Ready Reference
Encyclopedias
Britannica Online
http://www.britannica.com
Britannica Online is no longer free--you must sign up for a subscription, or make use of the 14-day free trial. Note: the IPL does not normally list fee-based sites in this collection; however, we get so many requests to list Britannica, so here it is.
Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th edition
http://www.bartleby.com/65//
This is an online version of the current (year 2000) edition of the Columbia Encyclopedia, a one volume, short-entry encyclopedia with over 50,000 entries.
Encyberpedia
http://www.encyberpedia.com/ency.htm
An annotated listing of subject-oriented encyclopedias available on the Web.
Encyclopedia Smithsonian
http://www.si.edu/resource/faq/start.htm
"The Smithsonian Institution receives a great many public inquiries covering a wide range of topics. Therefore, the following responses have been compiled to answer frequently asked questions or to provide guidance in finding the requested information. New information will be added continually." Topics covered: Armed Forces History, Anthropology, Mineral Sciences, Musical History, Physical Sciences, Services, Textiles Conservation, Trasportation History, and Vertebrate Zoology.
Encyclopedia.Com
http://www.encyclopedia.com/
"Based on The Concise Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Encyclopedia.com provides current information available in all major fields of knowledge -- from politics, law, art, and history to sports, literature, geography, science, and medicine. More than 17,000 articles provide free, quick and useful information on almost any topic. Through extensive cross-referencing, users have the option of expanding their research through direct links to other articles within the Encyclopedia.com site and to other related web sites." Note: the articles are rather short, and although the basic articles are free, they contain links to materials from HighBeam Research, for which a fee is charged for access.
Encyclopedia of Western Signs and Ideograms
http://www.SYMBOLS.com/
Symbols.com contains more than 1,600 articles about 2,500 Western signs, arranged into 54 groups according to their graphic characteristics.
Information Please Almanac
http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/
Online version of the popular almanac which you can browse by topic or search. Also includes the Random House Websters College Dictionary and the Columbia Encyclopedia.