By Kelly Kilpatrick

Take a look around the Internet and you will find a huge number of books and texts available for absolutely no charge. Whether you are a student, professor, or just an avid reader, there is something out there for you. The following list of over 100 sources offers everything from ancient classic texts to children’s books to books you can hear on your iPod.

Classics

Since much classic literature is in the public domain, you will find plenty of books and texts available from ancient Greece all the way to classic 20th century American literature in this list of resources below.

1. Read Print. This site offers thousands of classics from almost 100 authors ranging from Shakespeare to O. Henry to Virginia Woolf.
2. Classic Reader. From drama to short stories to Dickens, you will find plenty of classics to download at this site.
3. Page by Page Books. Browse alphabetically for titles from authors such as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Dostoevsky.
4. Literary Resources on the Net. Hosted by Rutgers University, you can find any number of classic texts here categorized by category.
5. Project Gutenberg. With texts from all around the world, you can browse by title, author, languages with more than 50 books available or languages with less than 50 books available.
6. Internet Archive. Download a book from almost 443,000 available texts on this site. There is some overlap with Project Gutenberg on this site as it was their original host.
7. Great Books Index. Browse by author or title to find text for several books from the Encyclopaedia Britannica’s Great Books of the Western World.
8. The Internet Classics Archive. Find major classics, including some Chinese and Persian texts, on this site hosted by MIT.
9. The University of Adelaide Library. Find classics ranging from Homer in ca. 800 BC to George Orwell and others writing in the mid-20th century.
10. Wiretap Gopher Library. There are certainly no frills on this site, but you can find The Canterbury Tales, Beowulf, Huckleberry Finn, and more. Select a category, scroll through the list to find an article, then save it to your computer.
11. Elegant Solutions Software and Publishing Company, LLC. Select from 444 texts ranging from the US Constitution to A Journey to the Center of the Earth.
12. Alex Catalogue of Electronic Texts. Find over 14,000 plain texts of classic American and English literature as well as western philosophy.
13. Renascence Editions. Find English language texts written between 1477 and 1799 at this site hosted by the University of Oregon. Scroll through the alphabetical listing to find texts by author.
14. The Online Medieval & Classical Library. Select from ancient Latin, Spanish, Greek, Icelandic, Italian, French, German, Middle English, and Anglo Saxon texts all translated into English (except the Middle English texts).
15. The ORB: Online Reference Book for Medieval Studies. Find full texts for the scholar and layperson alike at this site. There are even textbooks downloadable for classroom use.
16. Literature at SunSITE. This small collection of mostly classic American literature features authors such as Jane Austen, Frederick Douglass, and Stephen Crane.
17. Renaissance Electronic Texts. This small collection of texts maintain the original spelling of the English Renaissance books and manuscripts from which they were transcribed.

Academic Resources

The following sources have a decidedly academic bent to them, so no matter if you are working on a philosophy project or you are an English Professor, you will want to check out these sites.

18. EServer.org. Hosted by the Iowa State University, this site offers a wide range of collections from literature to scholarly lectures to high tech.
19. Bartleby.com. Reference books, fiction, non-fiction and poetry can all be found at this site with a very comprehensive library.
20. Blupete. This Canadian lawyer has posted several texts or links to texts on his site that features history, law, essays, and biographies.
21. Kelvin Smith Library eBooks. This listing ranges from links to full-text reference material to style guides to classic dramas. They also have an exclusive collection of early American and British books.
22. bibliomania. From reference books to classic texts, you can find plenty here. This site is not currently being updated but offers a discussion group you can join if you want to do more than just read the books.
23. Refdesk.com. Find over 40 encyclopedias on this list to learn about space exploration, psychology, television, and more.
24. Open Book Project. Aimed at teachers and students, this site offers IT, philosophy, and random bits of academia.
25. Wikibooks. Find free text books for arts, sciences, literature, law, and more at this site. Feel free to read these books, print them, or even use them in a classroom.
26. BiblioVault. A "scholarly book repository," you can download from a collection of over 14,000 books published by academic and university presses.
27. Humanities Text Initiative. Find texts ranging from the works of Emerson to public papers from U.S. presidents at this site hosted by the University of Michigan.
28. The Beck Center for Electronic Collections. This collection of resources hosted by Emory University offers projects such as Women’s Genre Fiction, The Belfast Group, and the W.B. Yeats Collection, all of which provide downloadable texts pertaining to each topic.
29. Carrie: An Electronic Library. Hosted by the University of Kansas, this online library offers several collections with focus mainly on history and social sciences.
30. freetechbooks.com. This site offers free books, text books, and lecture notes for computer science, engineering, and computer programming students and professionals.
31. 195 Free Online Programming Books. Despite it’s title, this post offers links to over 345 programming books available on the Internet.
32. Programmingebooks.tk. This blog offers links to programming books. It is organized by categories or you can use the search tool to look for something specific.

Foreign Language Texts

If you want to read texts in their original language, the following list can help you out. Find texts in German, Irish, ancient Greek, and much more (and some even have texts in English, too).

33. The European Library. Interested in reading Kierkegaard in his native Danish? Search this site for libraries throughout Europe, many of which contain downloadable texts.
34. Bibliotheca Latina Intratext. Search this alphabetical list of ancient Latin authors for texts in Latin.
35. ANNO–AustriaN Newspapers Online. Find historic newspapers from the late 18th century to mid 20th century at this site hosted by the Austrian National Library.
36. CELT. Irish texts dating from the 11th century and coming into the modern age can be read here. Most of the texts are in Irish, with others in English, Latin, French, and Spanish.
37. 19th Century German Stories. Access both the German and English versions of these German stories from authors such as Goethe and The Brothers Grimm.
38. Fundamental Digital Library of Russian Literature & Folklore. You can get Russian literature from the 11th to 20th centuries here. This version of the website is in English, but the texts are all in Russian.
39. Antologia (frammentaria) della Letturatura Italiana. Both classic and modern Italian literature and drama is located here.
40. Hagiography Database. These ancient Greek texts focus on the genre of Byzantine literature focusing on writings about 8th to 10th century saints.
41. Electronic Text Collections in Western European Literature. Select a language and receive links to many resources with online texts in that particular Western European language.
42. Immanuel Kant. Read in German from this complete collection of Kant at this site hosted by the University of Bonn.
43. The ARTFL Project. Find a number of French language dictionaries from the 17th to the 20th century. Most are available to all, but some are restricted from general use.

Specialized Resources

The following collections are so specific they really couldn’t have a category all their own. Browse this list to find online texts about such varied topics as Hans Christian Andersen, herbs, and 19th century travel guides to the Middle East.

44. Hans Christian Andersen. Read about Andersen and his illustrators, then download one of his many fairy tales and stories available here.
45. Voice of the Shuttle. Specializing in philosophy, download texts from this site that relate to the humanities. You will have to look through other resources as well to find the downloadable texts.
46. Baen Free Library. Going beyond public domain, this site offers free texts of any books published by their company (with the author’s permission, of course). This publishing house specializes in Science Fiction.
47. Henriette’s Herbal Homepage. Read full text versions of almost 40 classic herbal texts at this site.
48. MedicalStudent.com. Find downloadable medical texts from almost 50 specialties ranging from genetics to obstetrics.
49. American Verse Project. American poems prior to 1920 are available on this site. Select the type of search you want to conduct to access the texts.
50. The William Blake Archive. Find books, engravings, paintings, and more from this site dedicated to the study of this British writer and artist.
51. Documenting the American South. Hosted by the University of North Carolina, you can find full texts by various authors that document the Southern Americana heritage.
52. Travelers in the Middle East Archive. Read texts from 19th and early 20th century travel material from the Middle East with a focus on Egypt.
53. The World of Dante. Study Dante’s Inferno online. It has been tagged using SGML (Standard Generalized Markup Language) to enhance the interface and study of this poem.

Children’s Resources

From classics to modern picture books, you will find plenty of children’s books and stories available in this list.

54. Fairrosa Cyber Library of Children’s Literature. Classics such as Little Women and Peter Pan reside next to fairy tales and poems on this resource full of children’s literature.
55. International Children’s Digital Library. Find quality children’s books from around the world here. The goal of this organization is to provide books from every culture so that no child or parent has to lose a connection to their heritage or culture.
56. Lookybook. With a click of a mouse button, you can flip through the pages of these high quality and sometimes gorgeous children’s books.
57. Children’s Storybooks Online. Broken down by categories which include Young Children through Young Adults sections, you can download several children’s books here.
58. Big Universe. Read or share quality children’s books from this self-publishing site. You can purchase the books in print, but that is not necessary to read them.
59. Children’s Books Online: The Rosetta Project. Find illustrated antique books here. Click on the small "To the library" link at the right under the Rosetta cart to find the listing of books.
60. Storyline Online. The Screen Actors Guild has compiled several children’s books at this innovative site. Click on a book and the actor will introduce the book and begin reading it. Along with the narration, the video streams the pages of the book and the accompanying text.

Religious Texts

Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism are all covered here as you can read full copies of sacred texts or religious writings about them here.

61. Brigham Young University Digital Collections. Click on "Text Collections" for a wide range of available texts including children’s literature, sermons of John Donne, and a huge collection of Mormon literature.
62. BuddhaNet’s eBook Library. Download several free texts ranging from basic Buddhism to advanced studies. All texts are free, but donations are accepted.
63. The Koran. Access this online version of The Holy Qur’an as originally translated by M.H. Shakir and published by Tahrike Tarsile Qur’an, Inc.
64. AudioTreasure. Get free audio downloads of the Bible here. Select from different versions or different languages ranging from Mandarin to Tagalog.
65. Jewish Virtual Library. Find texts that relate to Jewish culture on this site that hopes to "provide a vehicle for the research, study, discussion and exchange of views concerning nonmilitary cooperation between the peoples and governments of the United States and Israel."
66. The Ecole Initiative. Calling itself an encyclopedia of early church history, you can read full text essays and articles on early Christian history.
67. Philologos. These books from this small collection are specifically designed to instruct the reader about Jewish background and prophetic ministry to better understand Jesus.

Digital Libraries

Preserving pieces of history has become so much easier with digital libraries. Most digital libraries store anything from photos to music, but many also maintain old texts as well. The following digital libraries offer free texts and books for you to access.

68. Universal Digital Library. The ambitious goal of this library is to preserve every printed book digitally in this resource. The library currently holds one million books in its collection.
69. The Perseus Digital Library. Find Greek and Latin classics, English Renaissance, and more on this site. Currently, a newer, more modern version is in testing, so feel free to give that a try too.
70. ERIC. This well-known resource offers free texts of academic journal articles and other educational materials, all free of charge.
71. Columbia University Libraries Digital Collections. Browse through one of over 10 different digital collections that range from medieval and early Renaissance manuscripts to architectural drawings or visit the online exhibitions for even more.
72. The Oxford Text Archive. Scroll through these digitally preserved texts for access to hundreds of classic texts. If the text is available for download, it will be designated "free" to the right of the link.
73. ILT Digital Text Projects. Select from a few texts by such classics as Plato, Socrates, and Rousseau. You can also visit their publications site to get academic papers on education.
74. Center for Electronic Texts in the Humanities. Browse through these classics in the humanities for full electronic texts.
75. Yale University Library: Digital Collections. Find ancient manuscripts or read a classic all preserved digitally courtesy of the Yale University Library.
76. Library of Congress Digital Collections. Find books, articles, and more all digitally preserved at this national treasure and the largest library in the world.
77. Indiana University Digital Library Program. Download manuscripts from Isaac Newton or Victorian literature from this site.
78. Michigan State University Digital and Multimedia Center. Find several texts from authors such as Joseph Conrad, Aesop’s Fables, cookbooks, and texts on orchids or veterinary medicine in PDF format.

Resources with Some of Everything

These resources offer free texts and books with topics ranging from politics to fiction to green books. There’s sure to be something to catch your attention in this list.

79. 2020ok. Browse the 30 categories and their subcategories to find thousands of free books. The books here range from parenting to business and investing to comics and graphic novels. There really is a bit of everything here.
80. The Online Books Page. Hosted by the University of Pennsylvania Libraries, this resource offers full text of books, magazines, and news. There are also categories for such topics as banned books and women writers.
81. PublicLiterature.org. From classics to children’s books, this site offers many free books for download.
82. FullBooks.com. From the 1995 CIA World Factbook to The Works of Edgar Allan Poe, you can browse alphabetically to find a wide variety of free books here.
83. ibiblio.org. This gigantic online library has something on just about every topic imaginable. Find texts from many different authors here.
84. Microsoft Reader–Free eBooks. Find free texts to work with Microsoft reader here. You can browse through over 1500 titles.
85. Google Book Search. In addition to book downloads, you can do a search on any title and receive links to reviews, references, and even a world map showing every location mentioned in the book.
86. The Etext Archives. From mainstream to the off-beat, political to poetic, you’ll find a wide variety of archived material including e-zines and texts.
87. Books on Board. This site actually charges for texts, but does offer a section of free fiction and green books available for download.

Self-Published Books

Getting your writing published can be difficult when going the traditional route. These sites all offer writers an opportunity to publish their material on these sites, and you can read the full texts for free. Some of these books are very well done and worth taking the time to read.

88. Scribd. Research, ebooks, poetry, presentations, schoolwork, and more are all available on this site.
89. getfreeebooks. Find free books from a variety of authors, but the bulk of these books are written by the blog publisher.
90. The eBook Directory. Mixed among the self-published books promising to teach you how to cook or make a million dollars are many standard texts too. Use the search tool to find specifically what you are looking for.
91. Intuition Press. This site will publish any book written as requested by the author. Most books here are by unknown writers.
92. Free-eBooks.net. Ambrose Bierce and Nathaniel Hawthorn reside alongside self-published pieces of fiction, poetry, travel, and more.

Audio Books and Mobile Electronic Texts

Getting your free books on the go has just gotten easier. Find out where to download free stuff for your iPod, ereaders, and more from these sites.

93. LibriVox. Get free audio books from this site. LibriVox’s goal is to have every book in the public domain available on a free audio book.
94. LiteralSystems.org. Listen to these books on your MP3 player or right on your computer. Donations are accepted, but not required.
95. AudioBooksForFree.com. Download audio books for MP3 or DVD. The books are all recorded by real humans and range from philosophy to detective stories.
96. LearnOutLoud. Find a mix of free and for-pay audio texts among these books which include classics, business, and and a large selection of self-development texts.
97. Stonrynory. These free audio books are targeted at children, but adults may enjoy hearing stories from their childhood.
98. Telltale Weekly. The Spoken Alexandria Project section of this site offers classics in the public domain as well as modern works used with permission. Other audio texts on the site are available for a fee.
99. Free Classic Audio Books. Available in MP3 or m4b for iPods, get classics from Mark Twain, L. Frank Baum, Herman Melville, and more.
100. manybooks.net. This site offers full text books for your PDA, MP3 players, or eBook reader. Text can be downloaded in PDF as well. Donations are accepted, but not required.
101. mnybks.net. The sister site to manybooks.net, these books are all available for cell phones. Search by title, category, author, languages, or recommendations.
102. Etext Center. A part of the University of Virginia Library, you can access British and American literature, children’s books, the Bible, Shakespeare and more for your Microsoft Reader or Palm product. HTML text for online viewing also available for all texts.
103. MobileRead. While this site is mostly concerned with mobile ereader devices, it also offers several free texts for download to your mobile device.
104. Mobipocket. Get free books in .mobi format from this site. Books are available in several languages, with over 900 in English alone.

By Kelly Kilpatrick

While many of Google’s products have enjoyed loads of popularity, many may not be aware of the Google Gears application. It allows users to store Web-based information on their own system, making it possible to access and edit it even when you’re not online. This can be a great tool for those who travel often and may not always have connectivity to the Web but still need to get things done. Here are 50 fun and productive ways to use the program to keep you entertained, working, studying, or just occupied even when you don’t have the Internet.

Blogging and RSS

Check out these ideas on how to use gears to improve your blogging and RSS when you’re away from the net.

1. Read the news. Keep up on the goings on of the world by adding news feeds to your RSS and reading them later using Gears.
2. Keep busy on your commute. If you take a train or bus to work, chances are that it doesn’t have wifi access. Gears allows you to read RSS feeds or work on information for your blog even without the Internet so you can make the most of all your idle time during your commute.
3. Catch up on the latest gossip. If you’re like millions of other people you love to read gossip sites like Perez Hilton and TMZ, and Gears let you get the latest on all the good dirt without even being connected to the net.
4. Check your Google Reader feeds. One of the first programs to work with Gears, Google Reader makes it easy to keep track of your RSS feeds whether you’re reading them at your desk at work or offline using the Gears program. Gears is designed to work seamlessly with Reader, streamlining your RSSing.
5. Write new content for your blog. Those using Blogger to host their blogs can integrate their sites into Gears as well, creating content offline that can be later uploaded when an Internet connection is established.
6. Create future blog updates. If you’ve got the time, you can write several updates for your blog and postdate them so they’ll be ready to post while you’re busy or on vacation, keeping your readers interested and making the most of your time.
7. Get the scores for the game. If you’ve got sports news as part of your RSS feed, you don’t need the Internet to read the latest news about your favorite teams with Gears.
8. Cache your blog. Those using WordPress can follow these instructions to create a backed up cache on their computer of their blog to make it easily accessible and browseable even without an Internet connection.
9. Track your Digg account. Whether you use Digg to promote your own site or to read the blogs of others, this tool will allow you to create backed up versions of the sites you Digg and keep track of your voting history in an easily searchable manner.
10. Sync your online and offline RSS reading. With Reader and Gears, articles you read offline will automatically be marked as read once you get back online so you won’t be alerted that there are new articles when they’re just the same ones that you already read offline.

Business Management

Manage your business no matter what your Internet situation is with these Gears ideas.

11. Keep track of expenses. With the combination of Gears and financial tracking program Buxfer, it’s easy to work on updating finances without any kind of Internet connection.
12. Manage a budget. Buxfer also has the capability to allow users to create and manage budgets so overspending can be curbed and your business can be happier and healthier financially.
13. Make sure you get paid. Paymo is a great time tracking tool that lets clients know just how much they owe you, and best of all, it works even offline through a partnership with Gears.
14. Create a spreadsheet. Need to track a business project, run some numbers or chart your finances? You can do it offline using Gears in combination with Google Documents.
15. Come up with the next big thing. Brainstorm using the combination of mind mapping software MindMeister with Gears so you can jot down your ideas no matter where you are.
16. Create diagrams. Gears is designed to work with online drawing tool Autodesk Labs Project Draw, which can allow you to draw and design all kinds of things to represent your business or create a killer class presentation.
17. Access frequent flyer numbers. Use Gears to access the online app PassPack and you’ll be able to get all of your personal stored information including account numbers for frequent flyer and rewards programs in case you ever need them when booking a flight or making a purchase.
18. Jot down ideas. It’s easy to type up your ideas and have them automatically made accessible via the Web when you use Gears with Zoho Writer, Google Documents or MindMeister.
19. Store account information. Need to know your credit card information, business account numbers, or any other sensitive kind of data both on different computers and on your own? PassPack and Gears can help, allowing you to store your information safely and securely.
20. Work on a presentation. If you’ve got to put together a little presentation for work, you can work on it using the presentation creator in Google Documents and simply upload it to the Web once you’re in a wifi friendly area again.
21. Sync business accounts. Buxfer, both online and offline using Gears, makes it easy to enter information for multiple business accounts and credit cards and keep it up to date.
22. Send reports to clients. Create reports that you can later send to your clients to ensure you get paid on time and to the dime using the program Paymo.
23. Draft an email. While Gmail isn’t yet integrated with Gears (though hopefully this is in the works) you can easily draft an email and cut and paste later by using Zoho Writer.
24. Send tasks to employees. Use Remember the Milk to create task lists for employees to keep them busy all day.

Enjoy the Net

Have fun on the Internet even when you’re not connected to it with these Gears uses.

25. Read messages from friends on MySpace. MySpace has created an offline version that works with Gears that allows users to read their archived messages while offline so keeping in touch is easier than ever.
26. Check out articles on Wikipedia. GreaseMonkey has teamed up with Gears to create a program called GearsMonkey. This allows users to archive just about any site they look at for later offline reference. So you can use a site like Wikipedia both online and off, making it doubly useful, though the script only saves pages you have visited.
27. Check out what friends are up to. Additional uses for GearsMonkey can include creating archives of pages like Facebook. You can read your friend’s Facebook updates, walls and more even when you’re not online.
28. Read old emails. Someone with a little Java knowledge could use GearsMonkey to back up their emails, allowing those using Gmail to access important emails even without an Internet connection.
29. Save pictures to look at later. Picasa, Google’s addition to the photo sharing sphere, allows users to work at sharing their photos not only when online but during the time they’re not connected to the Internet as well.
30. Illustrate anything. Use Project Draw to create simple illustrations that you can later add to your blog, send to friends or even set as your desktop background.
31. Share your ideas and thoughts. Create a mindmap using MindMeister, and later when you’re on the Web, you’ll be able to share them with coworkers or classmates.
32. Get photos over a mobile phone. Picasa also allows users to use Gears to access photo albums using their mobile phones as well, meaning they can share their photos on the go easily.
33. Create flyers. Put together a flyer for your yard sale or party to post or send to your friends using Project Draw.
34. Keep your private information safe. Buxfer stores information offline, keeping it safe from prying eyes, even when you’re using it online.
35. Reply to messages. Type up your replies to emails using Google Documents and mail them once you get back online.
36. Share stories, poems and more with friends. With offline access to programs like Zoho Writer and Documents, it’s easy to create documents when you’re offline that you can send and share with friends when you sync up with the Internet later.
37. Remember birthdays. Remember the Milk can help you remember more than the Milk, it can also help you remember your friends’ and family’s birthdays as well so you’ll have time to swing by to pick up a card and a gift.

Be Productive

Keep yourself productive even without an Internet connection with these Gears applications.

38. Create a to-do list. Give yourself a daily list of to-dos while you’re making your commute or eating your breakfast, whether you’re connected to the Internet or not using Remember the Milk in combination with Gears.
39. Keep track of shared expenses. Sharing expenses with a roomie or a friend? Keep track of who owes what with Buxfer and Gears.
40. Pay bills online. Set up payments on Buxfer when you’re working offline that will go through once you connect to the net: that way you’ll be caught up on payments whenever you have a free moment, not just when you have the Internet.
41. Do your homework. You’ve got no excuse not to write that paper for class with Gears. Even if you don’t have Word at your disposal, you can type up your work in Zoho Writer or Google Documents and make sure you have it anywhere you need it once you connect to the Internet.
42. Manage your passwords. Don’t spend time trying and failing to remember your passwords for every site, program and rewards program you use. Combine Gears with PassPack and store your passwords on your computer with ease.
43. Collaborate with others on ideas. Use MindMeister to create mindmaps that you can later share with your friends once you’ve hooked up with the Internet again.
44. Brainstorm. Get busy brainstorming new ideas with the mind mapping tool MindMesiter, so you’ll never miss a chance to connect and expand your thoughts.
45. Use Gears on the road. With the mobile capabilities of gears, you don’t even need a computer to access all kinds of programs offline. Just a mobile phone, the application and whatever time you have free to work or read.
46. Keep busy anywhere. Because you don’t need the Internet to use Web-based programs, Gears allows you to stay busy even when you’re not somewhere you can hook up to the Internet, and you won’t have to settle for using other programs you’re less familiar with or don’t use on a regular basis.
47. Edit writing. Use Google Documents or Zoho Writer with Gears to easily edit and share documents no matter where you are, allowing you to get work done any time.
48. Track your time. Make sure you’re tracking every minute you’re working, even if you don’t have a handy Internet connection with Paymo.
49. Plan out your day. Pair up the productivity capabilities of Remember the Milk with Gears to create plans for the whole day, week, month or year, save them and have access to them from anywhere whether you’re online or off.
50. Remind yourself or others to do chores. Use Remember the Milk through Gears to create to-do lists not only for yourself but for others as well. Once you’re online you’ll be able to send those lists right over when the program syncs.

By Christina Laun

While Wikipedia isn’t likely to lose its status as the first place people look for quick answers anytime soon, there are loads of other sites out there that can provide you with information, some of which may even be better and more accurate. Whether you’re researching for a school paper or just settling a bet with a friend, here are 100 places you can find all the answers you need quickly and easily online.

General

Find answers to all kinds of questions through these sites.

1. InfoPlease: Visitors to this site will be treated to an almanac, atlas, encyclopedia, dictionary and much more, which should be more than enough to find information on just about anything you’d need.
2. Ask Deb: Professional researchers and writers answer questions on various subjects, including dating, careers, personal finance, and beauty.
3. About.com: This site provides articles on a huge variety of subjects, many of which provide useful information or can link you to sites that have what you’re looking for.
4. Refdesk.com: Billed as a "fact check for the Internet," this site provides a range of resources that make it easy to search the web, check an encyclopedia or dictionary, read the news and much more.
5. Reference.com: Part of the Dictionary.com site, this online resource provides access to many encyclopedia articles, as well as the accompanying dictionary and thesaurus.
6. Answers.com: Answers.com provides visitors with access to articles from sites and journals all over the Web.
7. Factbites: Called a cross between a search engine and an encyclopedia, this site is designed to make searching for information easier by filtering out information and only giving you the most relevant results.

Library and Reference

Search through library archives and do academic research on these sites.

8. Oxford Journals: Look through all the journals published by Oxford and find many articles that are free to read and download.
9. eBrary: Many libraries give full access to eBrary’s collections, but if you don’t have one near to you that does, you can use this page and still enjoy looking through loads of books and journals.
10. ibiblio: This site is full of public domain information including maps, books, pictures and much more that you can use in your next research project.
11. LibrarySpot: Find a myriad of library resources on this site as well as links to other authoritative sites and encyclopedias online.
12. WorldCat: Save yourself a trip to the library and find out if a library has the information you need before you go. This site allows users to find libraries in their area that have the books and materials they need.
13. Internet Public Library: This site puts together a great repository of links to authoritative sites all over the Web on topics like history, law, computers and more.

User Contributed

Like Wikipedia, these sites draw their information from user contributions.

14. Scholarpedia: This site looks and functions very similarly to Wikipedia with some major differences. Each article is written and edited by an expert in the field, and all articles must be approved before they become part of the site, helping to ensure the information you get is accurate.
15. WorldBrainBook: WorldBrainBook provides a means by which everyday people can share what they know on a wide range of topics, from arts and crafts to extreme sports.
16. Open-Site: Open-Site is a free online encyclopedia that is user contributed and monitored by editors, and can be a good alternative source of information to Wikipedia.
17. Duno: This site allows authors, amateur and professional, to write and publish articles and get paid for them through an advertising program. Visitors to the site can browse through the articles to find helpful information.
18. Internet Encyclopedia: Also called Wikinfo, this site provides a similar format to Wikipedia but with some different ideas when it comes to editing, often encouraging independent research and the mandate that articles represent the topic in a positive or objective manner.
19. Conservapedia: Feeling that Wikipedia had a liberal bias, this site was created, giving the conservative perspective on a wide range of topics.
20. Citizendium: Citizendium aims to create a user contributed encyclopedia that focuses on quality and readability rather than quantity, and it encourages visitors not only to read articles but to collaborate as well.
21. WikiHow: The Wikipedia of how-to manuals, this site provides step by step instructions from other users on how to do just about anything you could imagine.
22. Instructables: Taking the idea of a user-contributed how-to site one step further, Instructables provides visitors with a huge number of user-created instructional videos.
23. Veropedia: Want to only read the best of what Wikipedia has to offer? This site can help, filtering out the best articles from Wikipedia and placing them on this site.

Encyclopedias

Look up just about anything in these online encyclopedias.

24. Encyclopedia Britannica Online: Search through millions of entries in this large online encyclopedia or check out timelines, an atlas and more.
25. MSN Encarta: MSN provides this online reference site with loads of articles, an atlas, dictionary and most importantly, an encyclopedia.
26. Medical Encyclopedia: Find answers to all your medical questions through this large medical encyclopedia from MedlinePlus.
27. Encyclopedia Smithsonian: Browse through information related to all the of vast collections held by the Smithsonian on this informative and useful site.
28. Encyclopedia.com: This HighBeam site combines information from sources like the Oxford University Press, Britannica, and the Columbia Encyclopedia.
29. Classic Encyclopedia: Look through the articles from this 1911 version of an encyclopedia and get a historical perspective on your information.
30. Probert Encyclopedia: This free online encyclopedia contains over 235,000 cross-referenced and interlinked sites and 15000 illustrations, and it focuses on a few key topics.
31. OpenTopia: Browse through encyclopedia articles here or enjoy access to a variety of webcams, online tools and more.
32. Questia: While not entirely free, this site can prove to be a great research tool, with articles on hundreds of topics.

Science and Math

Find answers to all your math and science inquiries here.

33. HowStuffWorks: Whether you want to know how your toaster works or learn about nuclear power, you’ll find all the details on this highly informative site.
34. PhysLink.com: Answer all your questions about physics with a little help from this site.
35. NatureServe Explorer: Here you can look up information on all kinds of species of birds, butterflies, mammals and more.
36. Online Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences: Make sense of your math with this easy to search site.
37. Encyclopedia of Life: This site contains a huge archive of information on numerous plants, animals, fungi, bacteria and all other kinds of living things.
38. PlantCare.com: Find out why your houseplants are shriveling up and learn to take care of them with help and information from this site.
39. Encyclopedia of Earth: Find articles that relate to all the life, geological processes and much more that make up the environment of our planet in this great online resource.
40. Physics Encyclopedia: Look up physics terms and information through this helpful site.
41. The Internet Encyclopedia of Science: Astronomer David Darling maintains this site which is an A-Z reference for a wide range of science related topics.
42. Encyclopedia of Astronomy and Astrophysics: Look up astronomy terms and people of interest with this informative online encyclopedia.
43. Wolfram MathWorld: Find help with everything from number theory to basic geometry on this site.
44. PRIME Mathematics Encyclopedia: This site is a great reference for almost any question related to doing or teaching mathematics.
45. Scirus: This search engine will give you results related only to science, making it easier and faster to find the information you need from journals and science websites.
46. Botany.com: Not sure if that’s poison ivy growing in your backyard? This site provides loads of photos and information on plants from all over the world.

Social Studies

These reference sites deal with social studies and historical issues.

47. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Find the names of many philosophers and their ideas in this helpful encyclopedia from Stanford University.
48. glbtq: Look up information about the gay, lesbian, transgender and queer culture in this encyclopedia.
49. The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Here you can find everything you ever wanted to know about philosophy in one easy to search place.
50. Encyclopedia of Psychology: Learn all about mental illnesses, famous psychologists and theories through this online resource.
51. HyperHistory: This site attempts to cover 3,000 years of world history. Browse by people, places or events to find what you need.
52. LookLex: Formerly known as the Encyclopedia of the Orient, this resource specializes in information from North Africa and the Middle East.
53. Perseus: Find all you ever wanted to know about Greek history and Mythology on this site, loaded with articles and pictures.

Fine Art

Find information on all kinds of art through these sites.

54. The Artchive: This site provides an easy way to find out about numerous artists, their work and their time period as well as to browse images.
55. Oxford Music Online: This site provides a gateway into music research and a place to get new and forthcoming Oxford music reference articles.
56. Artcyclopedia: Search for a particular artist, painting, period and much more on this helpful and informative site.
57. Instrument Encyclopedia: Find out more about any kind of instrument on this University of Michigan site.
58. Garland Encyclopedia of World Music: Learn about music from all over the world through the information provided by this reference site.
59. ArtLex: Find out the meaning behind any art related word in this art dictionary.
60. DancePedia: Here you’ll be able to access all kinds of information on different styles of dance and famous dancers.
61. Musicals101: Lovers of musicals will appreciate this reference site, with hundreds of entries on stage and movie musicals.
62. Improv Encyclopedia: If you’re into improv yourself or just want to find out more about it, you’ll find games, a reference resource and an online glossary here.
63. Internet Movie Database: This site is the ultimate resource for those looking for information on anyone in the film business from directors to stunt doubles.
64. All Music Guide: Learn about new and old bands as well as information on all kinds of music-related issues on this site.

Language and Literature

Whether you need to know what a word means or want to look up a work of literature, you’ll find help with these links.

65. WordReference: Look up words in English, Spanish, Italian and French using this great online site.
66. Bartleby: This site provides loads of books to students and researchers with information on poetry, fiction and nonfiction at your fingertips.
67. AskOxford: Based off the Oxford English Dictionary, this site provides reference material as well as tips to improve writing and a chance to ask questions of experts.
68. BrainyQuote: Find out where those famous quotes came from with this great online quotation resource.
69. Merriam Webster: Look up just about any word in this free online dictionary.
70. Dictionary.com: This easy-to-use dictionary can help you find the meaning or spelling of any word. As a bonus you’ll get access to a crossword dictionary and fun games as well.
71. Urban Dictionary: Keep up with the slang the kids are using these days with this site which provides an easy reference point for looking up words.
72. Visual Thesaurus: Get a visual map of synonyms and antonyms using this different take on the thesaurus.
73. BookRags: Get study help and information on literature with the study guides, summaries, essays and biographies from this site.
74. Encyclopedia Mythica: If something has been written about mythology, religion or folklore, you’ll be able to find it here with this helpful online search engine and resource collection.

Technology

Tech jargon can be confusing, but you can find help through these sites.

75. WhatIs.com: Find definitions of thousands of technology and computer terms here, as well as helpful glossaries and cheat sheets.
76. TechEncylopedia: Find definitions and help on over 20,000 IT related terms on this TechWeb site.
77. Webopedia: Use this site the next time you’re feeling clueless as to what all those techie abbreviations mean.
78. Internet Archive: Learn about the history of the Internet and much more on this informative site.
79. WebReference: Web dwellers will enjoy the reference material from this site, which provides archives of news, advice and how-to articles.

Question and Answer

If you have a question that needs answering, you can ask it and get help on these sites.

80. Yahoo! Answers: Ask any question that comes to mind and get answers from others online using this Yahoo! sponsored site.
81. AllExperts: Ask your questions that need the help of an expert on this site.
82. The Straight Dope: Cecil Adams answers a weekly question on this site with topics that range from the reasons for hiccups to reality TV show inquiries.
83. wiseGEEK: This site provides a place to ask your tech related questions and find answers from over 24,000 articles.
84. Answerbag: Find answers to questions on social, medical, local and shopping questions on this user contributed site.
85. Microsoft Live QnA: Here you can ask any question, serious or silly, and get answers from other users.
86. Yedda: Yedda allows users to ask a question on any topic and "get personalized answers from relevant people."
87. Wondir: Ask questions and get the answers you need from other users on this site.
88. Askville: Sponsored by Amazon, this site allows users to ask a question on any topic and get and give answers to others.
89. Cornbrain: If you have a few bucks to spare, you can get researched and professional answers from this site.
90. Ask a Librarian: Have a question on research, literature or anything else a librarian could help you with? Find the answers you need using this site.

Miscellaneous

These sites are full of all kinds of information to help you.

91. Acronym Finder: Not sure what all those letters stand for? Figure it out using the information on this site.
92. eHow: Learn how to do just about anything on this instructive site from sewing in a zipper to putting up wallpaper.
93. FreeAdvice: If you’ve got a legal problem you need help with and want a little information first, you can find loads of it at this site.
94. Snopes: Find out whether or not that email your aunt sent you was for real or unravel a host of other urban legends through the information you’ll find here.
95. timeanddate: Want to know what happened today in history? Check out this site for information.
96. Symbols.com: Find information about thousands of symbols from their history to uses today through this informative site.
97. Catholic Encyclopedia: This site provides visitors with a wealth of information on the Catholic religion.
98. The Educator’s Reference Desk: Teachers can find thousands of reference materials here to help them plan lessons, manage classes and much more.
99. Physician’s Desktop Reference: This reference site will help you to find information on a wide range of medial conditions, medications and illnesses.
100. Baseball Reference: Find all kinds of baseball stats and historical information for players, teams and the sport as a whole using this reference.