Welcome to your Lancashire

Online Reference Library (OnRL)

Our Online Reference Library is a selection of 100s of websites chosen, organised and maintained by library professionals to answer your questions. Resources marked with * can only be accessed within a Lancashire Library.

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Your search for Science Nature and Technology produced 139 results:

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Go ON is designed to give new internet users and tutors in computer centres a range of easy courses and useful resources, from getting started to using public services online and job hunting online. Go ON also includes Online Basics - you need to register online to do Basics' courses but this is quick, easy and safe. Go ON is provided by UK online centres.
A free course from Go ON, Online Basics includes five short modules showing you how to use a mouse and keyboard, email, online search and stay safe online, ensuring that you have the confidence and skills needed to start enjoying all the fantastic things the internet has to offer(you need to register online to do myguide courses but this is quick, easy and safe). For further details see the Online basics website
Access reference books on biology, plant sciences, zoology, ecology, genetics etc.from Oxford University Press. Access is possible at any Lancashire Library People's Network PC or from any PC using the barcode from your Lancashire Library card.
This section of Oxford Reference Online includes works on computing and the internet as well as a dictionary of weights and measures. Access is possible at any Lancashire Library People's Network PC or from any PC using the barcode from your Lancashire Library card.
Reference books on astronomy, physics, mathematics, chemistry and statistics from Oxford University Press. There is also a dictionary of weights, measures and units. Access is possible at any Lancashire Library People's Network PC or from any PC using the barcode from your Lancashire Library card.
A whole range of references works on science, technology, scientists and the environment from Oxford University Press. It includes the illustrated Encyclopedia of Mammals.
Spring Online week takes place between 16 – 20 May and aims to get more older people using computers and the internet. The week ends with Digital Unite’s annual Silver Surfers’ Day – now in its 10th year. This year, to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Silver Surfers’ Day, the campaign has been extended to a week-long activity to encourage more people than ever before to take part. Silver Surfers’ Day will take place on Friday 20 May as a celebratory finale to the week’s activities. Here is a selection of sites for surfers to carry on learning and exploring with.
UK online centres provide people with access to computers and the internet, together with help and advice on how to use them. There are more than 6,000 UK online centres – including every library in Lancashire. Helpful staff and volunteers are on hand in our centres to give you help and advice to get started.In easy steps, you'll learn how to use a computer and the internet. Plus, once you've got the basics we could help you do lots more - like take a course or get a qualification. Whatever you'd like to do, using computers and the internet could save you time, hassle and money. You could find a new job, help your kids with homework, contact friends and family or even do your weekly shop, all online.
A free course from Go ON. Once you’ve mastered the basics you’ll probably want to know a little bit more about your computer. To help you make the most of your time online, you might need to change some of the settings to make it just right for you. For instance you might want to make the screen brighter or make the text larger. Knowing how to properly store your files and folders will make life easier too. You’ll want to make sure you know where everything is, whether it’s photos, documents or anything else. If you’re ready to find out more, start the using your computer course. It should take about 45 minutes to complete but you can take as long as you like.
At 10 Ticks you can have fun with Maths, just click on the 'STUDENTS' tab to start. There are also bits to keep Teachers and Parents happy, as well.
This animated site from Channel4 explores what makes for good design and what makes designers tick?
This US site created by MTV is designed to help, support and educate young people about "digital safety", both online on computers and on mobile devices (e.g. text bullying).
Alexa is a web search engine and directory, which also provides a lot of information about a website. If you choose the ‘Traffic Ranking', tab and enter the webpage address Alexa will produce a four part report giving an overview, traffic details, related links and linking sites.
All Who Is is a free web service mainly intended for companies or individuals wanting to find themselves a snappy or appropriate web address. It also gives information on exactly who does own the rights to a particular domain name, when it was created and when it expires. This makes it a really useful place to check out who is actually and finally behind the name of a website. The service is provided by a company called Mark Monitor.
One of the oldest search engines, having been up and running since 1995. It offers advanced search options and can be set to search specifically for video, audio, image and news files.
Based on users recommendations, 'Alternative To' list alternatives to the big commercial applications you may want to replace. By joining the site you can participate in the process of making these recommendations better. It features software, often free or shareware for Windows, Mac and Linux.
Ambiently is a web service and internet browser add-on (which works with both Firefox and Internet Explorer) which enables you, at the click of a button, to find related websites or those with similar content. It is very useful for homework, research or subject searching.
Fill in this webform to submit your question to the Digital Unite Learning Zone, where other users will help with answers and suggestions. Digital Unite provides computer help for the over 50s, Helping Older People Unleash their Digital Talents!
The web site of Astronomy Now magazine. It provides details of current astronomy stories, information on planet movements, sky maps, etc
A scrapbook of illustrated examples of things that are hard to use because they do not follow human factors principles. Human factor principles are the ways we naturally use objects, otherwise known as ergonomics.
The Bad Science site seeks to expose the bad science and psuedo science which often finds its way into the news and media. This website is based on an archive of Guardian newspapers columns of the same name but with a forum and additional news and content.
This is a very simple interactive video tutorial, which can help you learn to use the keyboard, mouse and computer screen. Note: Unless you have headphones, if you use this tutorial on a Library People's Network PC, you will need to select 'Subtitles' on the opening screen.
This page aims to help you use the internet in a safe way. It links to sites that are kept up to date with useful information, along with explanations and helpful hints for you and your family to get the most out of the internet.
This is a monthly web magazine for birdwatchers. It includes details of reserves, a bird guide etc.
Learn to search the internet better. Boolify is an educational search tool that illustrates the logic of searches and teaches useful search techniques that can be applied to other search engines such as Ask, Google and Yahoo.
This site aims to bring together information about the wildlife of the Forest of Bowland A.O.N.B. (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) and surrounding area, including Bird Watching, Hare watching, wild flowers, entomology. The site lists events, walks and features an identification guide.
A cool site for girls 11-17 from the Girls, Maths & Science partnership (US). Games & experiments, careers advice, biographies and science homework help.
The web site of this association provides links to their journal with abstracts of articles going back to 1995.There is also free access to BAA circulars along with details of meetings etc.
The British National Space Centre (BNSC) is a voluntary partnership, formed from 11 Government Departments and Research Councils. It includes information on government policy, details relating to UK space industries etc.
This site explores why standards are important in designing and manufacturing things. You can even design and test your own products. There lots to do for all ages from seven to higher education.
What sort of bridge is best? which is the strongest? Have a go yourself at building the right sort of bridge for the right location.
CAT is an environmental charity aiming to 'inspire, inform, and enable' people to live more sustainably. This site contains details of fact sheets etc which can be ordered from the site. There are also some articles which can be downloaded free of charge.
Chatdanger is a site all about the potential dangers on interactive services online like chat, IM, online games, email and on mobiles and how to keep SAFE while chatting online.
Chatterbirds is an online community for anyone interested in birdwatching. From this site you can identify and track bird species, view and upload photographs , share events and join in forums.
Childnet International is a non-profit organisation working with others to “help make the Internet a great and safe place for children”. This website gives news and background to Childnet’s work.
Clusty the 'clustering search engine' This search tool offers clustered results for a selection of searches. Its most useful feature in the left hand pane where the cluster results are shown is the 'Sites' tab where you can filter your results by type of domain (commercial, charitable, educational, official, etc,).
The Cluuz search engine is different from traditional search engines in that they don't only show the links to result pages but they also show entities (people, companies, organization, phone numbers, concepts, etc.) and images that are extracted from within the search results. It is like peering into the documents to see ahead what is important. This helps you find the results that you are looking for faster.
CollinsBirds, created by the publishers HarperCollins is a community site for bird-watchers, with species information on over 7,000 species from the world-famous Collins Field Guides. The site lets you list and share information on your own sightings, upload photos and get help with bird identification. We've also given you the tools to set up alerts for birds you'd like to see and organise your sightings into useful categories. You can also "make friends" with other "CollinsBirders", which means you can see what birds they're spotting and the photos they've uploaded.
This site offers family friendly ratings and reviews on movies, TV, games, music, websites, and books. Includes ratings of potentially offensive content by category.
This site contains Darwin's complete publications, 20,000 private papers, the largest Darwin bibliography and manuscript catalogue and hundreds of supplementary works. The works can viewed as dital copies of the originals or simply in textual form. The site is published through the University of Cambridge.
This site has loads of games and stuff to help you get to grips with maths.
Cybersmart provides resources for teachers to equip their pupils for life in the digital age. Lesson plans and downloads are available on five key subjects: Safety and Security Online ~ Manners, Cyberbullying, and Ethics ~ Authentic Learning and Creativity ~ Research and Information Fluency ~ Twenty-First Century Challenges.
Cynthia Says portal is a free tool meant for educational purposes produced by the software company HiSoftwate. Just enter the web address of your own or any other website and Cythia will test just how accessible it is for people with visual impairment or reading disabilities.
A growing resource with over 500 original pages including coursework help.
A website covering the following subjects electronics, packaging, environments, food, pneumatics, mechanisms and manufacturing projects.
This site is a guide to manufacturing including products, materials and processes.
Design and Technology information for school and college students. Includes news, podcasts and videocast, fun technology timewasters and lots of info and resources.
Created by Google and iKeepSafe, this set of tools for parents and teachers provides the basis for a short course on digital literacy for children. The three workshops consist of: 1.Detecting Lies & Staying True 2.Playing and Staying Safe Online 3.Steering Clear of Cyber Tricks
Is a aggregating news, information, advice and resources connected with modern technology, computers and internet, mobile phones, etc and parenting. There is also a twitter feed:digitalparent
Digizen is concerned with building safe spaces and communities, understanding how to manage personal information, and about being internet savvy - using your online presence to grow and shape your world in a safe, creative way, and inspiring others to do the same. Includes sections on social networking and cyberbullying.
This search engine makes a refreshing change with it's very simple and uncluttered interface and helpful suggestions. It is particular useful for younger and inexperienced web searchers.
Learn about simple and compound machines while you explore the House and Tool Shed! Lots of things to do to learn about Levers, Pulleys, Wedges, Screws, Wheels and Gears. Note: this site is supported by advertising and audio is required.
ePIC is a project designed to bring together all the digitised information about plants at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew and make it easier to search. It is planned to add digital images and electronic documents to the available resources.
The Encyclopedia of Life is an unprecedented global partnership between the scientific community and the general public. Their goal is to make freely available to anyone knowledge about all the world’s organisms. Anybody can register as an EOL member and add text, images, videos, comments or tags to EOL pages. Expert curators ensure quality of the core collection by authenticating materials submitted by diverse projects and individual contributors. The aim is to make EOL the best, most comprehensive source for biodiversity information.
Eureka! The National Children's Museum is an award-winning attraction and educational charity for children.
This is the first website dedicated to helping victims of e-crime and online incidents. E-victims offers free, practical and easy to use advice on e-crime and online incidents. New advice is added daily in response to new threats that emerge.
Fagan Finder acts as a gateway to the internet. It aims to provide an enhanced service by providing links only to "high quality" web sites.
This site is a detailed database of file extensions and the programs that use them
Presented by UC Berkeley, this is a useful tutorial on internet search and evaluation skills. Includes useful forms and handouts that can be downloaded.
FOLDOC is maintained by an individual, Denis Howe, and details about him and his interests can be found on the site. It is served from a Linux machine provided by the Department of Computing at Imperial College, London, UK. It describes itself as "a searchable dictionary of acronyms, jargon, programming languages, tools, architecture, operating systems, networking, theory, conventions, standards, mathematics, telecoms, electronics, institutions, companies, projects, products, history, in fact anything to do with computing."
Created for scottish schools, this site has lots of pictures and step by step instructions covering Cookery Equipment, Food Preparation Techniques, Cookery Processes, Heat Transfer, Dietary Targets and Food Labels.
The goal of this Microsoft DLC (Digital Literacy Curriculum)is to teach and assess basic computer concepts and skills so that people can use computer technology in everyday life. This free online course in five modules features screen shots and simulations from Windows Vista and the 2007 Microsoft Office system to illustrate and provide hands-on examples for students. The modules are also available separately from Alison.
This site, set up by the government and the IT industry, provides useful guides to staying safe online, protecting your PC, avoiding rip-offs and advise for both adults and children.
Go2web2.0 is a directory where you can find most Web 2.0 Tools and Applications on one page. It includes short descriptions and comparisons and links to reviews and blogs about the tool (e.g. on Twitter and You Tube).
...or Why It's a Good Idea to Evaluate Web Sources. Most students prefer using the Internet for research and recreation. They will spend countless hours searching and surfing. However, they may not completely understand the Internet's strengths and weaknesses as both a research tool and as a general source of information. This US university tutorial offers assistance.
If you're wanting information about a topic rather than a quick answer or fact, a Web Directory may produce better results than a search engine, as they are arranged by categories and created by human experts rather than machines indexing the web. Google directory is produded from the Open Directory with additions from google search results.
An interactive site from Channel 4 for students, aged 11-16, of Maths.
An interactive site from Channel 4 for students, aged 11-16, of Science.
Hotbits can provide genuine random numbers, generated by radioactive decay.
If you've ever wondered how things are made this site from Stanford University can help. It covers over 40 different products and manufacturing processes, and includes almost 4 hours of manufacturing video.
Ever wondered how search engines get their results? Knowing more about how they work can help you to search more effectively. This article from HowStuffWorks is a good introduction.
This web site covers a range of subject matter including gadgets, inventions and natural phenomena such as hurricanes. The material is covered in an accessible and informative way.
Commoncraft are an american company who produce short instructional videos on a wide range of computer and internet related subjects, which explain complex and technical ideas in plain english without any jargon. All their videos plus transcripts can be viewed on this site.
Inclusive Technologies is an IT company specialising in accessibilty for disabled users. Their 'infosite' pages provide alot of advice and information on accessiblity options. There's also a large list of useful websites and contacts.
The Internet Archive is a non-profit organisation founded to build an "Internet Library". It makes copies of web sites on given dates and makes these copies available via its search engine.
Free Internet tutorial aimed mainly at college students, which helps you to learn to recognize the good, the bad and the ugly on the web for your online research. If you use the web for homework, this could make the difference between an A and an F!
The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) was established by the UK internet industry to provide the UK internet ‘Hotline’ for the public and IT professionals to report obscene or potentially illegal online content.
Intute - a free online service providing you with access to web resources for education and research in Health and Life Sciences, evaluated and selected by a network of subject specialists. This service was formerly known as OMNI
Science, Engineering and Technology offers a free search tool for discovering the best Internet resources for teaching, learning and research, covering the physical sciences, engineering, computing, geography, mathematics and environmental science. It is maintained by subject specialists at the University of Manchester and Herriot Watt University
iSpot is a nature lovers' social network site. Learn more about wildlife, share your interest with a friendly community and get help identifying what you have seen.
Part of the BBC's Webwise computer guide, this ia a useful A to Z of computer terms explained in simple english.
The Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE) was established as a new tool in life science publication and communication, with participation of scientists from leading research institutions. JoVE takes advantage of video technology to capture and transmit the multiple facets and intricacies of life science research. Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE) is a peer reviewed, PubMed indexed journal devoted to the publication of biological research in a video format.
Khan Academy is a site which has thousands of videos to help with your school and homework, particularly maths and science
This is a child safe internet search with uses a combination of google safe search and its own filters to produce child related and family friendly results. There is a parent's help section where any problems can be reported.
Know IT All is an award-winning site from Childnet, with a suite of education resources designed to help educate parents, teachers and young people about safe and positive use of the internet. Currently there are four sections for Parents and Carers, Secondary Schools, Primary Schools and Trainee Teachers and all four resources include content for young people. You can access all these here online for free, or order on CD-ROM.
Billing itself as the "Internet Owners Manual", this site contains a lot of animated tutorials and free mini-courses on using the internet, from the basics for absolute beginners to advanced techniques, togerther with quizzes and tests. Please note, however, that this site's content is accompanied by flashing advertisements that a lot of users may find annoying.
Digital Unite provide computer help for the over 50S, Helping Older People Unleash their Digital Talents! Learning Zone provides short easy to read or print guides to... •Beginners' Help •E-mail and Telephone •Finding Information •Games and Hobbies •Music and TV Online •Photos and Videos •Shopping and Banking •Social Networks and Blogs •Web Tools and Security
Maths Goodies offers free interactive lessons, worksheets, games, puzzles and homework help for all the different areas of mathematics.
Hundreds of free photocopiable maths worksheets including fractions, time, shape and space.
A National Grid for Learning (NGFL) approved site containing links to free resources for Primary School level maths.
Exercises for mouse skills - includes placing the mouse, clicking the mouse, drag and drop and drawing with the mouse.
For anyone completely new to using a computer, one of the major obstacles learning to use and control the mouse. This interactive site has a series of exercises to help you improve your skills and precision.
Activities, puzzles, calculators and much more on this interactive site.
This Abilitynet site provides a step by step guide on how to adapt your computer if you have problems with your eyesight or using the keyboard or mouse.
This website, which popularizes science is created by researchers at Cambridge University. It features articles, experiments, and podcasts, plus news and reviews from the world of science.
A National Grid for Learning (NGFL) approved site with puzzles and resources for all levels of study.
OAIster (pronounced 'oyster') is designed to "help you find pearls" in the 'Deep Web'. it is a catalogue of worldwide digital resources that cannot be found using a seacg engine (e.g. google).
Omgili is an opinion and discussion search engine. It can search groups and forums, user product reviews and 'live' current conversations (e.g. twitter).
The Open Directory Project is the largest, most comprehensive human-edited directory of the Web. It is constructed and maintained by a vast, global community of volunteer editors. If you're wanting information about a topic rather than a quick answer or fact, a Web Directory may produce better results than a search engine, as they are arranged by categories and created by human experts rather than machines indexing the web.
Osalt is a directory site which helps you find Open Source Alternatives to commercial software. This software may be free for personal use or 'shareware' which requires some payment.
oSkope is a visual search assistant that lets you browse and organize items from Amazon, Ebay, Flickr, Fotolia, Yahoo!Image Search and YouTube in an intuitive way.
Games, activities and experiments for children and adults. A site that makes science fun with lots of interaction for children from pre-school to 16+.
On this website you'll find information about Nuffield Primary Design & Technology, examples of pupils' work, free classroom materials to download and other resources.
Quintura Kids is an attractive interactive search engine for kids using the search box, tag cloud and buttons it help them narrow their search to exactly what they want. The first page includes a handy video tutorial.
Race Online 2012 is a national call to action by the not for profit organisation Digital Inclusion. Race Online 2012 aims to help those living in some of the hardest social and economic conditions who currently can’t enjoy all the opportunities and benefits offered by the Internet. At present, that's 10 million people who can't simply jump online to find a job, chat to friends or save money on their shopping. And that includes 4 million people who already suffer other forms of social exclusion. Race Online 2012 aims to ensure that everyone understands the benefits of being online and has a real opportunity to experience the convenience and fun of using the internet if they want to do so.
The web site of the RSPB includes an illustrated A-Z of UK birds, a guide to bird reserves, contact details etc
This website contains free online resources which are geared to the National Curriculum up to the 16-18 age. The site was launched in 2002 by an independent group ISE (Industry Supports Education). All of the resources have been written by teacher authors and edited by the publisher.
Science in the Nineteenth-Century Periodical is a free searchable electronic index to the science content of sixteen nineteenth-century general periodicals, which will help you understand how science was assimilated, debated and challenged in the 19th century.
Tips and Tricks from ABC Science Online.
Social bookmarking for teachers. Save links and access them from any computer anywhere. Discover links posted by other educators.Share links with students, co-workers, friends, family.
For anyone who needs convincing about the value of "silver surfing", this You Tube channel has a number of informative and inspirational videos, including one of 93 year old Dora the internet explorer!
Site Advisor is a free reporting service from McAfee Security. Site Advisor software can be installed on a home computer to give instant warnings or the website can be used. Reports from this site contain a lot of useful information about the site, any problems (relating to phishing, spam etc) and also give safety ratings for some of the sites linking to it.
Skoool.co.uk is a website packed with interactive resources to help you learn Maths and Science at Key Stage 3 and 4
Skoool.co.uk is a website packed with interactive resources to help you learn Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Maths at Key Stage 3 and 4.
Snappy Fingers is a search engine which searches through FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) on the internet for the questions and answers on your chosen topic.
This site uses Google for searching but with more accuracy from the SortFix interface and its Power Tools.
Specizy is a new and unusual search engine which presents its result, everything from videos to micro-blogs, in a very dynamic visual form.
This US website provides family and teacher orientated reviews, links and information about web content which is child friendly, safe and educational.
An online service of the US Educational Technology Clearinghouse, this site aims to provide teachers practical solutions to classroom technology issues, includes useful video tutorials and PDF guides on a range of subjects.
A free online dictionary of computer and technology terms, which explains as well as defining. This site has a very clear layout and produces fast results.
is a free search service provided by Heriot-Watt University. Here you can look for the best websites, industry news, books, articles, reports and research in engineering, maths and computer science.
Explore the universe with astronomy resources, sky news, an image gallery, games and reviews.
Get the inside information on staying safe while having fun online, with games and useful links. The education programme of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre, it has separate areas for Age Groups 5-7, 8-10, 11-16, plus parents and teachers sections.
The BBC Archive of the popular TV series. Beginning in 1965, the BBC's flagship science programme ran for nearly 40 years. Its mix of quirky film reports and live experiments examined the changing state of current technology and put new inventions to the test.
This is a worldwide directory of wi-fi hotspot locations. It is currently listing over 10,000 hot spot sites in the UK.
Try Science is full of stuff to try, projects and experiments plus guides to science, technology and science centres all around the world.
UK PubMed Central (UKPMC) is a unique, innovative and free online resource offering access to information sources for biomedical and health researchers.
This guide from the BBC 'Raw' service, shows and explains the uses of a computer mouse in a handy interactive video.
A virtual tour of the human body covering the brain, skeleton, heart and digestive tract.
A whole library of articles from Search Engine Watch providing tips on using search engines better. Don't like 'Boolian logic'?, try Power Searching!
A site which teaches children about different aspects of the Internet including web browsing, safe searching and using the Web for research.
Part of the BBC Webwise beginners' guide to the internet. To just view "What is the internet?" without the lengthy introduction, just click on The net.
This site allows you to search for Wi-Fi hot spots world wide. It describes itself as "the definitive Wi-Fi HotSpot Directory".
The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) is the UK's only specialist wetland conservation charity with a national network of wetland visitor centres. WWT is a world leader for the protection of swans, geese, ducks and flamingos and the wetlands they inhabit. The site includes details on their activities including information about Martin Mere, the visitors' centre near Southport.
Wisegeek's 'technology and gadgets' section provides clear definitions for up-to-the-minute computer, internet and electronics terms and 'buzzwords'.
Part of the National Grid of Learning, Wise Kids provides help on internet safety, social networking and cyber-bullying, with separate sections for parents, children and teachers.
Winner of the Popular Science Grand Award as the best new innovation in Computing 2009, Wolfram Alpha is a "computational knowledge engine" which searches in a totally different way to normal search engines.
Who says girls can't be great scientists?! "I was wondering" is an intereactive website from the US National Acedemy of Science for girls aged 10+ which showcase the achievement of great women scientists, and includes answers to your science questions, games, biographies and a time travel line.
The WWW Virtual Library (VL) is the oldest catalogue of the Web, started by Tim Berners-Lee, the creator of HTML and of the Web itself, in 1991 at CERN in Geneva. it is run by volunteers, who compile pages of key links for particular areas in which they are expert. The VL pages are widely recognised as being amongst the highest-quality guides to sections of the web that search engines (e.g. google) can't reach.
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