It's time to do a term paper or even an essay. Maybe you need an idea. Maybe you need to check a date, or how a name is spelled, or verify information. Maybe one item is not worth fighting traffic to get to the library. If you have access to the Internet, you have access to a researcher's paradise.
Some sites charge subscription fees, but offer advantages over the free sites.
For high school students, freshman college students and even people who write a lot of information at computer terminals, the resources on the Web are vast and don't require a CD-ROM to work properly. I found about 1,100 online encyclopedias of differernt sorts on the Web. Some were a waste of Web space. Those listed here are the ones I consider the most reliable, accurate and, especially, accountable. By accountability, that means they have a reputation to uphold if they want to stay in business.