Student are always looking for information sources for their classwork. Nowadays there are many free resources on the Internet that are very useful, but you may not know about them. This is a list of free resources that anyone doing research will find helpful.
The Library
Your local library is much more than just books. The librarian is an information professional who can point you to reliable information sources and save you a lot of time. Almost all libraries provide online databases for use by its patrons. These databases will be readily available via official library websites, and contain much more reliable information than what you will find typing key words into a search engine.
Take advantage of the resources at your library by signing up for a library card and then take a library tour or class. You’ll learn about all the library has to offer. More than likely you’ll learn how to access international newspapers, journals, magazines, ebooks, audio books you can download to your MP3 players, and much more. Many of their services can be used from home. The Reference department at most public libraries receives questions all day from ‘What’s the temperature?’ to ‘Who invented airplanes?’ The best thing is that this service is free.
Google is much more than a search engine. Google offers several services that anyone looking for information will find useful–
Google Books. Huge collection of digitized books. If you are studying an obscure subject, don’t be surprised if you find lots of information here. It’s an amazing resource. Recent books will not have full text, but you should be able to read a few pages to see if it will be useful to you. Older books on which the copyright has run out will be available in full text.
Google Scholar. Looking for scholarly resources for an upcoming paper for class? Search from thousands of scholarly research papers. You will find peer reviewed papers, and detailed citation reports.
Google Video. While many of the videos are of questionable value, many subject experts create content so you may find scholarly or professional video on the subject of your choice.
Google Suggest. Stumped for a subject for your next project? Type some keywords into this interface and Google Suggest will supply suggestions based on previous searches.
iTunesU
How would you like to hear lectures from world renowned professors at top tier universities? iTunesU offers lectures from professors at institutions like Brown, Berkley, Harvard, and Yale to mention a few. Whether or not you’re a student or just interested in a particular subject, these presentations will easily capture your attention and deepen your understanding and appreciation of the topic.
Other than scholarly lectures, iTunes offers podcasts—audio on a variety of topics. Search the iTunes store for free podcasts on any subject you can think of. Many experts create podcasts on their favorite subjects and you will find people willing to share information about everything from archeology to the paranormal.
In addition to all these research tools, there are any number of productivity tools you can download for free. Instead of paying hundreds of dollars for a word processor or spreadsheet program, try Openoffice which is a suite of programs compatible with more popular software. There are many free resources out there. With a little search and ingenuity you’ll be able to be quite successful without spending a lot of money.
