1. Encyclopedias and Online Dictionaries Public Content Control: Wikipedia

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3. Winter 2008Learning in Retirement - The Evolution of the Web3 Wikipedia Wikipedia is a multilingual, web-based, encyclopedia project, operated by the Wikimedia Foundation, a non-profit organization. Wikipedia's name is a portmanteau of the words wiki (a type of collaborative website) and encyclopedia. Wikipedia's articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world and the vast majority of them can be edited by anyone with access to the Internet. Steadily rising in popularity since its inception, it currently ranks among the top ten most-visited websites worldwide.

4. Winter 2008Learning in Retirement - The Evolution of the Web4 Wikipedia is written collaboratively by volunteers from all around the world. Since its creation in 2001, Wikipedia has grown rapidly into one of the largest reference Web sites. There are more than 75,000 active contributors working on some 8,700,000 articles in more than 250 languages. As of today, there are 2,057,630 articles in English; every day hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world make tens of thousands of edits and create thousands of new articles to enhance the knowledge held by the Wikipedia encyclopedia. (See also: Wikipedia:Statistics).

5. Winter 2008Learning in Retirement - The Evolution of the Web5 Visitors do not need specialised qualifications to contribute, since their primary role is to write articles that cover existing knowledge; this means that people of all ages and cultural and social background can write Wikipedia articles. With rare exceptions, articles can be edited by anyone with access to the Internet, simply by clicking the edit this page link. Anyone is welcome to add information, cross-references or citations, as long as they do so within Wikipedia's editing policies and to an appropriate standard.

6. Winter 2008Learning in Retirement - The Evolution of the Web6 When "You" was awarded Time Person of the Year 2006, praising the accelerating success of on-line collaboration and interaction by millions of users around the world, Wikipedia was the first particular "Web 2.0" service mentioned, followed by YouTube and MySpace. In addition to being an encyclopedic reference, Wikipedia has also received major media attention as an online source of breaking news as it is constantly updated, having some 6.8 million registered users worldwide, although only a small part is consistently active.

7. Winter 2008Learning in Retirement - The Evolution of the Web7 Its Not All Rosy Due to Wikipedia's open nature, critics have questioned its reliability and accuracy. The site has been criticized for its susceptibility to vandalism and the addition of false or unverified information, uneven quality, systemic bias and inconsistencies, and for favoring consensus over credentials in its editorial process.

8. Winter 2008Learning in Retirement - The Evolution of the Web8 Wikipedia's content policies and sub- projects set up by contributors seek to address these concerns. Scholarly work suggests that vandalism is generally short-lived and that Wikipedia is generally as accurate as other encyclopedias. Most schools won't let their students use Wikipedia as an internet source.

9. Online Dictionaries and Thesauri A collection of dictionaries Covering over 15 languagesA collection of dictionaries AltaVista Babel Fish Translation Online translations of text or complete web pages.AltaVista Babel Fish Translation ArtLex A dictionary of visual art.ArtLex Bibliomania - Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (from 1894 edition)Bibliomania - Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable Dictionary.com Offers various online dictionary and language services.Dictionary.com Winter 2008Learning in Retirement - The Evolution of the Web9

10. Grove Dictionary of Art Online A subscription service (available to UK education via a CHEST agreement)Grove Dictionary of Art OnlineCHEST agreement lexicool.com, directory of bilingual and multilingual dictionaries.lexicool.com Merriam-Webster Online Access to Webster's American English dictionary and thesaurusMerriam-Webster Online OneLook Dictionaries Search or browse general and subject- specific glossaries and dictionariesOneLook Dictionaries The On-line Medical Dictionary Provided by CancerWEBThe On-line Medical Dictionary Winter 2008Learning in Retirement - The Evolution of the Web10

11. Encarta Dictionary From Microsoft.Encarta Dictionary English-French dictionary From the ARTFL ProjectEnglish-French dictionary English-Spanish Library and Information Studies Dictionary This is a compilation of the terminology, both general and specific, that students and professionals generally encounter when reading library and information literature. 89,215 entries.English-Spanish Library and Information Studies Dictionary Glossary Agent Access to glossaries in insurance, finance, law and healthcareGlossary Agent Winter 2008Learning in Retirement - The Evolution of the Web11

12. Oxford English Dictionary Online The online version of the OED. ( Access is via http://athens.oed.com/ for education sites that have taken up the CHEST OED agreement. )Oxford English Dictionary Online http://athens.oed.com/CHEST OED Roget's Thesaurus (version 1.02) From the ARTFL Project at the University of Chicago.Roget's Thesaurus Swedish-English Dictionary From Lexin (Swedish National Agency for Education).Swedish-English Dictionary Thesaurus of Geographic Names From the Getty Information Institute.Thesaurus of Geographic Names Travlang's Translating Dictionaries A service from the US company travlang.Travlang's Translating Dictionaries Winter 2008Learning in Retirement - The Evolution of the Web12

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16. Wordsmyth Educational Dictionary-Thesaurus, An American English resourceWordsmyth Educational Dictionary-Thesaurus Xerox Lanuage Identifer yourDictionary.com (formerly Web of On-line Dictionaries) links to many dictionaries, thesauri and other language resources.yourDictionary.com Reference Works Acronym Database A source of general acronyms and abbreviations, based in Ireland.Acronym Database Acronym Finder For computer, technology, telecommunications and military acronyms.Acronym Finder Acronym Search A source of general acronyms and abbreviations.Acronym Search AllRefer.com Educational resource provides a comprehensive collection of reference, encyclopedia, health, gazetteer, country studies, and educational databases. Includes more than 150,000 articles on topics covered under health, history, science, people, places, arts, sports, plants, animals, technology, philosophy, religion, literature, and more.AllRefer.com an image of the globe to see which parts are in daylight and also discover local time Winter 2008Learning in Retirement - The Evolution of the Web16

17. AllRefer Reference Browse articles in all areas of topics within Earth & Environment, History, Literature & Arts, Health & Medicine, People, Philosophy & Religion, Places, Plants & Animals, Science & Technology, Social Science, Law, Sports, Everyday Life, and more. Includes Country Studies and North America Gazetteer.AllRefer Reference Bartleby.com (Reference section) - online versions of reference works (including 1918 edition of Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body)Bartleby.com Bartlett's Familiar Quotations Search this database of quotations based on the original collection by John BartlettBartlett's Familiar Quotations Britannica.com Includes Encyclopædia BritannicaBritannica.com Calculation of the Ecclesiastical Calendar Dates for Orthodox and Western EasterCalculation of the Ecclesiastical Calendar The Catholic Encyclopedia An online version (not yet complete) of the 1913 printed editionThe Catholic Encyclopedia Classic 164 Currency Converter A service from OANDA.comClassic 164 Currency Converter De Imperatoribus Romanis An online encyclopedia of the rulers of ancient RomeDe Imperatoribus Romanis 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica Access to the articles from the 1911 edition1911 Encyclopedia Britannica Winter 2008Learning in Retirement - The Evolution of the Web17

18. Encyclopedia.com A first-stop internet encyclopediaEncyclopedia.com Encyclopedia of Astronomy and Astrophysics A subscription service from the Nature Publishing Group (available to UK education via a CHEST agreement).Encyclopedia of Astronomy and AstrophysicsCHEST agreement Encyclopedia of Life Sciences - a subscription service from the Nature Publishing Group (available to UK education via a CHEST agreement)Encyclopedia of Life SciencesCHEST agreement Encyclopedia Mythica An encyclopedia on world-wide mythology, folklore and magicEncyclopedia Mythica International Dialing Codes A table listing of telephone country codes and international prefixesInternational Dialing Codes Internet FAQ Archives A compilation of Usenet Frequently Asked Questions postingsInternet FAQ Archives The Internet Grammar of English An online course in English grammar from University College LondonThe Internet Grammar of English Measuring Units Conversion Tables For conversion from/to metric and imperial and US measurement systems.Measuring Units Conversion Tables The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy A widely used general medical text (April 1999 edition)The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy Winter 2008Learning in Retirement - The Evolution of the Web18

19. Oxford Reference Online: the Core Collection Cross-searchable resource including dictionaries, thesauri, language reference works, subject dictionaries and general reference works, from Oxford University Press. (Available to UK education at subsidised rates.)Oxford Reference Online: the Core Collection Tododiccionarios.com A directory of reference works in English or SpanishTododiccionarios.com The PC Technology Guide A guide to the technology underlying the personal computer's major components and peripheralsThe PC Technology Guide Perpetual Calendar A perpetual (Gregorian) calendar for the Western WorldPerpetual Calendar Place Name Servers on the Internet Links to resources world-widePlace Name Servers on the Internet Portals to the World Links to information about the countries of the world, from the Library of CongressPortals to the World Postcode Finder Lets you find postcodes in the UK, from Royal Mail.Postcode Finder The Quotations Page A US service with a search facilityThe Quotations Page Refdesk.com A US service offering a single source for facts via the InternetRefdesk.com Winter 2008Learning in Retirement - The Evolution of the Web19

20. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy An ongoing dynamic online resource from Stanford UniversityStanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy UN Atlas of the Oceans An internet portal providing information relevant to the sustainable development of the oceansUN Atlas of the Oceans Universal Currency Converter Convert currencies from one to another using a simple formUniversal Currency Converter V.E.R.A. The Virtual Entity of Relevant Acronyms lets you search for computer-related acronyms and other terms.V.E.R.A. xrefer An online reference engine incorporating encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesauri and more.xrefer Webopedia A dictionary and reference site for computer and Internet technology information.Webopedia whatis.com A reference site for a range of information about computing and the Internetwhatis.com timeanddate.com Displays local time in key locations world-widetimeanddate.com World Factbook (published by the CIA) The information for each country includes: total area, boundaries, climate, disputes, population, political system and economy.World Factbook WORLDTIME - rotateWORLDTIME Winter 2008Learning in Retirement - The Evolution of the Web20