Authors and Books | Current Events | Health and Science | Encyclopedias Newspapers and Magazines | Learn a Language |
For more resources tailored to your grade level, click below
Elementary School | Middle School | High School
Authors and Books
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.
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.
NoveList K-8
Read-alike recommendations curated specifically for younger readers. It can help kids find books that are right for their reading level and interests.
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.
Current Events
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
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.
Health and Science
Environment Complete
Comprehensive coverage for Environmental Studies including agriculture, ecosystem ecology, energy, and affiliated areas of study.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Science Reference Center
Designed to meet every student’s science research needs, Science Reference Center contains full text for hundreds of science encyclopedias, reference books, periodicals and other sources. Topics covered include biology, chemistry, earth and space science, environmental science, health and medicine, history of science, life science, physics and more.
Tutorial on using Science Reference Center
Encyclopedias, Newspapers, Magazines and Search Tools
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 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.
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.
Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia
Access to thousands of encyclopedia entries on a variety of topics.
History Reference Center
This database features full text from more than 1900 reference books, encyclopedias and non fiction books PLUS 200 history periodicals.
Watch a tutorial on using History Reference Center here.
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.
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.
Middle Search Plus
Middle school students can access biographies, historical essays, encyclopedias and popular, middle school magazines. Provides access to full text for more than 140 middle school magazines, 85,639 biographies, 104,481 primary source documents and an image collection of 285,912 photos, maps and flags.
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.
Primary Search
Designed for use in elementary schools, this database provides access to primary sources, articles and information from popular, elementary school magazines, encyclopedias and dictionaries.
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.
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.
Learn a Language
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!
Testing Help + Subject Tutorials
Khan Academy
The motto of Khan Academy is: You can learn anything. This website offers video tutorials on a huge variety of topics from math, science and history for all grades to computer programming and economics. You can even study for the SAT and other standardized tests. All tutorials are free and self paced.
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
