Note what this page is NOT about. It is NOT a ranking of the top five sites.
It is a selection of interesting and useful sites on each topic, each doing quite different things.

FOR BOOKLOVERS

• AllReaders.com http://www.allreaders.com/
  Special feature: the "Gordonator," a system of classifying books under many searchable fields that allows the computer to find a selection of books that most resemble one you've selected.

• How To Find Out of Print Books http://marylaine.com/bookbyte/getbooks.html
  My page on strategies and resources, which librarians are free to copy and hand out to their patrons. Part of my website, BookBytes.

• MGPL Webrary - Booklist Index http://www.webrary.org/rs/FLbklistmenu.html

• Online Books Page http://digital.library.upenn.edu/books/
  A directory of 19,000+ books available free online

• Resources for Readers http://marylaine.com/readers.html -- a presentation I did for River Bend Library System.

• Waterboro Lib Blog http://www.waterborolibrary.org/blog.htm
  Links to book reviews, author interviews, online articles and web sites about books, and more.
  
  
  

  FOR KIDS

• Crafts for Kids http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/
  "crafts projects using materials found around the house, like egg cartons, cardboard, paper, boxes, string, crayons, paint, glue, etc."

• Games Kids Play http://www.gameskidsplay.net/
  "rules for playground games, verses for jump-rope rhymes, and much more."

• Internet Picture Dictionary http://www.pdictionary.com/
  kid-level, with cartoon illustrations. Includes some word games.

• Kids Click - Web Search for Kids by Librarians http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/KidsClick!/
  a good master directory of kids' sites; the search engine searches just those chosen sites.

• World of Reading - Book Reviews for Kids, by Kids [Ann Arbor District Library] http://worldreading.org/
  Browse by subject, search by title or author, or browse by the country reviewers come from to find what books are popular with kids in other countries.
  
  
  

  FOR SENIORS

• FirstGov for Seniors - Travel and Leisure http://www.seniors.gov/travel.html

• Grandparents' Web http://www.cyberparent.com/gran/

• MedlinePlus - Seniors' Health http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/seniorshealthgeneral.html

• SeniorLaw Resources http://www.seniorlaw.com/resource.htm

• Senior Living http://seniorliving.miningco.com/
  Along with AARP, one of the best comprehensive sites, with topically organized links, articles, a discussion forum, and a human guide to answer questions.

  
  
  
  

  FOR SPANISH SPEAKERS

• HispanicOnline.com http://www.hispaniconline.com

• Información Gubernamental en Español http://library.nevada.edu/govpub/egovpub.html
  Guide to Spanish-language government web sites.

• MEDLINEplus Informacion de Salud de la Biblioteca Nacional de Medicina http://medlineplus.gov/esp/
  What many of us have been waiting for -- MedlinePlus in Spanish.

• Para los Ninos http://www.multcolib.org/libros/ref/spkids.html

• SOL-PLUS http://www.sol-plus.net/index.htm

  
  
  
  

  FOR LIBRARIANS

• ExLibris http://marylaine.com/exlibris/

• Librarians Index to the Internet http://lii.org/

• Library Link of the Day http://www.tk421.net/librarylink/

• LISNews http://www.lisnews.com/

• The Virtual Chase http://www.virtualchase.com/

• Web4Lib and Web4Lib Archive http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/Web4Lib/ and http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/Web4Lib/archive.html
  
  
  

  FOR TEENS

• Bettendorf Public Library Teens Page http://www.bettendorflibrary.com/teen/index.htm

• High School Hub http://www.highschoolhub.org/hub/hub.cfm
  in addition to the usual subject categories, includes a good reference collection and handy things like college prep quiz, guides to misspelled words, musical terms, world capitals, etc.

• IPL TeenSpace http://www.ipl.org/div/teen/

• TeenLink: for Teen Readers, Writers and Dreamers - NYPL http://www2.nypl.org/home/branch/teen/index.cfm

• UT Career Services - What Can I Do with This Major? http://career.utk.edu/mike/students/majors/majorsindex.asp
  
  
  

  ART

• ArtCyclopedia: the Fine Art Search Engine http://www.artcyclopedia.com/

• ArtsEdge: the National Arts and Education Information Network http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/

• Daryl Cagle's Professional Cartoonists' Index http://cagle.slate.msn.com/

• International Art Museum Directory - ArtSeek http://www.artseek.com/institutions/museums/

• Metropolitan Museum of Art's Timeline of Art History http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/splash.htm

  
  
  
  

  BUSINESS

• Business.com: the search engine for business information http://www.business.com/ -- search for products and services in a directory containing more than 400,000 listings within 25,000 industry, product and service subcategories.

• Business Daily Review http://businessdailyreview.com/
  A daily roundup of the best feature stories and book reviews in business magazines' online editions.

• Free Complete Toolkit for Boards http://www.managementhelp.org/boards/boards.htm

• Hoover's Online: the Business Network http://www.hoovers.com/
  free company "capsules" include address, phone, web site, key execs, stock info, business description, number of employees, sales, subsidiaries, top competitors, recent news stories. Paid members can get even more info here.

• Smart Money http://smartmoney.com/
  a magazine, a collection of tools, a guide to personal finance, and more. Like Hoover's, has a stock screener.
  
  
  

  COMPUTING AND INTERNET

• About-the-Web Internet Guide - an Internet Guide for Newcomers http://www.about-the-web.com/

• Annoyances.org http://www.annoyances.org/
  "the most complete collection of information assembled for and by actual users of Microsoft Windows." Shows you how to enable features you do want, turn off the annoying ones you don't, improve performance,troubleshoot, customize your display, icons, keyboard mapping, etc.

• InfoPeople How To Guides http://www.infopeople.org/howto/
  topics like html, web page design, adding security to public terminals, evaluating internet sources, etc.

• PC Magazine - Top 200 Web Sites http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,912123,00.asp
  The top 5 sites, in their opinion, for virtually every subject.

• Webopedia - Online Dictionary for Computer and Internet Terms http://www.pcwebopedia.com/

• ZDNet http://www.zdnet.com/
  Great resource for tech news, virus info, downloads, reviews of software and hardware, articles, and more.
  
  
  

  CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES

• Almanac of Policy Issues http://www.policyalmanac.org/

• Homework Center -- Social Issues http://www.multnomah.lib.or.us/lib/homework/sochc.html
  for each issue, resources neatly divided into "support," "oppose," and "legislation."

• FACSNET Top Issues http://www.facsnet.org/issues/apd/aptoday.php3
  A service from AP for reporters, this "annotated digest provides Internet and FACSNET links to enhance depth and analysis in reporting selected Associated Press stories." It provides links to primary sources -- speeches, news releases, government reports, laws, statistics, etc. -- for current news stories.

• Hot Paper Topics http://library.sau.edu/bestinfo/Hot/hotindex.htm
  the page I designed for Best Information on the Net

• Public Agenda Online: Public Opinion and Public Policy http://www.publicagenda.com/
  Nonpartisan issue guides and public opinion on critical public issues. The guide on abortion, for example, includes an overview, a digest of recent news stories, facts and trends in graph form, a guide to who the players are and how to reach them, areas of public consensus and division, cautionary notes on survey findings, and more.
  
  
  

  EDUCATION

• Colorado Virtual Library for Kids http://aclin.org/
  Click on Teachers; sites for kids may be searched by grade level, subject, and state curriculum guidelines

• Homeschooling Information from the National Home Education Network - For Librarians
  http://www.nhen.org/librarian/default.asp?id=193
  Tells librarians what kind of support home schooling parents want from libraries.

• Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/

• ThinkQuest: Library http://thinkquest.org/library/index.html

• Virtual Middle School Library http://www.sldirectory.com/virtual.html -- note the resource page for school librarians.
  
  
  

  FOOD AND NUTRITION

• BuzzToolBoxBlog - Cookin' with Google http://www.buzztoolbox.com/archives/000010.shtml
  Type in ingredients you have available and ask for recipes containing them; you'll get Google results.

• a Culinary World Tour http://www.gumbopages.com/world-food.html -- international recipes.

• Fast Food Facts http://www.olen.com/food/

• Food Allergy Network http://www.foodallergy.org/

• the Food Timeline http://www.gti.net/mocolib1/kid/food.html

• NutritionData's Nutrition Facts Calorie Counter http://www.nutritiondata.com/

• Vegetarian Resource Group http://www.vrg.org/
  
  
  

  GOVERNMENT INFORMATION

• FirstGov - Frequently Asked Questions of the US Government http://www.firstgov.gov/Contact/Faq.shtml

• Forms from the Feds http://exlibris.memphis.edu/govpubs/forms.htm

• Google Uncle Sam http://www.google.com/unclesam

• Government Guide http://www.governmentguide.com/main.adp -- Searchable, browsable guide to online federal, state and local government resources. Input your zip code before you search or browse, and your results will highlight (but not limit to) your local government resources.

• Stateline.org: Your Source for State News http://www.stateline.org/
  State government news with links to state statistics and keyword search through news stories across or within states

• University of Michigan Documents Center http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/
  
  
  

  HEALTH

• Diagnostic Tests: the Family Health Guide http://www.health.harvard.edu/fhg/diagnostics.shtml
  Answers the doctors rarely have time to give you about the test they've scheduled you for: what it's for, how to prepare for it, what will happen, what risks there may be, what you have to do afterward, and how long before you get the results.

• Kids Health http://kidshealth.org/index_noflash.html
  Medical experts of the Nemours Foundation offer advice on physical and emotional health issues. Separate access points for parents, kids, and teens. The section for Teens takes their questions seriously and offers responsible advice. The section for Parents offers both medical and parenting advice. A new section has been added on kids' worries about war.

• Medical Reference for Non-Medical Librarians http://denison.uchsc.edu/outreach/medbib3.htm

• Medline Plus http://medlineplus.gov/
  The best single one-stop source. Includes authoritative info for laypersons on medical conditions, drug info, medical dictionaries and encyclopedias, doctor finders, and hospital finders. Also includes sections on the specific health concerns of men, women, children, and the elderly.

• SupportPath.com http://www.supportpath.com/
  A central spot for finding support groups, bulletin boards, FAQ files and primary organizations for a wide variety of medical conditions. Use with caution. Support groups will tell patients what doctors cannot: what it's like to have the disease, and how it, and the treatments, affect day to day life.
  
  
  

  HISTORY

• Best of History Web Sites http://www.besthistorysites.net/

• DoHistory http://www.dohistory.org/

• Historical Maps http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/historical/index.html

• History Detectives http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/ -- like the PBS show, this explains how and where to go about answering historical questions.

• HyperHistory http://www.hyperhistory.com/online_n2/History_n2/a.html
  shows the simultaneity of events in history, arts, science and technology

• Internet Modern History Sourcebook http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/modsbook.html
  or any of the other sourcebooks Prof. Halsall has provided, women's history, history of science, history of Islam, etc. Rich source of primary documents, organized to teach both chronology of events and important themes..
  
  
  

  HOW TO...

• AutoSite Maintenance - Trouble Shooting Guide http://autosite.com/garage/symptoms/trblsht.asp

• DIY - the Do It Yourself Network http://www.diynet.com/

• Free Checklists for Home Maintenance and Repair and for Better Living http://www.checklists.com/homemaintenanceandrepair.html

• Gardeners Net http://gardenersnet.com/

• Handyman USA http://www.handymanusa.com/

• Hints from Heloise http://www.heloise.com/
  
  
  

  IMAGE SOURCES

• Collection Finder: American Memory http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/finder.html

• Ditto.com http://ditto.com/
  An image search engine. AlltheWeb and Google both have good image search engines as well.

• Finding Images and Sounds on the Web http://marylaine.com/images.html

• Princeton 3D Models Search Engine http://shape.cs.princeton.edu/search.html

• Virtual Museums Exhibits http://www.museumstuff.com/exhibits/index.html
  
  
  

  LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

• Common Errors in English http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/index.html

• the Language Construction Kit http://www.zompist.com/kit.html
  How better to get kids to care about the rules of language than by letting them construct their own?

• the Word Spy http://www.wordspy.com/index.asp

• World Wide Words http://www.quinion.com/words/

• Academy of American Poets http://www.poets.org/

• Internet Public Library: Literary Criticism http://www.ipl.org/div/litcrit/

• Today in Reading, Toronto Public Library http://www.tpl.toronto.on.ca/rec_day.jsp
  
  
  

  LAW

• American Bar Association LawInfo http://www.abalawinfo.org/

• Legal Information Institute at Cornell http://www.law.cornell.edu/

• Library Law http://www.librarylaw.com/

• LLRX.com - Short Takes: 50 Recommended Links for Legal Researchers http://www.llrx.com/extras/shorttakes7.htm
  From law librarian Sabrina Pacifici, one of the founders of LLRX.

• The Virtual Chase http://www.virtualchase.com/
  A guide to legal research from law librarian Genie Tyburski
  
  
  

  MEDIA AND JOURNALISM

• Epguides.com http://www.epguides.com/
  Find out what happened on the episodes you missed of your favorite shows.

• TV Acres - The Web's Ultimate Guide to Television Program Facts http://www.tvacres.com/homepage_tv_acres.htm
  A subject guide to "Characters, Places, and Things that appeared on television programs broadcast in the USA from the 1940s to the present."

• CyberJournalist http://www.cyberjournalist.net/

• J-Lab: Cool Stuff [Interactive News Experiments] http://www.j-lab.org/coolstuff.html
  Includes some projects that would be wonderfully helpful to citizens, such as the NHPR Budget Balancer ("Allocate funds for the state budget in 11 different areas for your ideal and "best guess" budgets, then compare your spending priorities to the actual state budget").

• Journalists Toolbox http://www.journaliststoolbox.com/
  
  
  

  MUSIC

• AMG All Music Guide http://www.allmusic.com/

• ArtistDirect Network http://www.artistdirect.com/

• SongFacts.com http://www.songfacts.com/

• This Day in Music http://www.thisdayinmusic.com/

• Wedding Song Library http://www.weddingromance.com/music/index.html

• Worldwide Internet Music Resources http://www.music.indiana.edu/music_resources/
  
  
  

  NATURE AND ENVIRONMENT

• American Field Guide http://www.pbs.org/americanfieldguide/
  Over 1200 PBS video clips of American wilderness

• eNature.com http://www.enature.com/main/home.asp
  Includes online field guides to birds, butterflies, native plants, seashells, and more. Also, regional wildlife guides by zip code, "bird of the day," "ask an expert," and more.

• Environmental Protection Agency http://www.epa.gov/epahome/index.html

• The Green Guide: Informing Today's Choices, Shaping Tomorrow's World http://www.thegreenguide.com/
  "the premiere consumer source for practical everyday actions benefiting environmental and personal health." You'll find product reports, label-reading advice, good ideas, news on community initiatives, etc.

• Natural History Museums and Collections http://www.lib.washington.edu/sla/natmus.html

• Science Webcams http://www.bottomquark.com/sections.php?op=viewarticle&artid=11
  Where you can watch rhinos, hissing cockroaches, the US base in Antarctica, or even move a robot arm to stack blocks or build a model railroad -- and lots more besides
  
  
  

  REFERENCE

• Bartleby http://bartleby.com/
  Search through a wide variety of online reference books and texts.

• Epinions.com http://www.epinions.com/
  view users' opinions (and submit your own) of a variety of consumer products, services, restaurants, media, etc.

• Glossarist http://www.glossarist.com/ -- compare with OneLook Dictionary Search http://onelook.com/

• How Stuff Works http://www.howstuffworks.com/

• RedLightGreen http://www.redlightgreen.com/

• UT Library Online - Perry-Castaneda Library Map Collection http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/index.html
  
  
  

  RELIGION

• Adherents.com http://www.adherents.com/
  "a growing collection of over 41,000 adherent statistics and religious geography citations -- references to published membership/adherent statistics and congregation statistics for over 4,200 religions, churches, denominations, religious bodies, faith groups, tribes, cultures, movements, ultimate concerns, etc."

• American Academy of Religion Syllabus Project http://www.aarweb.org/syllabus/default.asp

• BeliefNet http://www.beliefnet.com/ -- "a multi-faith e-community...We try to achieve our mission by providing information and inspiration. Our site has an extraordinary collection of experts and scholars. We give you spiritual tools such as prayer circles, kits to help you celebrate births, weddings, and other life milestones, as well as commemorate deaths. Most important, we help you to learn from each other through a breathtaking array of discussions and dialogue groups."

• Congregational Resource Guide http://www.congregationalresources.org/
  "a joint effort of the Alban Institute and the Indianapolis Center for Congregations," this site provides news and resources for all congregations on issues like building programs, administration, leadership, congregational vitality, and more .

• Internet Sacred Text Archive http://www.sacred-texts.com/index.htm
  A comprehensive site where sacred texts, poetry and myths of the world's religions can be viewed -- not just the major ones, but those of the ancient near east, native Americans, neopaganism, the tarot, Greek, Roman and Norse mythology, Baha'i, Nostradamus, and more. Another useful feature is the hyperlinked timeline of sacred texts.

• Religion Newswriters Association Reference Library http://www.religionwriters.com/library/library.shtml
  Links to religious magazines and newspapers, denominations, demographics, faith-based organizations, and more.
  
  
  

  SCIENCE

• Engines of Our Ingenuity http://www.uh.edu/engines/

• Science Gateway http://www.academicinfo.net/subsci.html

• SciTech Daily Review http://www.scitechdaily.com/

• Super Science Fair Projects http://www.super-science-fair-projects.com/ -- The most useful thing about this site is the process it demonstrates, with a timeline, a project log, a step-by-step outline, a discussion of scientific method, and a feature on how judges think.

• WhyFiles: the Science Behind the News http://whyfiles.org/
  Teaching science at the point of interest.
  
  
  

  SEARCH TOOLS YOU MIGHT NOT HAVE COME ACROSS

• Daypop - a current events/weblog/news search engine http://www.daypop.com/

• FindSounds http://www.findsounds.com/

• Kartoo http://www.kartoo.com/ -- visualizes search results

• Specialty Search Engines http://searchenginewatch.com/links/specialty.html -- Danny Sullivan of Search Engine Watch helps you narrow the universe you search through

• WebCam Central http://www.camcentral.com/
  
  
  

  SPORTS

• Baseball Index http://www.baseballindex.org/ -- a catalog of baseball literature, this offers citations to nearly 200,000 documents, articles, books, films, recordings, cartoons, etc., stretching way back in time (search results on "Tiger Stadium" included an article from 1912). Subscribers get more, but anyone can search and view up to 50 citations for free.

• the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports http://www.fitness.gov/

• The Sporting News http://www.sportingnews.com/

• the Ultimate Bass Fishing Resource Guide http://bassresource.com/html/contents.html
  Includes a beginners' guide, award-winning equipment and accessories, an extensive archive of articles, local fishing information, a photo wall, and more.

• USGA Database of Amateur Golf Tournaments http://www.usga.org/DATG/index.asp
  Search by tournament participation (boys, girls, senior men, etc.), location, or date.

• Wildernet http://www.wildernet.com/
  
  
  

  STATISTICS

• FedStats: One Stop Shopping for Federal Statistics http://www.fedstats.gov/

• Governing: the Daily Digit http://governing.com/digit.htm

• Lycos 50 http://50.lycos.com/

• Polling Report http://www.pollingreport.com/

• Special Issues - Gary Price's List of Lists http://www.specialissues.com/lol/

• Statistical Resources on the Web http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/stats.html
  
  
  

  TIME-WASTING PLACES

• Bookworm http://www.popcap.com/gamepopup.php?theGame=bookworm

• Elfwood Science Fiction and Fantasy Art http://elfwood.lysator.liu.se/elfwood.html

• Fortean Times http://www.forteantimes.com/

• JigZone: Daily Jigsaws Online http://www.jigzone.com/ -- doubles as mousercise practice.

• Thinks.com - brain games, puzzles and pastimes http://thinks.com/index.htm