Online Databases

ACCESS PA

Books, movies and more in a PA library (also known as the Access PA Database) is a combined catalog reflecting the holdings of over 2,600 Pennsylvania libraries and their combined collections of over 43 million books, audio materials, reference materials, movies, and much more. 

POWER Library E-Resource – Sponsored by Commonwealth Libraries.

AP NEWSROOM

View the greatest events in world history with photographs, audio sound bites, video, and graphics, for over 185 years. Over 3,000 photos/images/sound bites/graphics added daily, including audio and visual snapshots of breaking news events, today's hot topics, great moments in news, sports and entertainment, celebrity portraits, and 20 million royalty-free stock images.

(Para buscar en Espanol, seleccione "Lenguas" en la parte superior.)

POWER Library E-Resource – Sponsored by Commonwealth Libraries. (This link may not work inside the library.)

Black Freedom Struggle

The Black Freedom Struggle resource is provided at no cost to the POWER Library by ProQuest. It features select primary source documents related to critical people and events in African American history. By centering on the experiences and perspectives of African Americans, it is hoped that this collection imbues the study of Black history with a deeper understanding of the humanity of people who have pursued the quest for freedom, and the significance of movements like Black Lives Matter.

POWER Library E-Resource – Sponsored by Commonwealth Libraries.

Bookflix

BookFlix is an online literacy resource that pairs classic video storybooks with Weston Woods related nonfiction eBooks. For Pre-K to 3rd grade. (Look in the Find A Book Section.) Requires Adobe Flash ™

POWER Library E-Resource – Sponsored by Commonwealth Libraries.

Britannica School Elementary

Britannica School Elementary is a comprehensive source of informational text for younger learners pre-K to grade 5. It includes encyclopedia articles, images, videos, and magazine articles. There is a Britannica Fundamentals section for children Pre-K through grade 2. Tools such as a world atlas, virtual tours, country comparison, etc., allow learners to explore geography and animal kingdom topics. A Britannica Fundamentals provides materials for children Pre-K through second-grade.

POWER Library E-Resource – Sponsored by Commonwealth Libraries.

Contemporary Authors

Guide to current writers of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, journalism, drama, motion pictures and television. Author biographies are included. Produced by Thompson Gale.

POWER Library E-Resource – Sponsored by Commonwealth Libraries.

Digital Public Library of America

The Digital Public Library of America brings together the riches of America’s libraries, archives, and museums, and makes them freely available to the world. Search by place, date, exhibition or a general keyword search.

POWER Library E-Resource – Sponsored by Commonwealth Libraries.

E-Book Collection

Search over 20,000 Fiction and Nonfiction eBooks available in 3 primary eBook collections in POWER Library at once: EBSCO E-Books, GALE E-Books, and ProQuest E-Book Central.

This search will tell you which collection has the eBook. Then you'll search for the title again in that specific eBook collection.

POWER Library E-Resource – Sponsored by Commonwealth Libraries.

Ebony Magazine Archive

This magazine covers civil rights, education, entrepreneurship and other social topics with an African-American focus. It includes more than 800 issues providing a broad view of African-American culture from its first issue in 1945 through 2014.

This fully searchable full-text archive provides analysis on African-American business, history, politics, entertainment, fashion and culture. Articles and cover pages are fully indexed and advertisements are individually identified, ensuring researchers and readers can quickly and accurately locate the information they seek.

Subjects Covered:

• African-American culture
• Business
• Civil rights
• Entertainment
• Ethnic studies
• Fashion
• History
• Politics

POWER Library E-Resource – Sponsored by Commonwealth Libraries.

EBSCO eBooks

View books on your computer or portable device. Books are in the epub format.

POWER Library E-Resource – Sponsored by Commonwealth Libraries.

(Para buscar en Espanol, seleccione "Lenguas" en la parte superior.)

Middle School

Middle School provides middle school students with language arts, social studies, and science curriculum support through age-appropriate videos, newspapers, magazines, primary sources, etc.

POWER Library E-Resource – Sponsored by Commonwealth Libraries.

MyHeritage Library Edition

MyHeritage Library Edition: one of the largest & most internationally diverse data repositories available to libraries.  It includes birth, death & marriage records from 48 countries; the complete US & UK censuses, immigration, military & tombstone records; & more than 1.5 billion family tree profiles.  It also connects to digitized photos & family trees on MyHeritage.com, as well as the trees on Geni.com.)

POWER Library E-Resource – Sponsored by Commonwealth Libraries. (This link may not work inside the library.)

National Geographic Magazine Archive 1888-2020

This iconic monthly publication provides unparalleled, in-depth coverage of society, cultures, nature, science, technology, travel, geography, and more -- making it an essential resource for educators and students as well as general readers. This resource include complete, unlimited access to the magazine main content through 2020 -- every article from every issue, each fully searchable through an intuitive interface.

Included are the vivid photographs and historic articles as well as engaging videos and detailed maps. Explore the most recognized name in exploration and discovery, with comprehensive, relevant articles, legendary photographs, maps, and map supplements, the iconic magazine documents life on our planet and beyond, interpreting the world through the lens of personal story and experience.

POWER Library E-Resource – Sponsored by Commonwealth Libraries.

PA Electronic Library Catalog

Search a single catalog reflecting the holdings of over 1,500 Pennsylvania libraries and their combined collections of over 41 million books, audio materials, reference materials, movies, and much more.

POWER Library E-Resource – Sponsored by Commonwealth Libraries.

PA Job Resources

JobGateway^SM is the state’s premier job-matching tool developed to transform the landscape of how job-seekers find jobs and how employers find talent. The user-friendly job-matching system was created to connect employers and job seekers all in one place, free of charge.

POWER Library E-Resource – Sponsored by Commonwealth Libraries.

PA Online Learning

PA Online Learning is a FREE growing collection of tutorials on how to use software, social media, and library resources, such as POWER Library! Explore now and check back later to see how it grows! Selecting the link will take you to directly to PA Online Learning.

POWER Library E-Resource – Sponsored by Commonwealth Libraries.

PA Photos and Documents

Explore millions of digitized photographs, documents, and newspapers from Pennsylvania's rich and varied history. The collections are provided by libraries and other organizations across the Commonwealth, and include collections covering subjects such as:

• Art & Architecture
• Church & Missionary History
• Genealogy
• Newspapers
• PA Civil War History
• Postcards
• School and College History
• Women’s History
• Yearbooks

You’ll be amazed by what you find!

POWER Library

POWER Library is a service of Pennsylvania's public libraries, school libraries and the State Library. POWER library allows you to access thousands of full-text periodical articles, newspapers, plus photographs, pictures, charts, maps, reference materials for young people and more.

POWER Library E-Resource – Sponsored by Commonwealth Libraries.

POWER Teens

POWER Teens provides online resources including full-text research e-resources, collections of photographs and documents, the statewide catalog of materials held in libraries throughout Pennsylvania, and Chat with a Librarian.

POWER Library E-Resource – Sponsored by Commonwealth Libraries.

ProQuest Ebook Central

This resource includes 112 titles on diversity, equity, and inclusion, and cover subjects such as business, education, fine arts, history, political science, social science, juvenile literature, and sports and recreation.

POWER Library E-Resource – Sponsored by Commonwealth Libraries.

Science Reference eBook Collection

Explore science from over 230 full-text eBooks! This collection of reference titles covers a wide variety of topics such as animals, biology, climate change, computing, engineering, experiments, life science, nature, oceans, physical science, and weather.

POWER Library E-Resource – Sponsored by Commonwealth Libraries.

Science Reference Source

Full text for hundreds of science encyclopedias, reference books, periodicals, & other sources. Topics covered include: biology, chemistry, earth & space science, environmental science, health & medicine, history of science, life science, physics, science & society, science as inquiry, scientists, technology & wildlife.

POWER Library E-Resource – Sponsored by Commonwealth Libraries.

SIRS Discoverer

This database provides coverage in areas including history, health, language arts, math, science, social studies, and technology. All newspaper, magazine, and reference book content is 100% full text, editorially-selected and indexed from over 2,200 reliable, high-quality global sources, including 400 full-text nonfiction books and around 300 full-text book chapters from publishers such as Britannica, World Book, Rosen Publishing Group, Enslow, and ReferencePoint Press.

Small Engine Repair Reference Center

NEW!

This reference database provides detailed yet user-friendly repair guides for all manner of small engines. All of the content is organized in a powerful, easy-to-use manner so that users can quickly find the information they need.

POWER Library E-Resource – Sponsored by Commonwealth Libraries.

Teacher Reference Center

Provides indexing & abstracts for 280 periodicals. Topics include: Assessment, Best Practices, Continuing Ed., Current Pedagogical Research, Curriculum Development, Elementary Ed., Higher Ed., Instructional Media, Language Arts, Literacy Standards, School Administration, Science & Mathematics, & Teacher Ed.

POWER Library E-Resource – Sponsored by Commonwealth Libraries.

Time Magazine Archive 1923-2000

This archive presents an extensive collection of the prominent weekly news magazine dating back to its first issue in March 1923 through December 2000, presented in a comprehensive cover-to-cover format. The 4,000 issues include reports of national and international current events, politics, sports, and entertainment.

Capturing the relevant news for a given week, the magazine remains an important resource for researchers studying just about any aspect of 20th-Century history and life. The archive is valuable to researchers and students of 20th-Century current events, politics and culture, as well as those interested in the history of business, advertising, and popular culture.

Subjects Covered:

• National and international news
• Current events
• Politics
• Sports
• Celebrity lifestyle

Transparent Language Online

Whether you’re a true language learning beginner, dusting off your old high school Spanish, or eager to tackle your tenth language—Transparent Language Online will help you get started and stick with it.

POWER Library E-Resource – Sponsored by Commonwealth Libraries.

U.S. News & World Report Magazine Archive: 1926-1984

This magazine features a broad variety of topics in current events, politics and business, and is well known for its ranked lists of businesses and institutions. With 4,900 issues included, the Archive is valuable to researchers of 20th-century current events, politics and business, as well as those interested in the history of journalism, advertising and popular culture.

Research areas include:

• 20th-century history
• Business/Economics
• Cultural studies
• Education
• Marketing/Advertising
• Political science
• Science/Technology
• Sociology

POWER Library E-Resource – Sponsored by Commonwealth Libraries. (This link may not work inside the library.)