Online information resources in libraries
The Library Service
currently subscribes to the following online subscription
services. Most of these will require you to log in with your
library barcode to get into the members' area.
Encylopedias
Encyclopedia
Britannica the Web Catalogue includes links to the
bimonthly "Inside Britannica" online magazine
Britannica
Junior aimed at 5 to 11 year-olds
Britannica
Student aimed at 12 to 18 year-olds
General reference works
Oxford Reference Online —
dictionaries and reference books covering art to accountancy,
politics to physics, and computing to classics, languages to
quotations, including:
The Arts
Grove Art
Online art from cave drawings to the present day
Grove Music
Online music from accelerando to Valentin Zubiaurre
Oxford Encyclopedia of
Popular Music — not just Rock & Roll: comprehensive
coverage of popular music of all genres and periods from 1900 to
the present day
Business
- British
Standards Online - including over 38,500 current, draft
and historic British Standards, more than 16,000 of which are BSI
adopted European and International standards.
Citizenship
Life In Great Britain - an
online course to help people preparing for the Citizenship Test
Computers
First Steps On
Your Computer - an introduction to computers available in
English, Arabic, Bangla, Polish, Somali and Urdu.
History
The Guardian and The Observer archives — historical newspapers
from 1791 to 2003.
The Oxford Dictionary of National
Biography — 56,000 biographies of people who shaped
history.
Who's Who and Who Was
Who — the definitive directory of everyone who is anyone in
Britain, and beyond, today.
News and current affairs
NewsBank — electronic editions of local and national newspapers
from the UK and around the world, including reports on hot
topics.
Religion
Oxford
Islamic Studies Online — including commentaries and
timelines
The Library Service
provides free access to online information resources on the
Internet in all our libraries.
Some online services are only available on the computers in our
libraries:
- Ancestry.com
- British Standards Online
- United Utilities street and sewer plans
- Which? Online
Additionally, the Library Service's online Web Catalogue
provides links to reference resources on the web:
- The Web Catalogue includes links to web sites dealing with
reader development and support; health issues; and lifelong
learning;
- The Kids' Portal includes links to child-oriented web sites
dealing with reading development and homework topics;
Both include links to our online
subscription services.
- The Local Studies Portal includes links to web sites dealing
with local studies and family history.
Still learning about computers?
There is a bewildering amount of information on the web, a lot
of which is very helpful, but it can be a bit intimidating at
first. We have found the following sites to be very useful:
MyGuide - this is a complete
e-learning guide to using and understanding computers and getting
online.
The BBC has a few useful pages, including:
Absolute
Beginner's Guide To Computers - this does exactly what it says
in the title.
Web Wise - this is an
introduction to the World Wide Web.
Online security is also an important issue. We suggest you have
a look at:
Direct.gov: Be Secure Online - this provides an overview
and useful links
Get
Safe Online - free, expert advice about online security
WOW! - What's On t'Web?
We have developed a programme of activities called WOW
(What’s On t’Web) to show learners how to:
- narrow and expand searches on the internet;
- use a variety of search techniques using AND,OR and
NOT;
- set up an e-mail account where necessary; and
- a variety of useful and recommended websites to make
surfing the web easier and more fun.