The Librarian Recommends Archive
Our government produces an enormous amount of information every year, much of which is made available to the public. The problem for those looking for information is finding it. Search.USA.gov is the free official web portal of the US government and includes links to federal, state and local information. When you're looking for information on the environment, education, politics, the economy or many other current topics, make sure you take advantage of this great site.
The American Memory Project at the Library of Congress
The American Memory Project makes available a wealth of materials related to the history of the United States from the Library of Congress and other collections across the county. Among the fascinating texts, images (both still and moving) and sounds are early film clips from Thomas Edison's laboratories, audio of interviews with former slaves and even early photographs of the Normal School at North Adams. Take some time and dip into this treasure chest of the American memory.
Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition
The big advantage this free online dictionary has over the print copy sitting on your desk is the audio feature. If you're not sure how to pronounce encephalitides or Hegelian, this is the source for you.
The Duke Collection of American Indian Oral History
Part of the Western History Collections at the University of Oklahoma, the Duke Collection of American Indian Oral History provides a wealth of information through interviews conducted between 1967 and 1972 with members of over thirty tribes, including the Arapaho, the Kickapoo and the Shawnee. While the tapes are not available online, transcriptions of the interviews are and they provide a fascinating insight to ceremonies, customs, social conditions and standards of living.
The Exquisite Corpse Adventure
Perhaps you remember sitting around the campfire as a child with your friends, each of you contributing a section to a brand new story. Last September, a team of well-known children's authors and illustrators began contributing chapters to the online serial story The Exquisite Corpse. The developing story is being hosted on the Library of Congress' web site read.gov and is currently up to episode 7. Authors who have already contributed episodes include Natalie Babbitt, Susan Cooper, Steven Kellogg and Patricia and Fredrick McKissack. So enjoy this literary adventure as it begins with "a train rushing through the night."
kennedyseat.com
kennedyseat.com is the hot blog in Massachusetts politics. Read interviews with the candidates for the late Senator Kennedy's seat and follow the links to the many news stories which may help you choose a candidate.
Do you want to find a list of every movie Paul Newman made? Read reviews of films, old and new? Settle a bet about when and in what televison show William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy first acted together? (Not Star Trek!) IMDB should be bookmarked by every movie and television fan.
OpenCongress.org All-Congress, all the time. Follow hot legislation, find out which congressmen and women are benefitting from the health care lobby, contact your Representatives, vote on the issues, check out the OpenCongress wiki on earmarks, political ethics and the stimulus bill, and track all bills on a single topic.
