Countries & Geography
Databases
America the Beautiful – State-by-state geographical, historical and cultural reference
Lands and Peoples – Current information for country and state reports.
Websites
Travel & Cultures – Explore the world at your fingertips. History and culture of continents, countries and cities.
Maps – NYS Dept. of Evironmental Conservation – Interactive and printable maps of New York State natural resources, wildlife, and more.
State and County QuickFacts – Facts about population, households, incomes, land area and business from the U.S. Census Bureau. Search by state, county, or city.
CIA World Factbook – Search by country or region for complete, detailed facts.
BBC News Country Profiles – Instant guides to the history, politics and economic background of countries, territories, and background on key institutions. Includes audio and video clips.
Stately Knowledge! – Basic facts of any state in the U.S.A.
World Leaders – CIA’s listing of world leaders by country, including chiefs of state and cabinet members of each government.
Current Events & Social Issues
Databases
General OneFile – Magazines, newspapers, and reference sources covering the humanities, environmental issues, technology, healthcare, politics, and travel; there are also popular magazines for readers of all ages.
Newsstand – InfoTrac Newsstand provides access to more than 1,000 major U.S. regional, national and local newspapers as well as leading titles from around the world. Understand regional viewpoints on issues by searching multiple newspapers.
Gannett Newsstand — Full-text articles from 85 Gannett newspaper titles from local and regional coverage from across the country. Included are the NYS newspapers: Ithaca Journal; Journal News (White Plains); Poughkeepsie Journal; Press & Sun Bulletin (Binghamton); Rochester Democrat and Chronicle; and Star-Gazette (Elmira).
Websites
Pew Research Center – Public polling results, demographic research, trends, and statistics on topics such as U.S. Politics, Media & News, Social Trends, Religion, and Internet and Technology.
ProCon.org – Pros and Cons of Controversial Issues – Provides resources for critical thinking and to educate without bias. Includes many “hot topics” such as sex & gender, health & medicine, and politics.
Teen Kids News – Website of an Emmy nominated teen news show that presents the latest news as it concerns teens.
Environmental Protection Agency – News, reports, and facts on environmental issues concerning science, health, and the environment.
National Criminal Justice Reference Service – A-Z listing of topics and where to locate more information. Find data on alcohol, hate crimes, and more.
Search the Opinions of the US Supreme Court – Search and find decisions from the Supreme Court since 1991 and landmark cases from history.
Encyclopedias & Dictionaries
Databases
Funk & Wagnalls New Word Encyclopedia – Full-text articles of over 25,000 encyclopedia entries, covering an array of topics. Contains various images, offers brief biographies as well as information in a variety of subject areas.
Grolier Encyclopedias – Full-text access to the following encyclopedias. Search the following databases individually or collectively; Amazing Animals of the World, America the Beautiful, Encyclopedia Americana, Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia, La Nueva Enciclopedia Cumbre, Lands and Peoples, The New Book of Knowledge, The New Book of Popular Science.
Websites
Wordnik – Modern dictionary with photos. Includes the traditional definition as well as slang usage.
Google Translate – Enter text, webpage URL or upload a document for translation between more than 50 languages.
Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary – Dictionary and thesaurus. Provides synonyms, antonyms, and audio pronunciation.
Quotations at Bartleby.com – Search by keyword for modern and classic quotes.
Rhyme Zone Rhyming Dictionary – Find rhymes and synonyms for English words.
English & Language Arts
Databases
Literature Resource Center – Includes biographical information on writers and overviews of their works. It also includes full-text literary criticisms and reviews on nearly 130,000 writers in all disciplines, from all time periods and from around the world.
NoveList Fiction Guide – Allows readers to use a favorite author or title as a starting point to locate other authors and titles of interest. Includes over 1,200 theme-oriented book lists, 160 award lists and 1,800 fiction related web-sites.
Websites
Project Gutenberg – Over 30,000 downloadable ebooks, including classic authors like Austen, Twain, Dickens, and more.
Poetry 180 – A poem a day for American high schools.
Teenreads – Reviews, author interviews, reading lists, contests, and more on YA literature.
Goodreads — Social platform to keep track of your reading, share reviews, and recommendations
Government
Websites
Ben’s Guide to U.S. Government – Organized by grade level.
Bureau of Justice Statistics – Data on crime, criminal offenders, victims of crime and the operation of justice systems at all levels.
FactCheck.org – Nonpartisan “consumer advocate” that monitors the factual accuracy of what is said by U.S. political players in TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews, and news releases.
Kids.gov – General information on all topics with facts and links to official state websites.
White House – Sections include; Photos & Video, Briefing Room, Issues, the Administration, the White House, our Government.
World Leaders – CIA’s listing of world leaders by country, including chiefs of state and cabinet members of each government.
Congresslink – Find out how the U.S. Congress works, who its members and leaders are, and the public policies it produces.
U.S. Senate – All you need to know about the Senate
U.S. House of Representatives – All you need to know about the House.
New York State Senate – All you need to know about State Senate.
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo – Learn about the NY State Governor and his initiatives.
History & Biography
Databases
The New Book of Knowledge – Biographies of historical and current world figures with citation information for elementary students and up.
HeritageQuest Online Genealogy – Offers materials for researching family histories and American Culture.
Websites
United States Presidents – Photos and facts about all the presidents.
InfoPlease Biography – Search over 30,000 biographies by name or subject.
African American Registry – Online encyclopedia of African American people and heritage. Search by keyword, category, or name.
PBS: History & Biographies – Documentaries and interactive biographies from programs including American Experience, American Masters, Frontline, and NOVA.
Time Magazine Archives – Search or browse Time articles and covers from 1923 to the present.
Today in History – Facts and information for every day of the year from the Library of Congress.
History.com – Articles, videos, audio, and more on various historical topics and figures.
BBC History – Articles, videos, audio, and more on various topics in British history.
Cyndi’s List – Kids& Teens – Index of genealogy resources on the web.
Math
Websites
Calculator – Online calculator.
A Maths Dictionary – Uses images to help define and explain math words.
Create a Graph – An easy tool to create graphs and charts.
Flashcards – Design and print your own flashcards.
Conversion Calculator – Convert length, weight, and temperature figures.
Language
Databases
Mango Languages – Online language-learning system that teaches actual conversation skills for numerous languages including Spanish, French, Italian, Russian, Greek, German, Chinese, Arabic, and Japanese.
Websites
Google Translate – Enter text, webpage URL or upload a document for translation between more than 50 languages.
Science & Health
Databases
Amazing Animals of the World – From aardvarks to zebras, find information, photos, and more about wild animals and their habitats.
Health Reference Center – Periodicals, newsletters, medical journals, and consumer health magazines related to nursing and allied health issues.
Websites
General Chemistry Online! – Basic and in-depth chemistry information including F.A.Q.s and tutorials.
Global Climate Change – A student’s guide to climate, weather, and the greenhouse effect.
How Stuff Works – Find out how it all works, from automobiles to electronics, to animals, and more.
TeensHealth – Health facts, tips and more including healthy recipes, quizzes, and games.
National Geographic – Find facts, current events, pictures, and more.
NASA – News, past space missions, images, videos, and more from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.