50 best Web sites: readers on Arts, Kids, Info

Information, Please

A tip: Try your library, says a librarian. "Chicago Public Library gives Chicago residents free access from home to the Morningstar Mutual Fund reports; the complete full text of the Chicago Tribune from 1849 to the present; two genealogy databases with family histories and census records; etc."

Librarian's Index to the Internet: "One of the Web's best kept secrets. If you want to find that elusive best entomology site, this excellently maintained collection of 10,000 subject specific sites, chosen by subject experts wold be the place to look."

The Straight Dope : "Chicago’s home grown info column." "The ultimate repository of civilized learning" featuring the Reader's Cecil Adams "and his loyal, if intellectually inferior, staff."

Open Directory Project: "The perfect companion to Wikipedia. You want to learn more about, say, a country in Africa? Click Regional, Africa, country name — and get the best sites on the web from and about it."

Just Give: "For the charitably minded, yet organizationally impaired. Look for charities supporting your interests, find out where to donate, get ratings on how effective/honest/reliable individual charities are."

Trip Advisor: "Great resource for reviews of hotels and resorts."

Lonely Planet: Travel site "has the usual stuff about climate, historical sites, local events, etc, but also delightfully offbeat travel diaries, background on the history and culture of each country, and stunning photos."

Government index: "Which cities have the most crime? How do you apply for a passport, student loan, or a tax credit? All of these questions can be answered by going to Firstgov. the index to federal government agencies and information. It’s well-organized and easy to use."

NNDB : "For biographical information about just about anyone well known, and links that show you how people are interrelated."

Science World : "A free web resource provided by Wolfram, the creators of Mathematica. It has entries on almost every science topic you could think of from physics, math, chemistry and astronomy."

Information Please : "You title the section "Information, Please," and don’t include the online descendant of that show?"

Consumer Action : "This great site gives the customer service numbers, (most toll free) of 650 major companies. Sponsored by the Federal Citizen Information Center, it also gives tips on avoaiding identity theft, handling credit, safe online shopping, travel, and more."

About : "A good site for general info. Lots of links to other sites, and to other resources within the site." "Provides a living, breathing human guide to hundreds of topics."

Glyphdoctors : "A great site that is going to be offering online courses in Egyptian hieroglyphs."

Zillow : "What is the price of your neighbor's house?"

Medline Plus : "Sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, for health info."

CIA Factbook: "It's rather useful in interpreting the news, or just to satisfy general curiosity."