In Dr Attari's study, for example, the survey provided a reference measure by stating the amount of energy used by a standard light bulb.

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The study is available online at no cost and with the help of the Internet, it has provided a basic reference for congressional and federal hearings and has helped create curriculum for graduate programs, Carpenter said.

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Wondir's hope is to replace these legacy services with one provided by a community of amateur reference librarians.

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