100 Best Free Reference Web Sites

Summary

A listing of 100 free Web sites with brief annotations that are useful for almost all reference librarians, regardless of whether they are in an academic, public, school, or special library setting.     

Web Mirror Sites

SUMMARY

Libraries can play a key role in ensuring permanent access to primary legal information, both domestic and international. Web mirror sites present a particularly efficient and cost-effective way to collect, disseminate, preserve, and ensure accessibility to information far into the future. Through partnerships with the issuing governments and organizations, databases of official information can be loaded on a local server, updated directly from the issuing site, and captured at regular intervals to get a snapshot of the status of legal instruments as of a certain date. The result is similar to adding the various editions of a print book. The Cornell Law Library has recently made freely available two Web mirror sites for researchers and the public. These are the ILO (International Labour Organization) and the ICJ (International Court of Justice) mirror sites. The Law Library is archiving these sites every six months, thereby providing access to previous versions of a treaty article, or other information that was superseded, or amended. The many additional advantages of creating these partnerships with domestic and international institutions are discussed, as well as the process used to create the mirror sites, and maintaining them. The article ends with a proposal for collaboration among libraries to create the research library of the future. The preservation of digital law is a critical issue because information is disappearing. Libraries have a role to play because it is part of their fundamental mission to preserve information for future researchers.     

Web Sites for Human Resource Development and Organizational Behavior

Abstract

This chapter covers high-quality Web sites in the areas of human resource development and organizational behavior, including professional organizations and associations.     

Meeting Reference Responsibilities Through Library Web Sites

Summary

Among the many ways the World Wide Web has changed libraries are the additional tools gained by librarians and library users for answering reference questions. In addition to the growing number of licensed resources providing the full text of articles from newspapers, magazines, academic journals, and reference works are the millions of free Web sites offering an incredible variety of information about everything. Locating the most useful of these sites and organizing them into categories on library Web sites can be enormously beneficial both to patrons and libraries. After deciding to make their sites reference portals, librarians must make a number of important decisions.     

链接分析用于学术网站评价存在的问题及解决办法

Web链接分析是网站评价时广泛采取的一种方法。但是,网络链接受到多种因素的影响,单纯利用链接测度评价网站的可靠性受到质疑。本文系统地分析了影响链接分析的诸因素,并探讨了消除或减少误差的方法。     

Operations Management/Operations Research Web Sites

Abstract

This chapter covers the field of operations management/ operations research. The authors provide in-depth reviews of prominent sites, including those of professional organizations and academic institutions.     

Law Library Faculty Services Web Sites: Effectively Communicating Services Provided for Faculty

This article contains the results of an empirical analysis and review of 199 American Bar Association-accredited law school library Web pages to identify the law library services for faculty that are advertised or promoted on law library Web sites. The analysis ranked the Web sites based on how thoroughly a law library communicates, or promotes on its Web site, the services it offers to faculty. The analysis also identified the percentage of law libraries advertising specific services for faculty, such as those related to library staffing, publishing support, teaching support, and research services. Suggestions are included for the promotion of the law library to faculty, including services some libraries are uniquely offering.     

Services for Graduate Students: A Review of Academic Library Web Sites

A library's Web site is well recognized as the gateway to the library for the vast majority of users. Choosing the most user-friendly Web architecture to reflect the many services libraries offer is a complex process, and librarians are still experimenting to find what works best for their users. As part of a redesign of the Oregon State University Libraries’ Web site, entry points for specific user groups were created. One of these user groups was graduate students. The purpose of this study was to explore the ways other academic libraries design their Web sites for particular user groups, specifically graduate students, in order to determine how the Oregon State University Libraries Web site compared to peer institutions. This study analyzed 112 Association of Research Libraries’ Web sites and 26 Oregon academic libraries’ Web sites to determine the availability of resources and services specifically promoted to graduate students. Since graduate students may view the library Web site through the lens of new student, researcher, or instructor, Web sites were also examined to see if sites were created with any or all of these roles in mind. Nearly a quarter of Association of Research Libraries' Web sites that were examined contained a link on the homepage for graduate students, and another 20 percent provided graduate-student information at a lower level in their site hierarchy. A majority of sites had events, subject guides, or course guides for graduate students. Information for graduate students was typically framed in the context of graduate students as researchers. Ideas and examples are given for ways to improve Web site design to better serve this user group. In order to provide improved services to these students, future studies will explore what graduate students need from academic libraries and the ways these students conduct themselves in their various roles of researchers, instructors, and new students.     

Best of the Web in Economics

Abstract

The economics chapter covers key resources from government, international, and working papers sites. There are also sections on reference sites and collections of economics links.     

学术网站评价方法述评

综述了当前常用的网站评价方法，包括ROBOT法、人工评价法和实时软件测试法等客观评价法，网址评价法、形式评价法和稳定性评价法等的网站性能主观评价法以及网站内容的主观评价法。     

Best of the Industry Information on the Web

Abstract

Industry resources are another important area of business research. This chapter provides in-depth coverage of primary Web sources for industry research.     

Best of the Web

Abstract

E-commerce is one of the most popular current business topics. This chapter includes core resources of general news, how-to sites, e-commerce technology sites, business-to-business sites, statistics, and academic research centers.     

The Best of the Web

Abstract

This chapter on hospitality and tourism Web sites includes key sites for the lodging and gaming industries, restaurants and foodservice, and the tourism industry.     

Work of the Web Weavers: Web Development in Academic Libraries

Although the library's Web site has become a standard tool for seeking information and conducting research in academic institutions, there are a variety of ways libraries approach the often challenging—and sometimes daunting—process of Web site development and maintenance. Three librarians at Western Michigan University explored issues related to this topic by conducting a Web-based survey, which was sent to two librarians—Web services and reference/public services—at 149 academic institutions. Survey findings are discussed, including references to Web departments and committees, priority setting, Web authoring, soliciting input, outsourcing, content management systems, redesigns, and user involvement. The participants’ insights regarding the greatest challenges and what seems to be working or not working well are also outlined, in addition to the authors’ suggestions for future research in this area.     

Business Ethics on the World Wide Web

Abstract

This timely chapter on business ethics includes Web sites of portals, professional associations, and resources on the social responsibility of business.     

Promoting and Teaching Information Literacy on the Internet: Surveying the Web Sites of 264 Academic Libraries in North America

A survey was conducted between July and November 2012 to determine how academic libraries in the United States and Canada marketed and delivered information literacy on the Web. A random sample of 264 institutions was taken from Peterson's Four-Year Colleges 2012, and the authors checked each Web site of the academic libraries of the institutions in the sample for instruction-related activities. Only 65 percent of the libraries in the sample advertised library instruction as a service on the Web, while 64 percent of the libraries boasted research guides and tutorials. Sixteen percent of the libraries provided direct links to ACRL's Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education, and 24 percent made an effort to explain and define the term “information literacy” to their users. The authors hope the findings can help determine how academic libraries are currently using the Internet to increase information literacy on the Web and set a new platform for better strategies for advocating information literacy.     

The Library Web Site: Collaborative Content Creation and Management

ABSTRACT

Oakland University's Kresge Library first launched its Web site in 1996. The initial design and subsequent contributions were originally managed by a single Webmaster. In 2002, the library restructured its Web content creation and management to a distributed, collaborative method with the goal of increasing the amount, accuracy, and timeliness of the information available on the library Web site. The new model was successful, resulting in a significant increase in both the amount and timeliness of the information presented on the library Web site. This article details the fundamental structural changes to how the Web site was managed and the rationale behind it.     

Company Information on the Web

Abstract

Company information is a fundamental area of business research. This chapter covers Web sites for company research tutorials, annual reports, company directories, and SEC filings.     

Web2．0环境下群体智慧的实现问题

本文介绍群体智慧的含义、产生背景及作用,概述了Web2．0环境下群体智慧实现过程中存在的问题,如网络信息质量良莠不齐、知识产权与价值分配、群体决策的效率、网络恶搞、群体个人行为、迷思与极化等,提出利用六顶思考帽规范思维过程、利用群体弱纽带增强网络真实性、利用同行评审提高信息的质量、规范群体的组成、建立有效的监管和激励机制、构建和改进资源共享平台等对策,以进一步完善群体智慧的实现机制。     

Government Information on the Web

Summary

Government information is abundant on the World Wide Web, but finding that information is often difficult. The usual routine of utilizing search engines or directories does not work well, unless an individual is interested in a specific government agency. Instead, the savvy librarian will be well advised to check the prominent journals and newspapers for announcements of new sites and utilize the homepage of the Library of Congress. With some education and experience, a user can quickly find information using the Library of Congress' homepage, the Librarian's Index to the Internet, and Beaucoup.