This site was started by graduate students at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor to fulfill the necessity for a virtual public library. Currently, they are maintained by a professional 'real world' staff, funded through grants. The strength of the site lies in its comprehensiveness and organization. Desk A well designed layout provides one central indexed reference desk with numerous links to subjects within the reference collection. The site is not searchable, but not so large as to overwhelm the user.
Most sources are available to the public and free of charge.
The University of Michigan, Dearborn's Virtual Reference Desk One of the most complete reference sites available, users will find numerous dictionaries, thesauri, business and government information collocated in one directory and many links to other reference desks. Although the site is not searchable, it remains one of the most thorough collections of free online reference material in an easy to use manner with sources for students, researchers and the general public. The Librarian's Index to the Internet A searchable site sponsored by UC Berkeley Library and Sun Microsystems. Forty-two categories with numerous subcategories provide links to more extensive listings. Subject categories include everything from Sports to Religion.