of the presidents. Links to biographies, historical documents, audio and video files, and other presidential sites are also included to enrich this site.
Women's biographies
This site has biographies of women who contributed to our culture in many different ways. There are writers, educators, scientists, heads of state, politicians, civil rights crusaders, artists, entertainers, and others. Some were alive hundreds of years ago and some are living today.
 

Dictionaries and Thesaurus

Information Please Dictionary and Encyclopedia
Dictionary, encyclopedia, almanac, and atlas all in one!
Merriam-Webster Dictionary and Thesaurus
This online version of the popular dictionary and thesaurus is easy to use and provides tens of thousands of definitions and synonyms.
Virtual Thesaurus
is an animated display of words and meanings -- a visual representation of the English language. Looking up a word creates a visualization with your word in the center of the display, connected to related words and meanings. You can then click on these words or meanings to explore further.
Webopedia: Online Computer Dictionary for Internet Terms and Technical Support.
Online dictionary and search engine for computer and Internet technology.

Encyclopedias

Britannica.com
The complete Encyclopedia Britannica and more. "Selected articles from more than 70 of the world's top magazines--including Newsweek, Discover, and The Economist - provide additional feature and current-events coverage.
FindArticles.com
This database of "hundreds of thousands of articles from more than 300 magazines and journals, dating back to 1998" can be searched by all magazines, magazines within categories, or specific magazine.
Information Please Dictionary and Encyclopedia
Completely searchable, this online resource will lead you to information about people, places, and events.
World Book Online
The complete World Book Encyclopedia is available to you online. For home access, please pick up the user name and password in the library.

Maps and Atlases

Historical Atlas of the 20th Century
Maps illustrating what was going on in the world at specific times in the twentieth century in cities, government, war, religion, international relations, living conditions, economics, and more. There are also maps showing specific places and events (Asia, Africa, Cold War, earthquakes, the League of Nations, etc.).
The National Atlas of the United States of America
This site provided by the US Department of the Interior will allow you to create custom-made maps of the U.S.
World Atlas and Geography Facts
Maps of the entire world are available for you, free and online.
WorldFactbook2008
The CIA shares information about all the countries of the world with you! Here you will find maps and country profiles.
Yahoo! Maps and Driving Directions
Just type in an address or city to find maps and driving directions.

Newspapers and Magazines

CNN.com
Get the latest news about politics, sports, and weather from around the world.
Daily Republic
Catch up on local news, sports, and community events.
Magazine Directory
Dozens of online versions of your favorite magazines.
USATODAY
The latest headlines from our national newspaper.
Sports Illustrated
Find out what's going on in the world of sports. Go Niners!

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