Whether you need an image for a classroom handout or a graphic to spruce up your personal webpage, the WWW is simply brimming with ways to find the exact picture you need. Naturally, the real trick is separating the good stuff from the junk. Fee-based services like ArtToday and Corbis can be handy in a pinch, but chances are good that you can find images freely on the web with a little patience and time. The issue, of course, comes down to ownership.

Many of the online image search tools available provide you a large array of thumbnails for virtually any request, but leave the responsibility to you to ask the page maintainer if the image may be freely used or manipulated. Generally, most folks don't mind if you use one of their images for personal or educational use as long as you ask first. When in doubt, however, it's best to stick with public domain images. In the pulldown menu, you'll find several resources to get your started. To add to this collection, please email me the title and address of your suggestion.