Home > Online Research Resources This page is a work in progress. Be sure to check back in a few weeks for more resources! General Searching Google - Always a good place to start. General search engine. Library Spot - Well organized site for pointers to places to find answers to your questions. Their mission in their own words: "We created LibrarySpot.com to break through the information overload of the Web and bring the best library and reference sites together with insightful editorial in one user-friendly spot." The Internet Movie Database - Who directed Gone with the Wind? What is the next movie that John Cusack is in? Who plays Aragorn in Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers? It's all in there. Best first stop to settle all those movie (and TV for that matter) arguments. The National Weather Service - Sure you can also check out Accuweather, the Weather Underground and others, but don't you want to see what the official bigwigs have to say? Especially great for tracking hurricanes and other big storms. Forbes Best of the Web - Great resource for reviews on websites organized by category. For example, they have reviews and recommendations about everything from book websites to those which sell life insurance. They do a great job, so definitely explore their listings (easier than my having to include all their favorites on this page!). If you feel overwhelmed by their full listings - go straight to Forbes Favorites. Before You Buy Consumer Reports - They buy products directly (just like you do) and then review them. Lots of reviews and reports available even without a pay subscription. PriceScan and PriceGrabber both generate a list of the best prices for the product you are considering. Froogle is a beta corner of Google that has indexed sites that sell stuff - definitely worth poking at. Cars: Use Edmunds and Consumer Reports to start your search for the perfect car. Next check the most recent crash test ratings at each of these sites: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Digital Cameras: Okay, you know you want one. Now what? These two sites provide incredibly in depth reviews of every camera you could be considering including sample images: Steve's Digicams and Digital Photography Review.  ZDNet has a special section on digital cameras. Books, Books, Books The Library of Congress - No need to travel to DC, you can search the Library of Congress catalog online. BookFinder.com - Great for when you know exactly what you are looking for. Shows you a list of places to buy your book (both new and used) ordered by the best price. Web Smarts Snopes -  Your first stop when someone sends you a "I swear it happend to my brother" chain email. Super website on urban legends, online or otherwise. Education Public Schools - Use this site to find out lots of interesting statistics and details about any public school in the USA. USNews Education - Rankings and other information about schools. Tools to help in college and graduate school searches.