Favorite Web Sites: Computer/Technology
Information
The web sites featured this month have been critically evaluated
and selected by the IU Northwest librarians as well as a group of academic
and public librarians across the United States who compile a yearly Best
Free Reference Web Sites List for the American
Library Association. Here is a list of selection
criteria initially created by the MARS Best Free Websites Task
Force to choose these sites. The Library hopes our readers will
find these web sites useful for locating reliable, accurate and
authoritative information on the Internet.
The well-organized CNET site is all about technology.
Essentially, it provides the average computer user with an edge in
keeping on top of computer and computer-related technology. CNET
contains extensive reviews of new hardware and software products, a
list of Internet Service Providers (with a review of each), tech
news and tech stock information for investors, free software
downloads, web development tips for beginners and experts, and a
help and how-to page. This site is easy to navigate and packed with
practical information. Every computer owner could benefit from
having CNET.com bookmarked. (Summary used with permission of the
MARS Best Free Websites Committee)
Download.com provides free downloads of a collection of more than
30,000 free and trial-version programs, including utilities, music,
and games. Download.com is published by CNET, an interactive content
company. Users of Windows and MacIntosh computers, as well as
handheld devices, can read reviews and rankings by CNET and by other
users. CNET rates the software on the quality of its user interface,
features, and download as well as the program's functionality and
stability. Software with adware is allowed but identified. Although
there are a number of advertisements on the site, Download.com
provides a single, easy-to-use source of utility and other software
for the home and business user. (Summary used with permission of
the MARS Best Free Websites Committee)
Offered by the TechWeb Network, a technology news firm providing
original and aggregated news content on the IT industry,
TechEncyclopedia provides definitions for over 20,000 information
technology terms. Entries range from a brief definition to
substantive background articles, many of which are credited to the
Computer Desktop Encyclopedia. For anyone looking for a definition
and/or background on an IT term ranging from the history of the
Internet to the exact meaning of terms such as peripherals,
mainframe, gigabyte, ultracard, or scsi, TechEncyclopedia is a
highly useful resource. (Summary used with permission of the MARS
Best Free Websites Committee)
This Web site advertises itself as the "only online dictionary and
search engine you need for computer and Internet technology." The
Webopedia is more than a dictionary; it is really similar to a
concise encyclopedia. In addition to a searchable database of terms,
there are short articles on topics such as "The Science of Color,"
found under the "Did You Know" link on the home page. A
"Term of the Day" feature, which can be sent to your e-mail address,
and a list of the "Top 15 Terms" provide starting points for the
casual browser. One banner ad at the top of each page hardly
detracts from the site's extensive content. Webopedia offers an easy
way to keep up with ever-changing computer terminology. (Summary
used with permission of the MARS Best Free Websites Committee)
Locate Thousands of Full-Text Dissertations Through Proquest
Digital Dissertations
Provided by a CIC member library subscription, Proquest
Digital Dissertations database offers access to over 600,000
dissertations found in Dissertation Abstracts.
Citations are available for dissertations published since 1861 and
detailed abstracts provided for dissertations produced since July
1980. Most importantly, titles written since 1997 can be accessed
and downloaded in PDF format. Users can also preview the first 24
pages of these documents online.
To access Digital Dissertations, IU Northwest students,
faculty and staff ONLY can go to the
IU Northwest Library's Electronic
Information Page and select the Library Databases link.
At the next screen, click on Digital Dissertations
(Dissertation Abstracts ) to begin searching the database.
Criminal Justice Abstracts Now Available on Cambridge
Scientific Abstracts
The IU Northwest Library recently added Criminal Justice Abstracts
to its Cambridge Scientific Abstracts (CSA Illumina)
subscription. Produced by SAGE Publications, Criminal
Justice Abstracts contains over 86,000 records on
criminology and related disciplines. Subjects covered include:
- Adult Corrections
- Courts and Legal Process
- Crime, the Offender and the Victim
- Crime Prevention and Control Strategies
- Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
- Police
- Social Work
- Substance Abuse
Updated quarterly, the database features comprehensive coverage
of journals, books, reports and dissertations from 1968 to the
present. The IU Northwest Campus community ONLY can search
Criminal Justice Abstracts by going to the
IU Northwest Library Databases
Page and selecting the Criminal Justice Abstracts
link.
, Library News Web Editor
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