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Catawba College / CLB Library / Services / Reference / Virtual Reference Desk / Ready Reference

Virtual Reference - Ready Reference

Almanacs
InfoPlease
Combining the contents of an encyclopedia, a dictionary, an atlas and several up-to-the minute almanacs loaded with statistics, facts, and historical records, Infoplease places the resources of an entire reference information center at your fingertips.
CIA World Factbook
Offers country profiles and reference maps.
Dictionaries
American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language
The Wordsmyth English Dictionary
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary
OneLook Dictionaries
Allows you to search for multiple definitions of a word from a variety of online dictionaries.
Encarta World English Dictionary
YourDictionary.com
This resource provides an English dictionary and thesaurus, as well as several foreign language dictionaries.
A Dictionary of Slang
This resource offers links to various slang dictionaries available on the web.
Encyclopedias
Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia.com
Encyclopedia that also provides access and links to full-text articles from various publications for a fee via E-library.
Quotations
Bartlett's Quotations
Columbia World of Quotations
Quotations by authors constitute this authoritative collection.
Simpson's Contemporary Quotations
Features thousands of quotes culled from the period 1950 to 1988, including source, date, and occasion.
Thesauri
AskOxford.com
Contains a dictionary and thesaurus, as well as quotations, word of the day, games, and lexicography.
Roget's Thesaurus
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus
Abbreviations
All that JAS
Journal Abbreviation Sources is a registry of Web resources that list or provide access to the full title of journal abbreviations.
Acronym Finder
Searchable database containing common acronyms and abbreviations about all subjects, with a focus on computers, technology, telecommunications, and the military.
The World Wide Web Acronym and Abbreviation Finder
Acronyms from all subject areas.