A presentation at the 2002 Wisconsin Library Association Conference by:

Joy Schwarz schwarz@winnefox.org

Web Librarian, Winnefox Library System

Gerri Moeller gmoeller@mail.owls.lib.wi.us

Electronic Resources Librarian, Outagamie Waupaca Library System

What's New

• Insultingly Stupid Movie Physics
  Did you wonder if the Matrix could be real? Intrigued by the whole Terminator idea? Well, wonder no more. The folks at Intuitor have taken it upon themselves to "rate movies for their portrayal of excessively bad physics."
  
  
• Does It Work?
  "The Power Pumpkin Carver claims that it can help you carve Jack-O-Lanterns quicker and easier...but Does it Work?"
  
  
• If You Like...
  A great site for genre readers and those who help them.
  
  
• Mozilla Web Browser
  Tabbed navigation & no more pop-up ads = life is good.
  Easy to set as your default browser | Set a default search engine | Tabbed browsing | Tab preferences | Bookmark a group of tabs (here's a sample ) | Control Images | Block ads | Block pop-up ads
  [ 101 things that the Mozilla browser can do that IE cannot ]
  
  
• Are You a Good Googler?
  Tips for optimizing your searches.
  
  
• Ice Fishing Home Page
  What's more Wisconsin than this?
  
  
• Web Sites to Find Statistics On-Line
  Links to an eclectic set of statistics sources
  
  
• Listen Up, Wisconsin!
  A WPLC a test project that loans digital audiobooks on MP3 players.
  
  
• Wisconsin No Call List
  Put a stop to telemarketing phone calls.
  
  
• TV Acres
  A reference to U.S. television shows from the 40s to the present.
  
  
• Super Searchers Web Page
  Links to subject-specific Web resources recommended by the world’s leading online searchers
  
  
• Librarians' Index to the Internet: What's New This Week
  How to keep up with the new stuff

What's Fun

• What's Next?
  Quick and easy serial searching. After all, not all series are as easy to follow as Sue Grafton's.
  
  
• Genrefluent
  Lots of great info from the creator of Genreflecting. Reviews, and updated lists of links from the books.
  
  
• Atom Films
  Short films of all type, plus….. tah-dah ….Brand new Wallace and Gromit!
  
  
• Salon.com
  Great book reviews. Long, insightful, and thought-provoking. The articles aren't bad either.
  
  
• The Big Screen Cinema Guide
  Don't have a newspaper and want to find out what's playing in town?
  
  
• Frommers
  A great all around travel website, with a newsletter updated every day, and tons of content. Restaurant reviews, hotel recommendations, bargains galore.
  
  
• Metafilter
  News distributed quickly and effectively by this community weblog, that often scoops traditional news sources [ Seattle earthquake, 2001 ] [ September 11, 2001 ].
  
  
• It's a reference tool! It's a management decision-making tool! It's The Public 8 Ball!
  
  
• Windows Annoyances' Weekly Horoscope
  "Warning: Any attempts to reinstall Windows this week will result in an immense headache. Better to wait until all nine planets are in perfect alignment."
  
  
• The Laughing Librarian
  Free bookmarks you wish you could print!
  

Sites We Couldn't Live Without

• Consumer Search
  Looking to buy a new _______________(fill in the blank.) Here's a site that tells you who does the best job of reviewing, and rates those reviews for you. It reviews the reviewers!
  
  
• mySimon.com
  Want to comparison shop online? Want to know who's got the best price for that digital camera?
  
  
• Symantec
  Great for researching the latest virus. Can anyone say Bugbear?
  
  
• Google's Image Search
  Everyone knows about Google, but there are some great new features -- Google's image search. The advanced features are really spectacular.
  
  
• PC Magazine
  
• PCWorld.com
  Great for reviews of hardware, software, and keeping up with the latest trends.
  
  
• CNET
  The best site to look for techy ideas. Reviews of hardware and software, recommendations of what PDA to buy, and lots of techy news. Also, great downloads.
  
  
• Tucows
  Over 30,000 freeware and shareware software titles for download + reviews ("Head of the Herd", "Pick of the Pasture.")
  
  
• The Shifted Librarian
  Jenny Levine keeps us apprised of cutting-edge technologies and how they'll affect libraries.
  
  
• Research Buzz
  Daily updates on search engines, new data managing software, browser technology, large compendiums of information, Web directories. Tara says, "If in doubt, the final question is, "Would a reference librarian find it useful?" If the answer's yes, in it goes!"
  
  
• LISNews
  Keep up on current events in the library world.
  
  
• Google Weblog
  Tracks the latest additions and modifications to Google.
  
  
• Neat New Stuff I Found on the Net This Week
  Marylaine Block selects and briefly reviews ten great informational sites each week.
  
  
• Google Catalogs
  Search and browse mail-order catalogs online .
  

Completely Useless, But We Like It Anyway

• The Pop vs. Soda Page
  Finally, a definitive answer to the question - "Do you say pop or soda"?
  
  
• Sodaplay
  Nothing to do with the previous website.
  
  
• News of the Weird
  The name really says it all.
  
  
• Bookworm
  Warning -- very addictive!
  
  
• Design Your Own O'Reilly Book Cover
  Create your own bestseller
  
  
• Toho Monster Bios
  A "Who's Who®" of the Japanese movie monster pantheon.
  
  
• Kite Aerial Photography
  Take your Dramamine® now!
  
  
• Things That Have Been Sold in Vending Machines
  From emu jerky to plastic models of submarines (made on the spot).
  
  
• CAT User Manual
  "There are no user serviceable parts inside."