Wikipedia is going offline for 24 hours – starting at 12:00 a.m. Eastern on January 18th.
Why? And, importantly, what can you do if you need to do research?
Why is Wikipedia going offline? In a statement released January 16, 2012, Wikimedia Foundation Executive Director, Sue Gardner explained, “The blackout is a protest against proposed legislation in the United States — the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the U.S. House of Representatives, and the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) in the U.S. Senate — that, if passed, would seriously damage the free and open Internet, including Wikipedia.”
We know Wikipedia is a quick source to look up facts. However, the Library has many other authoritative sources for factual and reference information. You can access them from campus or from home.
- Encyclopedia Britannica
Includes the complete, renowned, encyclopedia, as well as Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary and the Britannica Book of the Year. You can also use EB Online to search an Internet directory that includes more than 130,000 links to Web sites selected, rated, and reviewed by Britannica editors. - CQ Researcher
CQ Researcher covers the most current and controversial issues of the day with summaries, pros and cons, bibliographies and more. - Credo Reference
This database provides access to 100 reference resources that allows you to search across all content. - Gale Virtual Reference Library
Search some of the most used reference sources in this database. Titles cover political science, law, education, nursing, social sciences, publishing, zoology, history, and religion.
Never limit yourself to one source for your information and explore all the resources the Library offers you. And remember, we are here to help!