Genie Tyburski is the Research Librarian for Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and the editor of The Virtual Chase Web Site: A Research Site for Legal Professionals. The Compleat Internet Researcher program may be found at http://www.aallnet.org/
More REFERENCE COLLECTIONS Reference Shelf, University of California, San Diego My Virtual Reference Desk (formerly, Virtual Facts on File) | During February of this year, I spotlighted ten Internet-accessible reference works in the ResearchWire column, Fact-Finding on the Web: A Look at Some Powerful Reference Tools. Now it is time to update that compilation. Annotated below, legal professionals will discover links for several useful reference publications.
Merck & Co., Inc. offers the 16th edition of The Merck Manual, a clinical information reference text. Adapted from Keyboard Publishing’s electronic version, entitled Merck Manual TextStack, the publication’s introductory web page fails to state whether it provides access to a complete or abridged version of the printed text. Users may browse the table of contents or search the manual using keywords. While these features facilitate use of the manual, legal professionals should exercise caution. None of the data I retrieved in testing the web version included citation information.
Database America’s PeopleFinder offers a reverse telephone directory. Enter a telephone number and find the resident’s address and name. Researchers may also search the database by last name, first name, city, or state.
Jeannette Voiland at the Seattle Public Library maintains a comprehensive list of links to municipal code sites on the web. I like this site because all the links appear on one page in three easy-to-read columns. Moreover, the author seems to take care to include authoritative sources of municipal code information. Kudos, Ms. Voiland!
The Australian Science Archives Project offers History of Science, Technology and Medicine, a web-published biographical dictionary of famous inventors, scientists, and mathematicians. Compiled from numerous Internet sources (predominantly academic institutions), this site offers a name index that users may search or browse. Great site for getting the kid started on a school project! North American Industry Classification System (NAICS)
The U.S. Census Bureau provides a NAICS site. NAICS, the mnemonic for North American Industry Classification System, categorizes industries in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. In the United States, it replaces the Standard Industrial Classification system. The resource offers tables that match the new classification system to corresponding categories in the older scheme. Using the tables, I found that legal services, for example, classified as 8111 under the SIC, now appears as 54111, Offices of Lawyers. The site also provides an implementation time schedule, links to relevant Federal Register notices, issue papers, and concept reports.
Discover the meaning of an acronym, or find acronyms and abbreviations that use particular words, using The WorldWideWeb Acronym and Abbreviation Server.
Use this resource to find the day of the week, Julian day number, Julian calendar date, Jewish calendar date, or French republican calendar date for any date on the Gregorian calendar. Researchers may also convert Julian, Jewish, or French republican dates as well as Julian day numbers.
FinanCenter Home Page offers information about mortgages as well as various calculators for determining real estate financing. Unlike other mortgage calculators available via Internet, this site includes taxes, home owners insurance and private mortgage insurance in the calculations. Consequently, it provides a more accurate figure. Learn about refinancing, early repayment, or closing costs; or calculate the monthly payments, refinancing costs, reducing a loan by early repayment, etc.
Access Standard & Poor’s and Duff & Phelps claims paying ability ratings lists via the Insurance News Network. Standard & Poor’s also offers reports for several (approximately 100) insurance companies as well as special reports for analysts and professionals. In addition to ratings, Duff & Phelps offers selected current news stories, insurance statistics, state insurance information, annuities (including a variable annuities database), and motor vehicle crash test information and product defects.
Need the value of a used car? Want new car price information? Try the Kelley Blue Book site. I found the trade-in value of my car and then received an option to order a title history (fee-based service). Note that users must be United States residents to use the Kelley Blue Book site. |
