Reference & Research

Online Articles & Databases (By Subject)


Below are the reference databases and online resources available to Shrewsbury residents with a library card. You may have to disable your pop-up blocker, and most will ask you to enter your library card number to gain access.

For database help, contact the reference staff by calling 508-841-8609 extension 2 or by emailing the staff. Not sure where to start? View of our databases by Gale, which cover a wide variety of subjects.

Hoopla


Hoopla provides online and mobile access to thousands of:
  • Audiobooks
  • Movies
  • Music
  • TV shows
  • Videos
With hoopla digital, patrons can borrow, instantly stream and download free dynamic content with a valid library card.

Business & Legal

Career & Resume

Cars & Consumer

Children

E-Audio & E-Video

  • Freegal Music - New link - please update your bookmarks, if necessary.

E-Books


Encyclopedias & Dictionaries

Genealogy

Health

Language Learning

Literature

Newspapers

Young Adult

Online Articles & Databases (Alphabetical by Title)

AtoZdatabases


AtoZdatabases is a reference and marketing database that provides details on every business and every household within the U.S.


Bookflix


Scholastic BookFlix is a new online literacy resource that pairs classic video storybooks with related nonfiction e-books to build a love of reading and learning.


Boston Globe


View a searchable database of current and past issues of the Boston Globe.

Brainfuse HelpNow


Get free homework help from Brainfuse's online tutoring service, HelpNow. It also includes a variety of other services like test prep, language learning, writing review, and an online meeting place for students to collaborate on group projects.


Peterson's Career Prep.

Peterson's Career Prep. provides guidance and essential activities for job seekers and those investigating new career options, including students, soon to be graduates, and adults new to navigating the modern job market.


Central Register & Goods & Services Bulletin


The Central Register and the Goods and Services Bulletin are available for browsing online.


Consumer Reports


Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that provides evidence-based product testing and ratings.


Cypress Resume


Cypress Resume is an easy to use resume creation tool for those who are less familiar with complicated formatting.

Driving-Tests.org


This new service includes free tests, written specifically based on the state DMV materials, and is the only site of its kind to include accessibility tools that allow users to:
  • Download selections as MP3s
  • Hear selections read aloud
  • Magnify text
  • Mask sections of the screen for greater visibility on driving practice tests
  • Translate pages into other languages

Encyclopedia Britannica Online


The Encyclopedia Britannica Online contains Britannica Reference Center and Britannica Kids, along with many other services. Includes the Britannica encyclopedia and many additional features.

Fold3 Library Edition

(Access in library only)
Fold3 provides access to original military records, including service records, registers, rosters, stories, photos, and personal documents. Many of the records come from the U.S. National Archives, The National Archives of the U.K., and other international records. Note: You must be using a library computer to access Fold3.

Freading E-Books

Use your 3 weekly tokens to download e-books to your devices!


Freegal Music


Download up to 5 songs per week, DRM free, and legally keep them forever! This includes the Sony BMG catalog.


Gale Databases


Search Gale Databases for magazine and journal articles as well as reference information.

HeritageHub
HeritageHub allows you to explore your family history with a premier collection of U.S. obituaries and death notices dated from 1704 – today. It helps you easily identify relatives, and uncover new information and potentially unknown family members. Includes deep coverage from all 50 states, hard-to-find content from the mid 1900’s, and original obituary images. Access is available 24/7.

Heritage Quest


HeritageQuest Online provides web access to:
  • Birth, marriage and death records
  • City directories
  • Family genealogies
  • Genealogical and local history serials
  • Land and probate records
  • Local histories
  • Tax lists
  • U.S. Federal census records
For more genealogy resources, check our genealogy page.


Hoopla

Hoopla provides online and mobile access to thousands of:
  • Audiobooks
  • Movies
  • Music
  • TV shows
  • Videos
With hoopla digital, patrons can borrow, instantly stream and download free dynamic content with a valid library card.

 



Labor & Workforce Development of Massachusetts


Find information about career centers, job hunting, and more.

LearningExpress Library


LearningExpress Library provides patrons online access to a comprehensive selection of academic and career related resources for skill-building, test preparation, and workplace growth.


Massachusetts Trial Court Law Libraries


This website provides online legal information through the Public Law Libraries of Massachusetts.

Mango Languages


Learn many different languages online with Mango Languages. Includes ESL from many languages.  


Medline Plus


Medline Plus is a comprehensive health and wellness reference source administrated by the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health.

Miss Humblebee's Academy
Miss Humblebee’s Academy is a fun, interactive, and award-winning, online kindergarten-readiness learning solution for children ages 3 to 6. With hundreds of lessons in Math, Science and Social Studies, Language and Literacy, Art, and Music, the curriculum increases in difficulty as the user progresses through the program.

Newsbank


Newsbank includes America's obituaries and death Notices from America's newspapers.

Newspapers.com World Collection

(Access in library only)
Newspapers.com is the largest online newspaper archive consisting of 708 million+ pages of historical newspapers from 22,400+ newspapers from around the United States and beyond. Search for obituaries, marriage announcements, birth announcements, social pages, national and local news articles, sports, advertisements, entertainment, fashion and lifestyle pages, comics, and more. Note: You must be using a library computer to access Newspapers.com.

Niche Academy


Niche Academy features a number of video tutorials demonstrating how to use many of the Shrewsbury Public Library's e-resources.

Novelist

Novelist is a fiction database that provides in depth information on over 135,000 fiction titles.

NUWAV Legal Documents


NUWAV Legal Documents provides patrons with the documents they require to meet their everyday legal needs. 

Opposing Viewpoints
Opposing Viewpoints (Gale) covers timely issues, from capital punishment to immigration to marijuana. This cross-curricular resource supports science, social studies, current events, and language arts classes. Informed, differing views help learners develop critical-thinking skills and draw their own conclusions.


Research Companion

Research Companion (ProQuest) helps students do more effective scholarly research and supports educators as they teach the core information literacy principles of finding, evaluating, and using information.

Scholastic Go
In Scholastic Go explore non-fiction texts, world newspapers, videos and more with this easy-to-navigate digital resource designed to strengthen content knowledge, vocabulary, and core proficiency skills.

Science Database
Science Database (ProQuest) is a growing resource of 7.3 million full text articles from over 1,600 sources. In full-text format, researchers have access to all the charts, diagrams, graphs, tables, photos, and other graphical elements so vital to scientific and engineering literature. It supports the needs of students studying applied and general sciences.

Universal Class


Universal Class provides a growing catalog of over 500 courses on subjects as diverse as Exercise and Fitness, Entrepreneurship, Arts and Music, Home and Garden Care, Cooking, Computers and Technology, Health and Medicine, Homeschooling, Job Assistance, Law and Legal, Parenting and Family, Pet and Animal Care, and 100’s more. With real instructors guiding the learning, engaging video-based lessons, a collaborative learning environment, graded lesson tests, certificates of achievement and Continuing Education Units available for selected courses, students enjoy an engaging and measurable learning experience that helps them master and document their educational goals.  

ValChoice
ValChoice's car insurance calculator lets you calculate auto insurance costs customized to your age, location, driving record, vehicle, etc. Your personal information is only used to calculate insurance price.

ValChoice's home insurance calculator lets you estimate home insurance costs based on home replacement value and location. Your personal information is only used to calculate insurance price.

Click here for tutorials on how to use ValChoice's calculators and apps.

Value Line


Value Line Investment Survey is an independent investment information service. Weekly issues cover:
  • Economic statistics
  • Individual stock reports
  • Industry reviews
  • Other financial information

Worcester Telegram & Gazette


Find full-text articles on:
  • Events
  • Issues
  • Local news
  • People
  • Plus much more from current and archived issues of the Worcester Telegram and Gazette

Ancestry Library Edition



This database is only available when using a computer inside the Shrewsbury Public Library (NOTE: Not compatible with Google Chrome). Ancestry Library Edition is an enhanced version of the popular consumer genealogy database, Ancestry.com. For more genealogy resources, check our genealogy page.