Recommended Websites
Table of Contents
- Books and Reading
- Business and Finance
- Computer Resources
- Consumer Information
- Dance
- Employment and Jobs
- Film
- Genealogy
- General Information, Encyclopedias, & Dictionaries
- Geography
- Government
- Greater Springfield, Agawam, and Western Massachusetts
- Internet Search Tools
- Legal Resources
- Medicine and Health
- Music
- News and Media
- Performing Arts General
- Phone Books and Zip/Postal Codes
- Television and Radio
- Theater
- Taxes
- Weather
Books and Reading
Amazon.com
The source the Agawam Library Staff uses to find information on books.
Books N Bytes
A collection of book reviews.
Good Reads
See what your friends are reading, get recommendations for books, keep a list of what you've read and/or what you want to read, rate and review books, play trivia, form a club, and collect quotes.
Librarian's Guide to Literature and Book Resources
A collection of book and reading links selected and evaluated by librarians from California.
Library Thing
A network of 600,000 readers. Catalog your books, rate books and write reviews, connect to other people who've read what you've read, and join clubs.
Literature Map
Type in the name of an author to find similar authors.
Novelist: Finding a Good Book to Read
This is a great resource for looking for novels. It includes children's, young adult and adult titles. Search features include match a favorite author, match a favorite title, describe a plot, browse subjects, explore fiction, and best fiction. Available only with an Agawam Public Library Card (not valid with any other CW/MARS Library Network Card).Available to all users in the library. Funded by the CW/MARS Library Network. Type in your library card and last name, and scroll down to Novelist.
Shelfari
Create a shelf of books you've read or want to read. Review and rate the ones you've read. See what your friends are reading and if they are similar to yours, get recommendations for books, and find out the most popular books.
Business and Finance
Agawam Small Business Assistance Center
Doing Business in Massachusetts
The Commonwealth's portal on everything about doing business in Massachusetts.
General BusinessFile ASAP
Contains information on companies, broker research reports, and business newspaper and magazine articles. Requires a Massachusetts Library card.
Librarian's Guide to Business
A collection of business links selected and evaluated by librarians from California.
Librarian's Guide to Non-Profits
A collection of non-profit links selected and evaluated by librarians from California.
Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Work Force Development
Register your new business online.
ReferenceUSA Business Directory
Find information on over 12 million U. S. Businesses. Funded by the Agawam Public Library. Available only with an Agawam Public Library Card (not valid with any other CW/MARS Library Network Card). Type in your library card and last name, and scroll down to ReferenceUSA.
U. S. Department of Labor
Collects important statistics on the economy including rate of inflation, and unemployment rate.
Woman Business Owners Allliance of the Pioneer Valley
Computer Resources
Librarian's Guide to Computers
A collection of computer, Internet, and technology links selected and evaluated by librarians from California and Washington State.
Consumer Information
Consumer Information from Mass. Attorney General's Office
Librarian's Guide to Consumer Research
A collection of consumer research links selected and evaluated by librarians from California and Washington State.
Dance
ABT Online Ballet Dictionary
Definition of 170 ballet terms with accompanying video clips.
Balletcompanies.com
Provides 3,000 links to ballet and dance companies around the world.
Ballroom Dance Resource
Information and video clips for beginners to advanced dancers.
Cyber Dance: Ballet on the Net
Links to ballet and modern dance companies, schools, services, organizations, and other dance websites.
Voice of Dance
Links, performance listings, news, reviews, directories and more.
Employment, Jobs, and Labor
careerbuilder.com
The U. S.'s largest online job site. Publishes jobs on the Internet and in print. Search for jobs and/ or post your resume.
Commonwealth of Massachusetts Jobs
Looking for a job with the Commonwealth? Search here for available job openings.
craigslist for Hartford area
Numerous jobs in Connecticut are posted on this site.
craigslist for Western Mass.
Numerous local jobs are posted on this site.
CTJOBcentral
Connecticut's Job Bank from Connecticut's Department of Labor.
Futureworks
Looking for a job? Need training? Funded by the Commonwealth, this site provides information on the Springfield area's Massachusetts One-Stop Career center. Futureworks offers workshops, job counseling, and career advisement, as well as local job listings.
Indeed
Search for jobs nationwide, or by city, state, or zip. It searches job sites, newspapers, and associations and company career pages.
Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Work Force Development
The Commonwealth's labor page. Job seekers may look for jobs, and file for unemployment. Employers may post job openings on the site and register their new business online.
Massachusetts JobQuest
Search for jobs throughout Massachusetts through this application created by the Massachusetts Division of Career Services.
MassLive Employment
Post your resume online and browse job listings from the Sunday Republican and the Springfield Republican.
Monster
Post your resume and search for jobs nationwide.
OSHA
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration works to insure the health safety of workers in the United States.
ReferenceUSA Business Directory
Find information on over 12 million U. S. Businesses. Funded by the Agawam Public Library. Available only with an Agawam Public Library Card (not valid with any other CW/MARS Library Network Card). Type in your library card and last name, and scroll down to ReferenceUSA.
The Riley Guide
Points to numerous job search Internet sites. Also provides information on how to conduct your search.
SimplyHired
Another job search engine that searches job sites and company sites.
Springfield Help Wanted
Post your resume online and browse job listings in Greater Springfield, Greater Hartford, and the Greater Worcester areas.
Western MassWorks
Search for jobs in Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin, and Berkshire Counties.
Your Rights in the Workplace from Mass. Attorney General
FILM
Glossary of Film Terms
Over 700 terms defined, indexed by alphabet and subject. Also provides links to other film glossaries.
The Greatest Films
Provides access to best film lists.
Internet Movie Database
The most comprehensive site on film. Provides plot and synopsis of film, and video clips of movie trailers. Also includes tv movies and tv series.
Internet Moving Images Archive: Movie Collection
More than 200,000 free digital films in a variety of topics and formats.
Roger Ebert
Film critic Roger Ebert's take on the movies.
GENEALOGY AND LOCAL HISTORY
Cyndi's List
One of the most comprehensive sites for genealogical research. Contains thousands of links.
Find a Grave
Find the grave site of your ancestors.
HeritageQuest Online Genealogy Database
HeritageQuest Online includes all of the images, and extensive indexing, from the 1790 - 1930 U.S. federal censuses. It offers more than 20,000 book titles, including nearly 8,000 family histories and over 12,000 local histories. Additionally, there are more than 250 primary-source documents such as tax lists, city directories, probate records, and more. Funded by the Agawam Public Library. Available remotely only with an Agawam Public Library Card. (not valid remotely with any other card). Available for all users in the library.
General Information & Reference
About.com
Over 600 people share their expertise on numerous topics. Today, it is recognized as a top 10 content site and one of the largest producers of original content on the Web.
Bartelby
Many books are at this site. Quote of the day, the Bible, encyclopedias, history, dictionaries, Gray's Anatomy, and cookbooks. Check here first for your reference help!
CIA World Fact Book
Information on all the countries of the world.
Encyclopedia Online
Encyclopedias, dictionaries, and lots more Search this site by word or letter, or browse for information.
Internet Public Library Reference Center
Encyclopedias, dictionaries, almanacs, and other great research tools.
Knowledge
Arts, health, computers, news, sports - there is lots of info. on this directory here to browse through or to answer your questions! It is being maintained collectively by volunteer contributors around the world.
Merriam-Webster
This site contains the Webster Dictionary and allows you to look up a word online. Includes a site map, word of the day, and more.
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a free content encyclopedia being written collaboratively by contributors from around the world. Also available in the following languages Chinese, Danish, Dutch, French, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, & Swedish.
Wolframalhpa
Wolframalpha is a computational search engine. Try typing in your date of birth, your hometown, two stocks, a computation, a mathematical formula, or anything that can be calculated or have data collected on.
Geography
CIA World Fact Book
Information on all the countries of the world.
Government, Federal
www.usa.gov
The United States Government's official portal to all government departments, agencies, and services.
CIA World Fact Book
Information on all the countries of the world.
OSHA
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration works to insure the health safety of workers in the United States.
Social Security Administration
Government, State
Mass.gov
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts' official portal to all state departments, agencies, and services.
Massachusetts Attorney General
Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners
Massachusetts Department of Revenue
Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Work Force Development
The Commonwealth's labor page. Job seekers may look for jobs, and file for unemployment. Employers may post job openings on the site and register their new business online.
Massachusetts Recovery and Reinvestment Plan
Government, Local
Pioneer Valley Planning Commission
Greater Springfield, Agawam & Western Massachusetts
Agawam Cultural Council
All the information on the Agawam Cultural Council's programs, events, and bus trips to New York City.
Agawam Historical Association
Learn about the group the preserves Agawam's history, and learn about the firehouse museum. Take an online tour of the museum and the image museum. Have a question? Contact them through their website.
Springfield Library's Guide to Western Massachusetts
A collection of links on Greater Springfield and Western Massachusetts. Created by the staff at the Springfield City Library.
Internet Search Tools
About.com
Over 600 people share their expertise on numerous topics. Today, it is recognized as a top 10 content site and one of the largest producers of original content on the Web.
Ask
A popular search engine.
Dogpile
Search multiple search engines all at the same time.
Google
The Agawam Library staff's favorite search engine!
Google Images
The Agawam Library staff's favorite place to search for images!
Internet Public Library
A collection of websites organized into various topics. Maintained by the University of Michigan School of Information.
Knowledge
Arts, health, computers, news, sports - there is lots of info. on this directory here to browse through or to answer your questions! It is being maintained collectively by volunteer contributors around the world.
Librarian's Index to the Internet
Thousands of sites in a wide range of categories. All sites are chosen and recommended by librarians in California.
Wolframalhpa
Wolframalpha is a computational search engine. Try typing in your date of birth, your hometown, two stocks, a computation, a mathematical formula, or anything that can be calculated or have data collected on.
Yahoo
Probably the most well-known subject directory of the Internet. Websites are organized into categories and sub-categories.
YouTube
A site that hosts videos from amateurs, networks, and professionals.
Legal Resources
Massachusetts Attorney General
Massachusetts Legal Aid
Database of free and low-cost legal aid programs across the state, searchable by town or county.
Massachusetts Lawyer Referral and Consumer Assistance
Links to statewide and regional lawyer referral services in Massachusetts.
Massachusetts Trial Court Libraries Links
A collection of federal, Massachusetts, and general law links recommended by Massachusetts Trial Court Librarians.
Nolo.com
Legal information from the publisher of self-help law books for over thirty years. Up-to-date legal articles and products on almost any legal topic, and links to other helpful websites.
Medicine and Health
Alzheimer's Association
Information on Alzheimer's disease.
American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology
Information on asthma.
American Cancer Society
The definitive resource on cancer. Includes an excellent section on breast cancer.
American Diabetes Association
One of the most comprehensive sites on diabetes.
American Heart Association
Information on heart disease including heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure, and hypertension.
American Lung Association
Information on lung health and diseases including asthma, COPD, and lung cancer.
Autism Society
In exisitence for over 50 years, one of the definitve and most trusted resources on autism.
BrainWeb
Information and links on more than 25 brain diseases and disorders including addiction, aging, Alzheimer's disease, aneurysm, anxiety, autism, bipolar disorder blindness, brain injury, brain tumor, cerebral palsy, deafness, dementia, depression, epilepsy, headache, Huntington's disease, Lou Gehrig's disease, memory, mental illness, multiple sclerosis, pain, Parkinson's disease, restless leg syndrome, schizophrenia, spinal cord injury, stress, Tourette syndrome, and more.
CAPHIS
Provides access to the top 100 consumer health websites chosen and evaluated by members of the Consumer and Patient Health Information Section of the Medical Library Association.
Center for Disease Control and Prevention Overweight and Obesity
Information on obesity and being overweight.
Center for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities
Information on birth defects and developmental disabilites including autism.
Clinical Trials
Provides regularly updated information about federally and privately supported clinical research in human volunteers. Provides information about a trial's purpose, who may participate, locations, and phone numbers for more details. A service of the National Institutes of Health. Developed by the National Library of Medicine.
Good Health Information @ Your Library
Health information provided by the National Library of Medicine in conjunction with the American Library Association.
Healthfinder®
An award-winning federal website for consumers for finding the best government and nonprofit health and human services information on the Internet. Links to carefully selected information and web sites from over 1,500 health-related organizations. Developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services together with other Federal agencies.
Health Hotlines by National Library of Medicine
Listing of telephone toll-free hotlines for numerous medical conditions. Includes Spanish resources.
Health Reference Center Academic
Health information including information from medical encyclopedias, books, and magazines. Available only with an Agawam Public Library Card (not valid with any other CW/MARS Library Network Card). Available to all users within the library. Type in your library card number and last name and scroll down to Health Reference Center Academic.
Holyoke Consumer Health Library, Inc.
A website with a focus in health information for Holyoke, but also contains health information applicable for residents of other Western Mass. communities. Includes mulilingual websites.
Massachusetts Health Information
Massachusetts health links compiled by Massachusetts General Hospital Treadwell Library.
Massachusetts Physician Profiles
Information about the education, training, and experience of all licensed physicians in Massachusetts. Includes malpractice claims paid in the past ten years, criminal convictions in the past ten years, and disciplinary actions of the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine in the past ten years. Searchable by name, city/town, physician specialties, and/or hospital affiliations.
Mayo Clinic
Health information from one the nation's most trusted hospitals.
MedlinePlus
Comprehensive information on conditions, diseases, wellness, prescription and over-the-counter medications. Also includes lists of hospitals, doctors, and libraries and the most recent health news. Created by the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health.
Mesothelioma Causes
Link to asbestos.com the leading resource on Mesothelioma Cancer and asbestos exposure.
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeltal and Skin Diseases
A-Z information on on different types of autoimmune diseases including arthritis.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Information on diabetes, digestive, and kidney diseases.
National Institute of Mental Health
Information on mental health topics including depression.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Information on hundreds of neurological disorders including stroke and Alzheimer's disease.
PubMed
Over 15 million citations for biomedical articles from MEDLINE and additional life science journals. Includes links to many sites providing full text articles and other related resources. A service of the National Library of Medicine.
UMASS HealthNet
Provides original information as well as links to critically evaluated resources geared for patients and offers information on health care services in the central Massachusetts regions. Administered by the Lamar Soutter Library of the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
Music
A comprehensive music site that covers all styles of music and includes discography.
News and Media
News and Media Resources
Local, regional, and national news sources compiled by Springfield City Library.
Librarian's Guide to News, Magazines, and Media
A collection of news, magazines, and media links selected and evaluated by librarians from California.
performing arts (General)
Global Performing Arts Consortium
"GloPAC is an international organization of institutions and individuals committed to using innovative digital technologies to create easily accessible, multimedia, and multilingual information resources for the stud and preservation of the performing arts."
Great Performances
Information and clips from the award-winning show on PBS.
Performing Arts Encyclopedia
Information on the performing art from the Library of Congress. Includes digitized items, databases, links, etc.
SIBMAS: International Directory of Performing Arts Collections and Institutions
Links to performing arts collections and institutions around the world.
Pets
PetPlace.com
PetPlace.com has over 10,000 veterinarian-approved articles on cats and dogs. There is also a free newsletter that you can subscribe to.
Phone Books and Zip/Postal Codes
411.com
Looks up people and businesses nationwide. Businesses may be searched by name or yellow page category. Also provides reverse phone number look-up and reverse address look-up.
Librarian's Guide to Phone Books
A listing of residential, business, national, and international phone books on the Internet. Selected and evaluated by librarians from California.
Librarian's Guide to Zip/Postal Codes
A listing of national and international zip/postal code sites. Selected and evaluated by librarians from California.
ReferenceUSA Residential Directory
Find information on over 100 million U. S. residential households. Funded by the Agawam Public Library. Available only with an Agawam Public Library Card (not valid with any other CW/MARS Library Network Card). Type in your library card and last name, and scroll down to ReferenceUSA.
Zip Code Finder from USPS
The official zip code finder from the United States Postal Service.
taxes
Connecticut Department of Revenue
Massachusetts Department of Revenue
Television and radio
British Broadcasting Company (BBC)
Offers various collections on its website: audio, short films, interviews, and archives of various programs.
Emmy Awards
Everything about the emmy awards. Includes video clips, interviews, and how the statuette is made.
Hulu
Watch television programs, full-length movies, and movie trailers.
Museum of Broadcast Communications
Over 7,000 hours of digitized radio and television and ability to search for thousands of programs.
Theater
The Internet Broadway Database
Provides current and previous production records of shows.
Kabuki for Everyone
Watch video of this traditional Japanese theater, and learn abour its history.
Playbill
Most current information on Broadway and other venues. Includes archives, performance listings, seating charts, and more.
Theatrecrafts.com
Everything about the technical aspects of producing a show.
TheatreHistory.com
Includes online script archive, changing feature topics, articles about international theater, changing feature topics, and a daily Today in Theatre History.
Tony Awards
Everything about the Tonys including video clips from the awards show and interviews with winners.
Weather
Greater Springfield Area Weather by the Weather Channel
Intellicast
Try the "radar loop" to watch storms come in.
Wunderground
Besides listing current national and international conditions and forecasts, Wunderground includes historical weather information back to 1994.
