Online Reference

LIBRARY RESEARCH

• Research Home / Guides

• Research Databases (A-Z Online Resources)

A selection of websites containing the following types of reference information and tools:

• Dictionaries & Thesauruses
• Foundations & Grants
• International Information
• Maps
• Newspapers, Magazines and Journals
• Statistics
• Style Guides and Resources for Writers
• Telephone & Address Directories

You may also like Oxford English Dictionary Online.

• All Acronyms
  Definitions of acronyms and abbreviations.
• Free Dictionary
  Simultaneously searches and returns results from multiple dictionaries, including specialized medical, legal and financial dictionaries.  Additional features include thesaurus, acronym and idiom searching, and an encyclopedia.  Available in various languages.
• Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary and Thesaurus
• WordReference
  Free, online bilingual dictionaries.

• Candid (Formerly Foundation Center)
  Information for individuals and nonprofits, including resources for beginning grant seekers and a Knowledge Base of frequently asked questions.
• Grants Research and Training Center (GRTC)
  Free access to Candid databases on grantmakers (Foundation Directory Online Professional and Foundation Grants to Individuals Online) and assistance by trained staff to get started on them. Service is currently provided at three library branches: Reston Regional Library; Sherwood Regional Library; and Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library. GRTC is supported by Candid, the Fairfax County Department of Economic Initiatives and Fairfax County Public Library.
• Grants.gov
  All federal agencies are required to post grant opportunities online. Grants.gov enables you to find and apply for federal grants.
• SAM.gov — Assistance Listings (Formerly Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance)
  Public descriptions of federal programs that provide grants, loans, scholarships, insurance and other types of assistance awards. You may browse assistance listings across all government agencies to learn about potential funding sources.

You may also like Exchange Rates, Maps, Newspapers, Statistics, Telephone Directories, Job Search Sites and Study Abroad (under the Choosing a College tab). For additional information, see the "Nation and World" publications in Gale eBooks database.

• Holidays Worldwide
  Lists holidays and observances around the world.
• International Travel
  Worldwide travel information and advisories from the U.S. Department of State.
• USEmbassy.gov
  The official list of websites of U.S. embassies, consulates and diplomatic missions. From the U.S. Department of State.
• World Clock
  Find out the current local time in countries and cities around the world.
• World Factbook
  Detailed country profiles or one-page summaries, country comparisons, travel facts, regional and world maps, flags of the world and more. Provided by the CIA.

• David Rumsey Historical Map Collection
  Focuses on rare 16th through 21st century maps of North and South America, as well as maps of Asia, Africa, Europe, Oceania and the world. Contains over 108,000 digitized maps.
• Library of Congress — Maps
  The digitized map collection of the Library of Congress.
• Perry-Castaneda Library Map Collection
  This University of Texas website makes accessible thousands of modern and historical maps from their collections. Genealogists will appreciate the many city maps (search their list of U.S. Historical City Maps and additional links located under Historical Map Sites).

You may also like to see current and historical issues of selected newspapers, magazines and journals in the library's Online Resources collection (check the library's Journal Locator to see if we provide online access to a specific title); find digital magazines on Overdrive Magazines; or find information about specific publications in Serials Directory database.

• Chronicling America — Historic American Newspapers
  Search digitized copies of American newspapers from 1789-1963, or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published from 1690 to the present. Chronicling America is sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress.
• Directories
  • Directory of Open Access Journals
    DOAJ is a community-curated online directory that indexes and provides access to high quality, open access, peer-reviewed journals.
  • Today's Front Pages
    Each day, the Freedom Forum highlights the front pages of hundreds of newspapers worldwide.
  • United States Newspapers
    Links to U.S. newspapers organized by state. Provided by 50States.com.
  • World Newspapers and Magazines
    Links to newspapers and magazines by country. Provided by Worldpress.org.

See may also like Economic Data and Virginia Statistics & Demographics.

• NationMaster
  Use statistics compiled from various sources to compare countries or view international statistics on a variety of subjects.
• Statistical Sites on the World Wide Web
  List of United States and international statistics sources. Compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
• U.S. Data and Statistics
  Links to sources of demographics and statistics from federal and state government sources. Provided by USA.gov.

• Purdue Online Writers Lab (OWL)
  Purdue University offers their set of guidelines on various aspects of writing, including
  • Common Writing Assignments,
  • Research & Citation,
  • Punctuation,
  • Grammar,
  • The Writing Process,
  • Business Writing,
  • Job Search Letters.

• The Writing Center — Tips & Tools
  Information and videos to help write everything from book reviews and papers to business letters and resumes. Includes tips on the writing process and writing style, and provides citation tutorials and a Citation Builder to format citations using MLA, APA, CSE and Chicago styles. Provided by the Writing Center at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

You may also use the Virginia Room's collection of historical city directories and telephone books.

• International Calling Codes
  Select the country you are calling from and to, and any calling codes you need will display.
• People and Business Finders
  • Infobel International Telephone Directories
    Search telephone directories for nearly 200 countries. Available in multiple languages.
  • Verizon Phone Books — Print Editions in Digital Format
    Digital images of Verizon business and residential (yellow & white) page listings for Virginia, Maryland, Washington, DC and other states. For local directories, select Virginia to choose from the Northern Virginia East, West or South editions; or select a specific county region. Provided by TheRealYellowPages.com.
• Zip Code Lookup
  Input an address to find a ZIP+4 Code, search for a ZIP Code using city and state, or find a location by its ZIP Code. Provided by the United States Postal Service.

Fairfax County Public Library offers online resources for education and enjoyment. The resources below require a library card for use outside the library: