Search Tools
EBSCOhost Web
Search one, selected, or all databases offered by EBSCO through State of Colorado funding.
Watch a tutorial on basic searching in Ebscohost. Or watch a tutorial on advanced searching in Ebscohost.
Explora High School Version
Explora is an easy-to-use tool that can help you complete research and classroom assignments. Discover reliable information on topics covering a wide range of subjects including art & music, literature, language arts, geography, history, social studies, world cultures & languages, science, technology, engineering, mathematics, health, and sports. Search results are aligned with a student’s grades in school.
Watch a tutorial on using Explora for High School.
MAS Ultra School Edition
Specifically designed to provide high school students with full text access to periodicals, reference books, primary source documents, biographies, and more.
Academic Search Premier
This collection of full-text articles and journals offers information in nearly every area of academic study including computer sciences, engineering, physics, chemistry, language and linguistics, arts & literature, medical sciences, and many more.
Britannica Annals of American History
This online chronicle provides a year-by-year documentary of American thought and action. Read the original words of more than 1,500 authors who made and analyzed American history through their speeches, writings, memoirs, poems, and interviews.
Britannica Original Sources
This source provides a collection of thousands of e-works of classic primary sources and general reference materials. It covers 12 subject areas—world history, U.S. history, political science, law, literature, science, mathematics, social science, philosophy, religion, language, and language arts. Materials include political documents, landmark court decisions, editorials, photos, and multimedia.
Britannica School
This resource provides great research material appropriate for elementary school, middle school, and high school students. Content from the high school level of Britannica will also appeal to adults.
Biography Reference Center
Biography Reference Centger provides thousands of unique and reliable full-text biographies, including the complete full text of Biography and Biography Today. In addition to keyword search, users can locate biographies by subject occupation, activity, nationality, gender, birthplace and more.
Watch a short video on using Biography Reference Center.
Contemporary Authors
Provides biographical and bibliographical information and references on many U.S. and international authors.
Ethnic Diversity Source
This full-text database is a dedicated resource covering the culture, traditions, social treatment and lived experiences of different ethnic groups in America. It provides full text from a growing list of sources including peer-reviewed journals, magazines, e-books, biographies and primary source documents.
Watch a short tutorial about using Ethnic Diversity Source.
Environment Complete
Comprehensive coverage for Environmental Studies including agriculture, ecosystem ecology, energy, and affiliated areas of study.
Funk & Wagnalls New Encyclopedia
Access to thousands of encyclopedia entries on a variety of topics.
GreenFILE
Comprised of more than 600 scholarly and general interest titles, as well as government documents and reports, GreenFILE offers a unique perspective on the positive and negative ways humans affect the environment.
Learning Express Library
This valuable service is available 24/7 from any Internet-enabled computer at your library or from your home! The Learning Express Library includes academic testing and career testing. It also includes GED test materials.
Tutorials to help you use Learning Express
Literary Reference Center
Literary Reference Center is a rich full-text literary database covering all genres and time periods. It includes thousands of synopses, critical essays, book reviews, literary journals and author biographies, plus full-text classic novels, short stories and poems.
Watch a short tutorial on using Literary Reference Center.
Mango Languages
Choose from 70+ world languages, including Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, German, Greek, Russian, Mandarin Chinese, and Korean.
To get started, set up an account by visiting VPL’s Mango login page. Sign in or click the ‘Sign up’ button. You can register for a free account provided by the library from this page with just an email address and password.
Choose a language and have fun!
MasterFILE Premier
MasterFILE™ Premier contains nearly 1,750 periodicals covering general reference, business, health, education, general science, multicultural issues and much more. Also find nearly 500 full text reference books and biographies. Use this resource to access Consumer Reports online for free.
National Library of Medicine
Discover a wealth of information at the National Library of Medicine. Beside links to Medline and other free databases, there are links to historical medical documents, historical photos, videos, books, journals and historical medical statistics.
Newspaper Source Plus
Digital collection of the world’s major news content. It includes millions of articles from newspapers, newswires and news magazines. In addition, it offers television and radio transcripts and ongoing daily updates from popular news sources.
NoveList
This is a fiction database that provides subject heading access, reviews, annotations and much more for over 135,000 titles. It also includes other content of interest to fiction readers, such as Author Read-alikes, What We’re Reading, Book Discussion Guides, BookTalks and Annotated Book Lists. For school media specialists and teachers, there are Picture Book Extenders and articles on Teaching with Fiction.
Poetry & Short Story Reference Center
Poetry & Short Story Reference Center is a rich full-text database containing thousands of classic and contemporary poems, short stories, biographies, essays, lesson plans and learning guides. It also includes high-quality videos and audio recordings from the Academy of American Poets.
Watch a short tutorial on using Poetry & Short Story Reference Center.
Points of View
This excellent resource helps students research multiple sides of current issues and complex topics including affirmative action, cloning, DNA profiling, HIV/AIDS status disclosure, immigration, Iraq and much more.
Tutorial on using Points of View
Psychology & Behavioral Sciences
This premier resource contains full text for more than 560 journals concerning topics in emotional and behavioral characteristics, psychiatry & psychology, mental processes, anthropology, and observational and experimental methods.
Religion & Philosophy Collection
Religion & Philosophy Collection is a full-text database for theology and philosophy research. It includes hundreds of full-text journals and magazines covering many religious and philosophical topics, including world religions, religious history, political philosophy and philosophy of language.
Watch a short tutorial on using Religion & Philosophy Collection.
Research Starter
Provides students and other researchers with a starting point for gaining an understanding of key topics.
Social Sciences Full Text
Covering the latest concepts, theories and methods from both applied and theoretical aspects of the social sciences, including addiction studies, ethics, public welfare, urban studies and more.
TOPICsearch
This current events database allows researchers to explore social, political & economic issues, scientific discoveries and other popular topics discussed in today’s classrooms including controversial opinions and viewpoints
Suggested Homework Websites
Multi-Subject Collections
- Information Please – Encyclopedia, almanac, atlas and dictionary all in one.
- Khan Academy – Video lectures with online practice for math, science, economics, arts, history, and computer science.
- Discovery Education – Homework help resources, plus interactive games, videos, virtual labs and activities.
- Library of Congress – Historical records and digitized books, photos, maps, manuscripts, film, and sound recordings.
Study Skills
- Study Tips – Tips on note-taking, test-taking, organizing, studying for tests, concentrating, and more.
Biography
- Biography.com – Over 7,000 biographies of people past and present.
- Miller Center – In-depth information on each U.S. President and administration and presidential speech archive.
Finance
- aicoach.co – Connects kids and parents to sites that teach children about personal finance, business, economics.
History
- Crash Course YouTube Channel – John Green teaches U.S. history and World history
- Timeline of Art History – The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents 300 timelines, 930 essays, and about 7,000 objects.
- SlaveVoyages – SlaveVoyages website is a collaborative digital initiative that compiles and makes accessible records of the largest slave trades in history.
- Notable Colorado Women –
The women of Colorado helped shape the development of the state through their leadership, courage, and ingenuity
Literature
- Literary Criticism – Websites about authors and their works to browse by author, title, or nationality and literary period.
- Free Book Notes – Book summaries and study guides for thousands of books, compiled from several major study guides.
- No Fear Shakespeare – Shakespeare’s plays with page-by-page translation into modern English. More Shakespeare help.
- Poetry Foundation – Browse classic and contemporary works, by subject, style, period, or poet. More poetry links.
Math
- Webmath – Step-by-step answers to hundreds of math questions and the option to type in your own problem.
- Purplemath – Need help with algebra? This is the place for illustrated step-by-step examples and videos.
News & Social Trends
- PBS NewsHour Extra – World news and reports written for students.
- Pew Research Center – Nonpartisan reports about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world.
- ProCon.org – Today’s controversial issues presented in a balanced, comprehensive, straightforward pro-con format.
Primary Sources
- Library of Congress – Maps, photographs, letters, diaries, newspapers, sound recordings, interviews, and historic films.
- National Archives – Written documents, images, maps, charts, graphs, audio and video.
- Western History Collection at Denver Public Library – Documents, photographs, maps, art, newspapers and more.
Research & Writing
- Common Types of Papers – Examples and resources for writing research papers and a wide range of essays.
- Evaluating Resources – CRAAP! Currency, relevance, authority, accuracy, purpose.
- The Research Process – Resources to help with writing skills, thesis statements, style and language, and citation.
Science
- Science.gov – Search across 15 federal agencies with just one query for science articles, news, studies, data, and more.
- The Physics Classroom – Physics concepts explained and quizzes to test your understanding.
Technology
- Codeacademy – Learn javascript, html, CSS, how to make an interactive website, and more.
- Hour of Code – Intro designed to demystify code and show that anybody can learn the basics (and beyond.)
- TED Talks Technology – Over 500 video talks on topics of technology.
- CNN Tech News – News and video covers the internet, business and personal tech, video games, and more.
