East Central Regional Library

Serving libraries in East Central Minnesota: Aitkin, Chisago, Isanti, Kanabec, Mille Lacs, and  Pine Counties
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ECRL's Internet Links

These links from the Internet were selected by ECRL librarians and are suggested as high-quality, reliable resources. Please let us know if any of them are not working.

Animals
Arts and Entertainment
Automotive
Books
Business and Investments
Consumer Information
Education
Employment
Food
Geneaology
Government
Health and Medicine
History
Home and Garden
Kids' Corner-Homework Help
Legal Resources
Minnesota
News and Media
Phone and E-mail Listings
Reference
Sciene and Technology
Seniors
Teen Scene
Travel and Tourism
Weather

ANIMALS
ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT


AUTOMOTIVE
  • Car Safety -- Testing, ratings, recalls, & research from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

  • Pricing and Reviews
    • Automobile Magazine -- New and used car info, pricing, reviews, and an industry blog
    • Autotropolis -- New and used car info (can search by state!), loan calculator, car rankings, blogs, links to car dealers
    • Edmund's Automobile Buyer's Guides -- Used car appraiser, safety information, reviews of new and used cars
    • Kelley Blue Book -- Current, accurate prices on new and used cars
    • NADA -- Research cars, motorcycles, boats, recreational vehicles and more
    • Used Cars -- Classified ads, dealers, prices, and reviews (including new models)


BOOKS AND READING
  • Book Clubs
    • Reading Group Center -- Tips, planner, club guidelines, and recommendations
    • Reading Group Guides -- Find a specific book guide and discussion questions, tips for starting and running a club, choosing what to read, and other tips
  • Buying Books
    • Amazon Books -- Search over a million books in many categories.  Also music, films, and TV shows!
    • Bookfinder -- Access over 100 million new, used, and rare books from sellers around the world
    • Minnesota's Bookstore -- History, culture, nature, government, maps, and more
    • Scout & Morgan Books -- Over 20,000 new, used, and out-of-print books.  Orders welcome at this independent bookstore in Cambridge, MN.

  • Find a Book to Read
    • BookHive -- Kid's book reviews; guide to children's literature and books
    • Fantastic Fiction -- Bibliographies for over 15,000 authors, including new books, series, and awards
    • KidsReads -- Favorite books, series, & authors; reviews, books into movies
    • Overbooked -- Annotated lists of fiction and non-fiction in all genres for "ravenous & omnivorous readers"
    • See Me 4 Books -- Young Adults say what's hot and what's not; reviews, awards, & links to YA author websites
    • Teen Reads -- Let teenreads.com help you find a good book;  check out the monthly "cool new books"!

BUSINESS AND INVESTMENTS

  • Business
    • Business Forms -- Forms and documents from the Office of the MN Secretary of State
    • Fortune 500 --  Investing, company rankings, and info on America's largest corporations
    • NAICS (North American Industry Classification System) -- Replaces Standard Industrial Classification (SIC codes)
    • SBA (U.S. Small Business Administration) -- Assistance for small business owners, workshops, planning, & counseling
    • ThomasNet -- Locate manufacturers, distributors, and service providers throughout the U.S. Register for a free account.

  • Banking & Investing
    • BankingMyWay -- Search bank rates by zip code, city, or state:  CDs, checking, savings, mortgages, home equity, and other loans
    • Bankrate.com -- Unbiased rates from 4800 financial institutions in 50 states:  auto loans, mortgabes, credit cards, investments, credit cards, and more
    • Yahoo Financial -- News, the economy, market reports, & personal finance

CONSUMER  INFORMATION
EDUCATION
  • Adult Literacy  -- Tutoring and literacy programs available through Minnesota Literacy Council; search by city, county, or zipcode

  • For Student
    • Education Funding -- Financial aid & student loan info from Sallie Mae, the nation's leading provider of education funding
    • FAFSA -- Free application for federal student aid
    • Federal Student Aid -- Preparing, choosing, and applying for grants, loans, work-study programs
    • Financial Aid -- Guide to student financial aid sponsored by the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators
    • Minnesota Higher Education Services -- How to prepare, save, and pay for college
    • Peterson's -- Guide to colleges and univsersities, K-12 schools, and continuing education

  • Government Grants -- Find and apply for federal, state, local, and tribal government grants
  • Language Courses -- Online language courses in the public domain - freely available in electronic format

EMPLOYMENT
  • Career Builder -- Job listings and career resource center
  • Career One Stop -- Education & training; job search, resume advice, links to state job sites
  • Federal Jobs -- Locate and apply for government jobs;  how to apply, entrance exams, and other resources
  • Indeed -- Find jobs on thousands of company career sites and job boards
  • JobStar -- Resumes; salary surveys; career guides

  • Minnesota
    • Minnesota Jobs -- Job opportunities, resumes, and links to employers in MN
  • Monster.Com -- Job advertisements searchable by job title or company name
  • Occupational Outlook Handbook -- Information on career choices


FOOD
  • Allrecipes -- Over 40,000 popular, ethnic, and seasonal homestyle recipes
  • Calorie Control Council -- Cut fat and calories and maintain a healthy weight.  Features a calorie calculator, exercise calculator, and more
  • Cooking Light -- Recipes and information for a healthy lifestyle
  • Food Network -- Find TV show recipes and schedules
  • Recipe Source -- Searchable online archive of recipes
  • Recipes -- Over 20,000 easy recipes from YumYum.com

GENEALOGY


GOVERNMENT 
  • City
    • City Data -- Profiles of U.S. cities, stats on housing, income, real estate, businesses, and more.  Search by zip code or browse by state

  • State
    • Census Information -- Search census data and statistics by state, city, or zip code
    • Minnesota North Star -- Official state website, contact elected officials, links to business and jobs, education, social services, transporation, natural resources
    • Missing Money -- Locate unclaimed funds, bank accounts, stocks, bonds, trust funds, insurance policies, and more
    • Ordinances -- Minnesota town, city, and county laws
    • State and Local Government -- Official state, county, and city govt. websites
    • Statutes, Session Laws, & Rules -- from the Minnesota State Legislature
    • Taxes -- Minnesota Dept. of Revenue; locate and print forms for individual, business, and property taxes; contact information

  • Federal
    • Census -- Access to the U.S. Census Bureau, including the 2010 census
    • Congress -- Identify representatives, contact elected officials, and locate Congressional voting records
    • FactCheck -- Nonpartisan, nonprofit site, monitors accuracy of political speeches, interviews, debates, and press releases
    • Federal Government -- USA.gov -- links to federal agencies, Census Bureau, National Archives, the White House, state governments, and more
    • Forms -- Official site for Federal forms
    • GPO Access -- Code of Federal Regulations, Federal Register, Budget of the U.S. Government, State of the Union Addresses, and more
    • Grants -- Find and apply for federal, state, local, & tribal government grants
    • Loans -- Federal loan info:  agriculture, business, disaster relief, education, house, and veterans
    • Postal Service -- Find a zip code, calculate postage, track and confirm delivery of packages
    • Spending -- Facts on government spending;  Americans can see where their money goes
    • Statistics -- Gateway to statistics from over 100 U.S. agencies
    • Taxes -- Internal Reveue Service; locates forms, publications, and contact info
    • Voting -- Non-partisan state specific info, registering, polling place finder, identifying candidates

  • International
    • Countries -- Global gateway to nations throughout the world
    • Flags -- flags of countries in color;  direct links to country information


HEALTH & MEDICINE
  • Alcoholics Anonymous -- Locate the time and place of meetings in central and northern MN
  • American Academy of Family Physicians -- Conditions, smart parents guide, health info for men, women, seniors, and more
  • American Medical Association -- Issues important to patients and the nation's health
  • DoctorFinder -- Basic professional information on over 800,000 U.S. doctors
  • Hospitals -- Free hospital info, profiles, and stats;  links to hospital websites

  • Medical Information
    • Aetna InteliHealth -- Diseases & conditions, drug resource center, health topics pertaining to children, men, women, and seniors
    • HealthFinder -- Access over 1600 health-related topics;  info on diseases and medical conditions
    • Mayo Clinic -- Information on diseases, drugs, first aid, and more
    • MedicineNet -- Reliable doctor-produced health and medical information
    • MedlinePlus --  Consumer health and medical info; search health topics, drug information, and a medical encyclopedia
    • Merck Manual -- Access to the world's most widely used medical textbook
    • MerckSource -- Info on diseases, conditions, over-the-counter drugs, medical dictionary, and more
    • National Library of Medicine -- Resources and databases pertaining to medicine, diseases, and other health topics
    • Ratings -- Profiles and ratings of hospitals, nursing homes, and physicians from HealthGrades, the leading independent healthcare ratings orginization.
    • Senior Health -- Health information, conditions, diseases and topics of interest to seniors
    • WebMD -- Find a doctor or hospital;  info on drugs, supplements, diseases, and disorders; use the pill identification tool; read health updates
    • Women's Health -- Health topics, publications, and columns pertaining to women's health issues

HISTORY
HOME AND GARDEN

KIDS' CORNER


  • Reading
    • Guys Read -- Boys can find books THEY like to read!
    • KidsReads -- Favorite books, series, & authors; reviews, books into movies
    • Reading is Fun -- Stories and learn-to-read activities for kindergarten through second grade
    • Summer Reading Fun -- Summer reading lists by grade level, kindergarten through 8th grade

  • Science
    • Astronomy -- All about the universe, galaxies, stars, and more!
    • Backyard Nature -- Naturalist Jim Conrad explores plants, animals, ecology, geology, and gardening.
    • Biology -- All about cells, plants, animals, microorganisms, and more!
    • Chemistry --  All about matter, the elements, atoms, and more!
    • Energy -- Explore the nature and uses of nuclear, solar, wind, natural gas and oil, and many other kinds of energy
    • Geography -- All about the atmosphere, the earth, climates, and more!
    • Health -- Articles, fun features, & interactive activities about health
    • Physics -- All about motion, heat, light, electricity, and more!
    • Science Fair Projects -- From getting started to completing the project
    • Space -- Learn about deep space, the solar system, and astronauts
    • Weather -- Learn about tornadoes, winter storms, hurricanes, earthquakes, and other more



LEGAL RESOURCES
  • Adoption for Minnesota --- from the National Adoption Information Clearinghouse

  • Ask for Help
  • Charities -- Give wisely to charities with help from the American Institute of Philanthropy
  • Charities -- Your guide to intelligent giving;  find a charity you can trust using CharityNavigator
  • Child Support -- Guidelines, services, and forms from the MN Dept. of Human Services
  • Copyright -- Questions about copyright answered by the U.S. Copyright Office
  • Dictionary -- Clear definitions for over 1000 legal terms
  • Encyclopedia -- Clear, concise articles on a variety of legal topics
  • FindLaw.Com -- Searchable online legal database

  • Forms

Minnesota


News and Media

Phone and E-mail Listings

Reference
  • Children's Web Sites -- Best sites selected by the American Library Assocation;  many categories!
  • Citations -- Select a citation type (print or electronic) and complete the form.  Your citation in MLA or APA format is a click away!
  • Citation Styles -- Various citation styles with color-coding!  Includes APA, Turabian, MLA, Chicago, and AMA.
  • Convert It --  Simple & fast way to convert between currencies, miles, kilometers, gallons, liters, temperature, and more
  • Copyright -- Questions about copyright answered by the U.S. Copyright Office
  • Dictionaries -- Access to over 400 dictionaries, including general, art, foreign language, and medical
  • Ecclesiastical Calendar -- Calculate the date of Easter and related events for any year after A.D. 325
  • Flags of the World -- Flags of countries in color; direct links to country information
  • Internet Public Library --  the best of of the internet for teachers, researchers, students, and parents
  • Journals -- Access full-text scholarly and scientific journal articles
  • Language Learning Library -- Access to grammar, common phrases, numbers, dictionaries, and more for the following:  French, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, and Chinese
  • Maps -- Browse street, satellite, and physical maps around the world, from a continent to a specific street.  Zoom in and out, search by zip code, and print!
  • Speech Bank -- Over 5000 full text public speeches, sermons, lectures, interviews, and more from American Rhetoric
  • States -- Links to all 50 states in the USA.  Includes county profiles, census data, history, facts, current events, and more!
  • Translate Languages  -- Translate text or web pages from a foreign language to English and vice versa, courtesy of AltaVista's "Babel Fish"
  • Translation Wizard -- Translate words and phrases from over 45 foreign languages into English and vice versa
  • US Zip Code Information -- Check for a 9 digit zip code for any U.S. address

Science and Technology

  • Science.gov - The Federal Government's science portal.  Search over 35 databases and 1850 selected websites pertaining to the environment, health, computers, energy, nature, astronomy, food, technology, and more
  • Science Fair Projects -- Links kids to various science resources
  • Science Museum of Minnesota -- Activities, programs, collections, & visitor info
  • Popular Science -- Popular Science magazine online
  • World Wide Science -- National and international scientific databases and portals.  A global science gateway!

Seniors

Teen Scene
  • Citations -- Select a citation type (print or electronic) and complete the form.  Your citation in MLA or APA format is a click away!
  • Citation Styles -- Various citation styles with color-coding!  Includes APA, Turabian, MLA, Chicago, and AMA.

  • College Preparation
    • Education Funding -- Financial Aid and student loan info from Sallie Mae, nation's leading provider of education funding
    • FAFSA -- Free application for federal student aid

  • Guide to Grammar & Writing --  Interactive guide to English grammar.  Tips for writing essays and research papers
  • Human Anatomy -- Tour the human body by clicking on a system---skeletal, muscular, digestive, nervous, etc.
  • Periodic Table of the Elements -- History, properties, and uses of all the elements

  • Reading
    • Graphic Novel Review -- Blogs and reviews of graphic novels on the No Flying, No Tights site
    • Reading Rants -- Out of the ordinary booklists for teens with an interactive blog
    • See Me 4 Books -- Young Adults say what's hot, and what's not.  Reviews, awards, and links to YA author websites
    • Teen Reads -- Let teenreads.com help you choose a good book!  Locate authors, titles, reviews, and the monthly roundup of "cool new books"

  • Teen Space -- Info on teen life, school, friends, and work
  • United States Government -- Guide to the Federal Government for grades 9 - 12.

Travel and Tourism
  • Eurotrip -- Online travel planner for European destinations:  maps, rail passes, car rentals, tours, and more
  • Explore Minnesota -- Activities, scenic byways, lodging, and camping
  • Fare Compare -- Search flights and compare prices, check cheap travel deals, and more
  • Fodors --International travel guide;  lodging, restaurants, transportation, and cruises
  • Frommer's -- International destinations, activities, guidebooks, and special offers
  • MapQuest -- maps and driving directions worldwide
  • Maps --View maps, zoom, drag and drop, and get directions for locations in the U.S. and Britain
  • MomsMinivan -- Over 100 car travel games & road trip ideas for families & kids
  • Rick Steves Europe -- Rick Steves takes you through Europe's back door
  • SeatGuru -- Find the perfect seat on numerous airlines - includes reviews
  • Tourism Offices Worldwide -- directory of contact information; links to websites
  • Trip Advisor -- Free, unbiased reviews of cities, lodging, and attractions worldwide.
  • Tripology -- Connect with travel specialists who can plan and book your trip
  • Universal Currency Converter -- Convert currency from one monetary system to another
  • USA Tourism -- Attractions, lodging, rentals, tours, parks, & more for all 50 states
  • World Clock and Calendar -- Search for world times and dates

Weather



PAGE LAST UPDATED:  June 2010










East Central Regional Library
244 South Birch Street Cambridge Minnesota 55008
Phone 763.689.7390      FAX 763.689.7389
ecregion@ecrlib.org