masthead

Research and Reference Resources

Arts and Entertainment | Booksellers | Business | Children and Families | Community Assistance | Education | Employment | Events | Finance | Government and Politics | Health and Medicine | History |Housing/Real Estate| Law | Libraries | News and Media | Science and Nature | Seniors | Speaker Bureau | Sports | Voting | Weather

Arts and Entertainment see also Events

Wisconsin and National Arts Sites

Chazen Museum of Art - http://chazen.wisc.edu - formerly known as the Elvehjem Museum of Art

Community Pages, Art - http://www.madison.com/communities
Choose "Art, Humanities, and Entertainment" for links to Madison-area music, visual art, and related organizations.

Dane County Cultural Resources Directory, 2006 - http://www.countyofdane.com/dcca/pdfs/directoryinfo.pdf
Over 250 local cultural, arts, and history organizations available as a PDF file courtesy of the Dane County Cultural Affairs Commission.

Madison Center for Creative and Cultural Arts - http://www.mccca.net

Madison Museum of Contemporary Art - http://www.mmoca.org

Madison Music Online - http://www.madline.com/music/
Local bands & club listings, with links to other music sites.

Madstage - Theater, Dance and Comedy in Wisconsin - http://www.madstage.com
Helpful local site that lists upcoming shows and auditions, links to area theater groups, ticket promotions, news and classifieds.

Milwaukee Art Museum - http://www.mam.org

Overture Cnter - http://overturecenter.com/

Portal Wisconsin - http://www.portalwisconsin.org
Sponsored by Wisconsin's Cultural Coalition, this site serves as "a point of entry to Wisconsin's vibrant history, humanities and arts communities, complete with comprehensive listings of events."

Wisconsin Arts Board - http://arts.state.wi.us
The Wisconsin Arts Board Homepage provides listings of arts service organizations, galleries, museums, and art and craft fairs throughout the state.

Wisconsin Union Theater - http://www.wisc.edu/union/theater

Booksellers

Wisconsin and National Book & Literature Sites

Local Independent Book Stores (see also Barnes & Noble, Borders, Half-Price Books)

Business

Wisconsin and National Business Sites

To locate local business home pages, try a search engine or the ReferenceUSA database. To locate contact information for local businesses that may not have a home page, or to locate business by category, use your local telephone directory or an online equivalent.

Community Profile/Fact Sheets --http://www.cityofmadison.com/econdev/2005fct605.pdf

Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce -- http://www.greatermadisonchamber.com/

Madison.com's Book of Business - http://www.madison.com/features/bob/
Find services, suppliers, and information about local business and demographics.

City of Madison - Office of Business Resources - http://www.businessmadison.com
"The Office of Business Resources (OBR) is the central point of contact for business assistance in the City of Madison. OBR services are geared to serve new start-up operations, corporate re-locations, and everything in between."

Madison Newspapers Community Pages -
http://www.madison.com/communities/
Choose "Business and Professional Organizations" for links to local business organizations.

UW-Madison Business School - http://www.bus.wisc.edu/
Links to information about the school, and helpful Research Guides from the Business Library.

Children and Families

see also Education, Events, and the Library's Youth Services page

Wisconsin and National Children and Families Sites

DaneNet - http://danenet.wicip.org/
A community network that brings together information about all of Dane County's communities, community events, services, organizations and provides a forum for ideas, opinions and questions.

Madison Children's Museum - http://www.madisonchildrensmuseum.org
Information about programs, upcoming events, and other fun sites for kids.

Marriage Licenses in Dane County - http://www.co.dane.wi.us/coclerk/marriag.htm
Explains the requirements for obtaining a license, and where and when to apply.

Services for Children, Youth, and Families - http://www.co.dane.wi.us/humanservices/services/cyf_services.htm
Information about programs and services of Dane County Department of Human Services, including foster parenting, children's health, the Dane County Youth Resources Directory, 2004 and more.

Education

Wisconsin and National Education Sites

Colleges, Universities, and K-12 Schools in Madison

For a list of other school districts, private schools, and colleges, see City of Madison's Education Links.

Preschool and Child Care

Community Coordinated Child Care (4-C) - http://www.4-c.org/refer.htm
Though their web site doesn't list day care and preschool referrals, there is a number you can call to find a 4-C Member provider in your area.

Madison Child Care Information - http://www.cityofmadison.com/commserv/
Infant, preschool, and after-school programs accredited by the City of Madison's Child Care Unit, as well as referrals for low-income families and other child care information for city of Madison residents.

Satellite - http://www.satellitefcc.com
Receive child care referrals via email from this City-accredited agency.

Employment

Wisconsin and National Employment Sites

Madison Newspapers Classifieds - http://www.madison.com/
Employment advertisements from from Wisconsin State Journal and The Capital Times. Choose "Classifieds" on left side of screen.

University of Wisconsin - Madison, Office of Human Resources - http://www.ohr.wisc.edu/employment/employ.html
Links to classified (state) and unclassified (academic) positions available at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. For student jobs, see the UW Student Job Center.

Events and Entertainment see also Arts and Entertainment

Finance

Other Personal Finance Sites

Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Madison -
http://www.fsmad.org/cccs/index.htm
"Consumer Credit Counseling of Madison (CCCS) is dedicated to helping people help themselves and solve their debt problems through assistance with budget planning, money management, and planned debt liquidation." Most services are free.

Dane County Financial Services Comparison - http://www.madison.com/features/bob/services/financial.php
Lists contact information, web site, and account comparisons for many Dane County banks and credit unions.

Government and Politics

Wisconsin and National Government Sites and Politics Sites

Madison

City of Madison - http://www.ci.madison.wi.us
City information including local Census info, economic information, Government Resource Guide, Legislative Information Center(meetings, agendas, minutes), police, and property assessment. Also includes former print publications like the Recyclopedia, the Street Directory, and the Neighborhood Directory.

City Clerk, City of Madison - http://www.cityofmadison.com/clerk/election.html
Information about where to vote in the City of Madison, absentee voting procedures and forms, and poll location hours.

LWV Candidates Answers -- http://danenet.org/lwvdc/answers.html

Where do I vote? (Madison) - http://www.ci.madison.wi.us/clerk/voter_query.cfm

Dane County

Dane County Directory - http://www.countyofdane.com/coclerk/directory.htm
Dane County Government - http://www.co.dane.wi.us/
Dane County United - http://www.danecountyunited.org
Nonpartisan group addressing political, economic, and social issues facing the community.
DANEnet's listing of City, Village and Town governments - http://www.danenet.wicip.org/danenet/gov.html
Land Information Office - http://www.co.dane.wi.us/lio/ (Who owns what property in the county)
Where do I vote? (Dane County) - http://www.co.dane.wi.us/coclerk/ccvoting.htm

Contact Your Representatives

Local/State
City of Madison - Common Council -http://www.cityofmadison.com/council/
Dane County - Board of Supervisors - http://www.co.dane.wi.us/coboard/cbhome.htm
State -Who are My Legislators - http://waml.legis.state.wi.us/
Who Are My Elected Officials? -
http://www.ci.madison.wi.us/clerk/OffQuery.cfm
Find your city, county, and state officials in one step if you live in the City of Madison.

Political Parties

Dane County
Democratic Party of Dane County - http://www.danedems.org/
Progressive Dane - http://www.prodane.org/
Republican Party of Dane County - http://www.danegop.org

Health and Medicine

Wisconsin and National Health Sites

A Gift to Your Family: Planning Ahead for Future Heath Care Needs - http://www.legalexplorer.com/lifeplanning/
A guide to advance care planning issues, such as power of attorney, living wills, and organ and tissue donations.

Madison Department of Public Health - http://www.ci.madison.wi.us/health/index.html
Meriter Health Link Online - http://www.meriter.com/living/guide/index.htm
Health sites regarded as the best by librarians at Meriter Hospital of Madison.

U.W. Comprehensive Cancer Center - http://www.cancer.wisc.edu
Links available include Patient Services and Clinical Trials.

History

Madison and Library History

Wisconsin and National History Sites

Housing/Real Estate

National Home Sites

Apartment Showcase - http://www.aptshowcase.com
Features a searchable database of apartments in the Madison, Milwaukee, and Janesville/Beloit metropolitan areas.

Dane County Land Information Office -
http://www.co.dane.wi.us/lio/
Who owns what property in the county (includes cities)

For Sale by Owner (FSBO) Sites:

Madison Property Assessment Information - http://www.ci.madison.wi.us/assessor/property.html

Madison.com Apartment Classifieds - http://www.madison.com/
Choose "Apartment Rental" from right-hand side menu to select an apartment listed in the recent classifieds.

South Central Wisconsin's Multiple Listing Service - http://www.wisconsinhomes.com/
Searchable access to some of the same information that real estate agents use at this easy-to-navigate site featuring homes for sale that are registered with real estate agents.

Tenant Resource Center --http://www.tenantresourcecenter.org
Find information for tenants and landlords regarding rental rights and responsibilites; state and local rental laws; mediation services; and general housing issues.

WI Front Door Housing (Wisconsin's Affordable Housing) - http://www.wifrontdoorhousing.org
Search the entire state for affordable housing by rent amount, unit size, accessibility, location, availability, school district, etc.

Law

Wisconsin and National Law Sites

Dane County Clerk of Courts - http://www.countyofdane.com/clrkcort/clrkhome.htm

Dane County Family Court FAQ - http://www.co.dane.wi.us/clrkcort/faq_family.htm
Frequently Asked Questions about family court issues - including divorce, custody, and alimony - and the legal process in Dane County courts. More information about family court counseling is available at Dane County Family Court Counseling Service.

Dane County Juvenile Court Resource Booklet  --http://www.countyofdane.com/juvenilecourt/pdf/jc_resource_booklet.pdf

Dane County Legal Resource Center -- http://wsll.state.wi.us/branch/dclrc/
Formerly the Dane County Law, the DCLRC is now a part of the Wisconsin State Law Library. It answers "legal information and court procedure questions, assist users with materials, perform database and Internet searches, and accept document delivery requests".

Legal Services in Dane County - http://www.danejobs.com/crs/legal.htm
Part of the county's Community Resource Guide, this page lists information about legal services and organizations in the area.

Low-Cost Legal Assistance in Dane Country (free unless indicated)
A compilation of the Dane County Legal Resource Center.

Ordinances:

Dane County Ordinances - http://www.co.dane.wi.us/ord/dcord.htm
Codes and Ordinances for Wisconsin Towns and Cities - http://wsll.state.wi.us/ordinances.html

City of Madison Ordinances
Check the City of Madison's Online City Hall. Type in your keywords. Look through the results for passed ordinances. To read the text, click on the word "ordinance" and read the attachments. Key word searching of the City's webpage will take you to other, non-final versions of this ordinance. The Madison General Ordinances site which is a direct link off the city's homepage, is only updated quarterly.

Tenant Resource Center - http://trc.studentorg.wisc.edu
Housing counseling and information for landlords and tenants in the Madison area. See also the full text of Tenant and Landlord Rights and Responsibilities, rev. July 2003, City of Madison Ordinance 32.06(2)

Top Lawyers - http://www.madisonmagazine.com/archive/2003/jan.html
Madison Magazine's annual list of peer-ranked attorneys in Madison.

UW-Madison Law School - http://www.law.wisc.edu

Wisconsin Circuit Court Forms - http://www.wicourts.gov/forms1/circuit.htm
Civil, Criminal, Probate, Small Claims, Divorce, and more. Many of these forms are used in the City of Madison and Dane County.

Wisconsin State Law Library - http://wsll.state.wi.us/
Provides a wealth of legal information, from advice on general topics like debt or immigration to information and forms specific to the state of Wisconsin. Also offers legal research guides and an overview of the legal system and court organization. The Wisconsin State Law Library is open to the public and is a resource for all Wisconsin citizens.

Libraries

Dane County Library Service
 Edgewood College Oscar Rennebohm Library
MATC Libraries
Madison Metropolitan School District Library
SCLS Directory of Public Libraries
UW-Madison Libraries | Online Catalog
Wisconsin Historical Society
Wisconsin State Law Library

News and Media

National Media Sites

Index to Madison-Area Newspapers and Magazines

Newspapers

Radio Stations

Television Stations

Science and Nature

National Science and Nature Sites

Environment see also National Sites

Aldo Leopold Nature Center - http://www.naturenet.com/alnc/

Arboretum (University of Wisconsin) - http://wiscinfo.doit.wisc.edu/arboretum/

Madison Area Community Supported Agriculture Coalition --http://www.macsac.org/farmlist.html
Directory of Southern Wisconsin CSA Farms.

Madison Area Ecoteams - http://www.ecoteams.net/madison/
Practical information about learning to live a more earth-friendly life.

Sustain Dane: Madison Area Green Forum - http://www.sustaindane.org
Link to local green organizations and businesses or join their email listserv to discuss green issues with other concerned individuals.

Wisconsin Stewardship Network - http://www.wsn.org
A guide to environmental organizations and activities throughout Wisconsin.

Local Recycling

Madison Streets & Recycling - http://www.ci.madison.wi.us/streets/streets.html
Information for Madison residents on recycling common materials such as glass, newspaper, aluminum, cardboard, office paper, phone books, and leaves/yard waste.

Dane County Department of Public Works Recycling & Solid Waste - http://www.co.dane.wi.us/pubworks/recyc.htm
Information for Dane County residents (including Madison) about recycling batteries, paint, computers, hazardous materials, and other special materials.

Other Science and Nature Sites

Dane County Humane Society - http://humanesociety.dane.wi.us/

Henry Vilas Zoo - http://www.vilaszoo.org

Lake Lore - http://scifun.chem.wisc.edu/chemweek/lakelore/lakelore.html
The UW-Madison Center for Limnology offers timelines, pertinent facts, and freezing/ice depth information for Madison area lakes.

Milwaukee County Zoo - http://www.milwaukeezoo.org

Nature Net - http://www.naturenet.com/index.html
Links to 16 South Central Wisconsin area nature centers such as Aldo Leopold Foundation, International Crane Foundation, and Mackenzie Nature Center, along with environmental education resources for teachers, parents and kids.

Olbrich Gardens - http://www.olbrich.org

Space Place (University of Wisconsin) - http://www.sal.wisc.edu/SpacePlace/
Information about the UW Astronomy Department's Space Astronomy Laboratory's interactive education center.

Why Files (Science Behind the News) - http://whyfiles.news.wisc.edu/
The University of Wisconsin Graduate School provides up to date scientific information about issues in the news. An archive of past stories is available.

Seniors

Wisconsin and National Senior Sites

Area Agency on Aging of Dane County - http://www.co.dane.wi.us/aging/
Includes contact information for Senior Advocacy organizations.

Independent Living, Inc. - http://www.indepenliving.com
A nonprofit, multi-care organization assisting older and disabled adults to live with independence and dignity and maintain health and well being. Includes area services like Meals on Wheels.

Madison Senior Center - http://www.ci.madison.wi.us/senior/senior.html

Madison.com's Community Pages - Seniors - http://www.madison.com/communities/category.php?id=13

Seniors - http://www.madison.com/features/answerbook/living/seniors/
AnswerBook information from Madison.com.

Speaker Bureaus

UW-Madison - Experts Database --http://experts.news.wisc.edu
Search by keyword or expert name to over 1700 faculty and staff at UW-Madison.

 

Sports

Wisconsin and National Sports Sites

Badger State Games - http://www.badgerstategames.org
The Badger State Games is a Wisconsin festival of Olympic-style competition. The Badger State Games provide a forum for training and competition among Wisconsin's Olympic hopefuls and recreational athletes.

Madison Bicycle Information --http://www.cityofmadison.com/transp/bicycle.html

Madison School and Community Recreation - http://www.mscr.org/

Madison.com's Community Pages - Sports and Recreation - http://www.madison.com/communities/category.php?id=11

Weather

National Weather Forecasts and History

Madison Weather - http://www.madisonweather.com/
Current and extended forecasts for Madison, Wisconsin, and other major U.S. cities.

WISC-TV Weather - http://www.channel3000.com/weather/
WKOW weather - http://wkow.madison.com/Weather/index.php
NBC 15: Weather - http://nbc15.madison.com/weather
Each of these local TV weather sites offers forecasts, Doppler radar, satellite maps, and other links

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