What was Chicago like in the first decade or so of the twentieth century? More importantly, how was it mapped? This rather engaging map collection from the University of Chicago Library offers up almost two dozen maps documenting the railroads, parks, and rapid transit system of the Windy City as it existed during that frenetic time. Visitors can zoom in and out around these maps looking for...

The quest to document one's family tree is one that stretches back across the human experience, and it can be done through the use of government records, obituaries, and so on. Recently, the Newberry Library in Chicago created this site for persons looking to trace their roots within the Windy City. First-time visitors to the site can just go ahead and type in a street address or browse through...

Formed in 1989, the Child Labor Coalition is a provider of informational and educational outreach about child labor in the public and private sectors. On their website, visitors will find sections on "Child Labor in the U.S." and "Child Labor Around the World", as well as a "Photo Gallery and Media Library". The Child Labor in the U.S. section provides history, causes, and results of child labor...

Established in 1995 and based in London, the Children's Rights Information Network (CRIN) uses the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) as their inspiration. Visitors unfamiliar with the reasons for the need for a group that advocates for the rights of children should check out the "Issues" tab. The CRIN Quiz section is a good place for visitors to learn about some of the...

Child Trends is a non-profit, non-partisan research center, and is the "nation's only independent research and policy center focused exclusively on improving outcomes for children." Child Trends has twelve areas of research, listed across the top of any page. Some of the topics include "Child Poverty," "Fatherhood & Parenting," "Youth Development," and "Health." In each section, the research...

Based in Minneapolis, the Children & Nature Network (C&NN) is a nonprofit organization co-founded by Richard Louv, who coined the term "nature-deficit disorder" in his 2005 book Last Child in the Woods. As the organization points out, "Nature has the power to make children healthier, happier and smarter. But over the last few generations, childhood has moved indoors, leaving kids disconnected from...

Established in 2000, and based in Bergen, Norway, the Children and War group is "dedicated to improve children's lives after wars and disasters." Their homepage has the latest news and results of the group's efforts, and visitors who have relationships with children will find advice on what to tell them about the tsunami and earthquake in Japan. The "Stories" link on the far left-hand side of...

Make children the cornerstone of urban decision-making, urges UNICEF http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2012/feb/28/unicef-children-central-urban-planning?newsfeed=true Cities are failing children, UNICEF warns http://www.unicef.org/media/media_61839.html World's slum children in desperate need, UNICEF...

Curated by Angela Giral, Emeritus Director of the Avery Architectural Library at Columbia University, this web exhibition includes 153 drawings made by children aged 7 to 14 during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). Children were evacuated from the war zones to war-free areas of Spain and the south of France, and many of the drawings show children travelling to these safer areas, as well as more...

In the 20th century, the children's rights movement came into full flower as both the League of Nations and later the United Nations declared that children need safeguards and protections separate from those of adults. This authoritative collection created by The Law Library of Congress provides access to the various laws and policies that help protect children in sixteen nations, including...