The Reference Librarians will be glad to help you design your search to get the most out of these databases. Please ask at the Reference or Arts & Music desk.
From home or office, please phone 587-1012 for help.
Please also see our extensive, frequently-updated Subject Guides for more links to recommended web sites and databases.
Database links shown in blue require a library card barcode number to log in.
General Reference, Magazines & Journals
- C/WMARS OneSearch library access | home access
An easy way to do a combined search of the library catalog and most of our databases all at once. OneSearch is a federated search engine for searching across multiple electronic resources from one simple interface. OneSearch provides citations and abstracts, as well as linking opportunities to full-text articles, electronic books, and records in the library's catalog. After connecting, click the "Search Tips" tab for more information on how to use this resource. - Academic OneFile library access | home access
Use this comprehensive periodical resource of full-text peer-reviewed content for over 10,000 manually indexed journals and reference works covering all subjects, including the full-text of The New York Times back to 1995 and NPR, CNN & CBC transcripts and podcasts. - Expanded Academic ASAP library access | home access
Use this database to find full-text scholarly journals, news magazines and newspapers for all academic disciplines. - General Reference Center Gold library access | home access
Use this general interest database for full-text and images from magazines, reference books, and newspapers for information on current events, popular culture, the arts and sciences, sports, etc. - InfoTrac OneFile library access | home access
Use this comprehensive periodical resource for any subject. Coverage goes back to 1980- with over 9,200 titles (5,156 full-text). - JSTOR library access
This treasure trove for researchers contains back issues of over 800 scholarly journals in the humanities and social sciences. The website also contains tutorials and help pages to orient new users. Currently this database is only available in the library building. - Gale Virtual Reference Library
library access | home access
Over 20 full-text reference books covering the arts, biography, business, environment, history, literature, medicine, multicultural studies, geography, and science. -
Gale Group Databases (InfoTrac Web)
library access | home access
Extensive collection of databases and periodical indexes, with many full text magazine and journal articles online. Each database is listed separately on this page, but you can also search them all together.
Newspapers
-
The New York Times library access | home access
Full-text of The New York Times from 1995- as a standalone file (also included in Academic OneFile). - The Republican (Springfield, MA) library access | home access
Full text and indexing from 1988-Current
Provided by the Western MA Regional Library System, Springfield City Library, and the MBLC. - Massachusetts Newsstand from Proquest
library access | home access
Indexing and full text articles from the following Massachusetts newspapers:
- The Berkshire Eagle; Pittsfield, Mass. Full Text: 2005 - current
- Boston Globe; Boston, Mass. Full Text: 1987 - current
- Boston Globe (pre-1997 Fulltext); Boston, Mass. Full Text: 1980 - 1996
- Boston Herald; Boston, Mass. Full Text: 1991 - current
- BusinessWest; Chicopee Full Text: 1992 - current
- Gazette; Haverhill, Mass. Full Text: 1992 - 1997, some exceptions View details
- New England Business; Dublin Full Text
- North Adams Transcript; North Adams, Mass. Full Text: 2005 - current
- The Patriot Ledger; Quincy, Mass. Full Text: 1991 - current
- Plymouth County Business Review; Pembroke Full Text: 1991 - current
- Sentinel & Enterprise; Fitchburg, Mass. Full Text: 2005 - current
- Standard Times; New Bedford, Mass. Full Text: 1992 - 1997
- The Sun; Lowell, Mass. Full Text: 2004 - current
- Telegram & Gazette; Worcester, Mass. Full Text: 1989 - current
- Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers
This site allows you to search and read newspaper pages from 1900-1910 and find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present. Chronicling America is sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress as part of the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP). - Expanded Academic ASAP library access | home access
Use this database to find full-text scholarly journals, news magazines and newspapers for all academic disciplines. - General Reference Center Gold library access | home access
Use this general interest database for full-text and images from magazines, reference books, and newspapers for information on current events, popular culture, the arts and sciences, sports, etc.
Aging
AgeLine Database
AgeLine is an extensive bibliographic database from AARP summarizing aging-related research and policy reports, articles, and books from many publishers and organizations. Some materials are full-text.
Art
Grove Art Online
library access |
home access
An award-winning resource on every aspect of the visual arts from prehistory to the present day
- Over 45,000 articles on fine arts, decorative arts, and architecture
- Scholarship written by over 6,000 international contributors
- Over 130,000 art images, with links to hundreds of museums and galleries around the world
- A wide range of search and browse options to explore the full text, bibliographies, biographies, and image links
Provided through the C/WMARS library network.
Biography
Biography Resource Center library access | home accessUse this database for over 400,000 biographies covering literary figures, science, multicultural studies, business, entertainment, politics, sports, government, history, current events and the arts. Indexes all print volumes of the series.
Contemporary Literary Criticism Select library access | home accessfor author biographies
Books & Literature
NoveList
library access |
home access
Looking for a good book to read? Novelist can help! Contains lists, reviews, feature articles, and more. Search by authors, plot lines, series, reading level, etc.
Provided through the C/WMARS library network.
Contemporary Literary Criticism Select library access | home accessAn extensive collection of critical essays on contemporary writers -- each entry also contains a biographical/critical introduction, a list of principal works and sources for further study.
Bartleby.comProviding free access to books and information on the web, including literature, reference, and verse.
Business
General Business File ASAP library access | home accessUse this database to research all business and management topics. Includes directory listings for over 150,000 companies, as well as investment analysts' reports on major companies and industries.
Dun & Bradstreet Million Dollar Directory
library access | home access
Getting Started guide
Provided by Forbes Library - requires a Forbes Library card to log in
Careers
COIN Career Library
library access | home access
EBSCO produces this multifaceted resource for career exploration, assessment, planning, resume writing and more.
Learning Express Library
library access | home access
- To log in, click on “New User”
- For "Username", enter your library card number
- Create a password
- you’re in!
- next time you log in, click “Returning User.”
This interactive online database features more than 300 practice tests based on official school and career exams, including ACT, SAT, GED, ASVAB, Firefighter, Police Officer, Paramedic, EMT Basic, U.S. Citizenship, Postal Worker, Cosmetology, and Real Estate Sales Agent & Broker Exams, among others. Includes math & reading practice for 4th grade through high school, school and college admission tests and Advance Placement tests.
QuickStart Guide (PDF)
Funded by the Friends of Forbes Library
Occupational Outlook Handbook
The online version, published every 2 years by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Includes information about a huge range of occupations including job titles, nature and conditions of work, training or certification required, prospects for growth, and typical salaries.
Do It Yourself
Auto Repair Reference Center
library access | home access
The Auto Repair Reference Center database contains complete automotive repair information supplied by Nichols Publishing, publisher of Chilton Information, on most manufacturers of domestic and imported vehicles. Content includes:
- Approximately 25,000 vehicles, from 1954 to present
- Over 100,000 factory drawings and step-by-step photographs
- Over 65,000 technical service bulletins & recalls
- Wiring diagrams for easy viewing and printing
- Specifications & maintenance schedules
- Labor Time Guide & Estimator
- Quick Tips - a complete guide to vehicle ownership & maintenance
Provided by Forbes Library - requires a Forbes Library card to log in.
Home Improvement Reference Center
library access | home access
The Home Improvement Reference Center (HIRC) is a full text database accessible via a custom EBSCO interface. It is intended for use in public and academic libraries and is designed to assist homeowners in do-it-yourself home repair, maintenance, and remodeling projects. Step-by-step instructions for thousands of projects in the areas of plumbing, outdoor, woodworking, electrical, and decorating are provided in high-quality PDF files. Additionally, thousands of articles from magazines and reference books provide tips and suggestions to supplement the step-by-step project instructions.
Provided by Forbes Library - requires a Forbes Library card to log in.
Small Engine Repair Reference Center
library access | home access
Small Engine Repair Reference Center (SERRC) is a full text database accessible via a custom EBSCO interface. It is intended for public library patrons, as well as public school teachers and students, seeking reference and instructional information about small engine machinery maintenance and repair. SERRC contains the full set of small engine repair manuals from Clymer (http://www.clymer.com/). These manuals contain thousands of accurate and concise step-by-step maintenance and repair instructions for hundreds of small engine machines and their supporting components. Routine maintenance, such as tune-ups and brake service, as well as more extensive repairs involving engine transmission disassembly are covered. Engines types include: motorcycles, ATVs, personal water craft, snowmobiles, lawn mowers, tractors, snow blowers, generators, and more. Detailed and user-friendly content is provided in high-quality PDF files. Many documents contain photos and detailed illustrations to visually support step-by-step procedures.
Provided by Forbes Library - requires a Forbes Library card to log in.
Education
College Source Online
library access | home access
Please ask the Reference Librarian for the username and password, required to download catalogs and other information. (587-1012)
Over 23,000 college catalogs in complete cover-to-cover, original page format representing 2-year, 4-year, graduate, professional and international schools; plus college profiles.
Provided by Forbes Library
Learning Express Library
library access | home access
- To log in, click on “New User”
- For "Username", enter your library card number
- Create a password
- you’re in!
- next time you log in, click “Returning User.”
This interactive online database features more than 300 practice tests based on official school and career exams, including ACT, SAT, GED, ASVAB, Firefighter, Police Officer, Paramedic, EMT Basic, U.S. Citizenship, Postal Worker, Cosmetology, and Real Estate Sales Agent & Broker Exams, among others. Includes math & reading practice for 4th grade through high school, school and college admission tests and Advance Placement tests. QuickStart Guide (PDF)
Funded by the Friends of Forbes Library
Educator's Reference Complete library access | home accessUse this mainly full-text collection of over 1100 periodicals and 200 reports for educational research from preschool to college. Every educational specialty can be found here including technology, health and bilingual education, testing, and issues in administration, funding and policy.
Genealogy
Ancestry Library Edition
library access
available from library computers only -- ask Reference Librarian for assistance
For genealogy research. Includes coverage of the United States and the United Kingdom: census, vital, church, court, and immigration records, as well as record collections from Canada and other areas. This collection of more than 4,000 databases and two billion names is essential to having a broad genealogy collection, and its valuable content is a strong complement to HeritageQuest Online.
Provided by Forbes Library
Heritage Quest Online
library access | home access
HeritageQuest Online combines digital, searchable images of U.S. federal census records with the digitized version of the popular UMI® Genealogy & Local History collection and other valuable content. This online database is an essential collection of unique material for both genealogical hobbyists and professionals.
Provided by Forbes Library - requires a Forbes Library card to log in
New England Ancestors
library access
available from library computers only -- ask Reference Librarian for assistance
Research database of the New England Historical Genealogical Society.
Provided by Forbes Library
Ellis Island Records
Search passenger records of the 12 million immigrants who entered the US through the Port of New York/Ellis Island between 1892-1954. Sponsored by the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation.
Health
Health Reference Center Academic library access | home access
Full-text database that provides full-text nursing & allied health journals, plus current and reliable personal health information.
Salem Health library access | home access
For home access, click on the “Remote Access Login” tab, then enter the password “forbeshealth”
This database contains two reference sources from Salem Health: Magill's Medical Guide, and Salem Health: Cancer. Magill's Medical Guide is designed to provide readers with an authoritative reference source that helps bridge the gap between medical encyclopedias for professionals and popular self-help guides. It is an up-to-date and easy-to-use compendium of medical information suitable for student research as well as use by general readers, including patients and caregivers. The Guide covers diseases, disorders, treatments, procedures, specialties, anatomy, biology, and issues in an A-Z format, with sidebars addressing recent developments in medicine and concise information boxes for all diseases and disorders. Salem Health: Cancer is an extensive reference with the latest information on many topics related to cancer. Both use the same search interface and can be searched together or separately.
Provided by Forbes Library.
Household Products Database
This database links over 5,000 consumer brands to health effects from Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) and allows scientists and consumers to research products based on chemical ingredients. The database is designed to help answer the following typical questions:
- What are the chemical ingredients and their percentage in specific brands?
- Which products contain specific chemical ingredients?
- Who manufactures a specific brand? How do I contact this manufacturer?
- What are the acute and chronic effects of chemical ingredients in a specific brand?
- What other information is available about chemicals in the toxicology-related databases of the National Library of Medicine?
Provided by the National Library of Medicine.
MedLinePlus
Consumer health information, news and extensive resource database. Also in Spanish.
Provided by the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health.
PubMed
The National Library of Medicine's gateway to over 14 million abstracts and citations for biomedical journal articles dating back to the 1950s. Links to sites providing full text articles. If full-text isn't available online, ask the Reference Librarian about getting a copy through Interlibrary Loan!
Provided by the National Library of Medicine.
TOXNET: Toxicology & Environmental Information
SIS's Toxicology and Environmental Health Information Program produces TOXNET®, a collection of toxicology and environmental health databases that includes the Hazardous Substances Data Bank, HSDB®, a database of potentially hazardous chemicals, TOXLINE® (containing references to the world's toxicology literature), and ChemIDplus (a chemical dictionary and structure database). Haz- Map® links jobs and hazardous tasks with occupational diseases and their symptoms.
Provided by the National Library of Medicine.
History & Current Events
American History Online
library access | home access
Spanning more than 500 years of political, military, social, and cultural history, Facts On File’s American History Online database revolutionizes the way students and researchers can explore the different facets of American history. The authoritative, curriculum-based content is culled from many acclaimed Facts On File print titles. Includes Biographies, Events and Topics, Primary Sources, Timelines, Image Gallery, Maps and Charts, and Learning Centers on different areas of interest.
Provided by the C/WMARS library network
African-American History Online
library access | home access
African-American History Online explores more than 500 years of the African-American experience. Culled from many of Facts On File’s critically acclaimed print titles, this database provides students and researchers with a wealth of quality, authoritative content. Features include Biographies, Events and Topics, Primary Sources, Timelines, Overview Era Essays, Image Gallery, Maps and Charts, and Special Features: a spotlight providing an in-depth look at a topic such as the Harlem Renaissance; an Editor’s Selection of the Month highlighting an event tied to each month.
Provided by the C/WMARS library network
American Women's History Online
library access | home access
American Women’s History Online is an authoritative reference database containing biographies, historical and topical subject entries, primary source documents, maps and charts, an image gallery, and general and subject-specific timelines that cover more than 500 years of American women’s history. Content is drawn from Facts On File print material.
Provided by the C/WMARS library network
Issues & Controversies in American History
library access | home access
from Facts.com, a unique online resource of clear, concise, and balanced explanations of the most contentious issues in American history.
It combines authoritative factual accounts with in-depth explanations of opposing points of view and numerous special features, so students and other users can quickly grasp the essentials of even the most complex historical topics.
Biographies, timelines, background articles, photographs, and maps augment the curriculum-based coverage of historical events. Carefully selected primary documents, linking directly to the factual coverage, give the points of view on all sides of the debates as they were promulgated at the time.
Provided by Forbes Library - requires a Forbes Library card to log in
American MemoryAmerican Memory provides free and open access to written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music that document the American experience. These materials, from the collections of the Library of Congress and other institutions, chronicle historical events, people, places, and ideas that continue to shape America, serving the public as a resource for education and lifelong learning.
Provided by the Library of Congress
Historic Northampton Archives library accessAvailable from library computers only
A great local history resource! Search by keyword in Historic Northampton's digital catalog and archives containing thousands of photographs, historic newspapers and maps, and extensive digital collections database. Includes the Howes Brothers Collection, genealogy resources, and images of the earliest issues of the Daily Hampshire Gazette.
Provided by Historic Northampton and Forbes Library
Massachusetts History Online library access | home accessUse this collection for full-text articles from 50 magazines and local newspapers for coverage of Massachusetts people, places and historical events.
SIRS Knowledge Source
library access | home access
SIRS Researcher contains relevant, current information on social issues. It includes carefully selected articles, primary source documents, websites, charts, maps, and illustrations chosen for relevancy, credibility, and curricular applicability. It's a great place to start student research.
- Leading Issues provides instant access to nearly 100 of the most researched social issues.
- The World Almanac Excerpts connects students to useful facts and figures.
- Focus on Terrorism delivers the latest information on terrorism issues across the world.
- Maps of the World offers hundreds of full-color current and historic maps.
- Today’s News delivers up-to-the-minute news on the day’s current events.
- Historic Documents, National Archives Documents, and U.S. Supreme Court cases provide access to hundreds of primary source documents.
SIRS Interactive Citizenship presents basic enduring topics and dynamically links them to current information so users can understand how the past influences the present.
Homework Help
Kids InfoBits library access | home accessTargeting the research needs of grades K-5 students. this resources incudes Blackbirch Press curriculum support references, 100 full-text age appropriate magazines and 2 newswires. Graphs, charts, maps and over 2,500 searchable images.
InfoTrac K-12 Junior Edition library access | home accessDesigned for junior high and middle school students. Includes mainly full-text magazines, newspapers and reference books covering current events, the arts, science, popular culture, health, people, government, history, sports and more.
InfoTrac K-12 Student Edition library access | home accessDesigned for secondary school students. Includes mainly full-text magazines, newspapers and reference books covering current events, the arts, science, popular culture, health, people, government, history, sports and more.
Issues & Controversies in American History
library access |
home access
from Facts.com, a unique online resource of clear, concise, and balanced explanations of the most contentious issues in American history.
It combines authoritative factual accounts with in-depth explanations of opposing points of view and numerous special features, so students and other users can quickly grasp the essentials of even the most complex historical topics.
Biographies, timelines, background articles, photographs, and maps augment the curriculum-based coverage of historical events. Carefully selected primary documents, linking directly to the factual coverage, give the points of view on all sides of the debates as they were promulgated at the time.
Provided by Forbes Library - requires a Forbes Library card to log in
Science Online
library access | home access
Science Online is a complete reference database containing thousands of entries covering animal anatomy, anthropology and archaeology, astronomy and space technology, atomic physics, biochemistry, biology, botany, chemistry, computer science, earth science, environmental science, general science, genetics, health and medicine, human anatomy and physiology, marine science, physics, and weather and climate.
Provided through the C/WMARS library network.
SIRS Knowledge Source
library access | home access
SIRS Researcher contains relevant, current information on social issues. It includes carefully selected articles, primary source documents, websites, charts, maps, and illustrations chosen for relevancy, credibility, and curricular applicability. It's a great place to start student research.
- Leading Issues provides instant access to nearly 100 of the most researched social issues.
- The World Almanac Excerpts connects students to useful facts and figures.
- Focus on Terrorism delivers the latest information on terrorism issues across the world.
- Maps of the World offers hundreds of full-color current and historic maps.
- Today’s News delivers up-to-the-minute news on the day’s current events.
- Historic Documents, National Archives Documents, and U.S. Supreme Court cases provide access to hundreds of primary source documents.
SIRS Interactive Citizenship presents basic enduring topics and dynamically links them to current information so users can understand how the past influences the present.
And check out the great Homework Help links on our Kids and Teen pages!
Science
Science Online
library access | home access
Science Online is a complete reference database containing thousands of entries covering animal anatomy, anthropology and archaeology, astronomy and space technology, atomic physics, biochemistry, biology, botany, chemistry, computer science, earth science, environmental science, general science, genetics, health and medicine, human anatomy and physiology, marine science, physics, and weather and climate.
Provided through the C/WMARS library network.
All databases not otherwise credited are provided by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners and Western Massachusetts Regional Library System.
For home access to all the databases in this group, enter your Library Card barcode number here: