Research Tools

Research tools from the Ohio Web Library will set off your research on the right track!

 

Digital Resources   

Ohio Digital Library

Audiobooks, eBooks, magazines, and video provided by Overdrive. Resources available in multiple formats for tablets, phones, and computers.

Mometrix Test Prep

Find test prep materials in categories like education, real estate, finance, construction and industry, and more.

NuWav Legal Documents

Access many of the most common legal documents with Nuwav.

Northstar Digital Literacy

Northstar Digital Literacy is an assessment and learning tool that covers a variety of tech topics. It comes with lessons and practice exercises to improve your digital skills.

Hoopla

Audiobooks, eBooks, music, graphic novels, documentaries, movies and TV shows. Resources formats available for tablets, phones, and computers.

LinkedIn Learning

An online learning site that hosts a constantly growing library of 3,000 video courses covering a variety of topics.

DIY Resources   

Chilton Library

ChiltonLibrary’s dynamic search engine helps users find specific procedures quickly and offers other benefits.

Hobbies & Crafts Reference Center

Offers detailed how-to instructions and creative ideas to meet the interests of virtually every hobby enthusiast. Full text is provided from leading hobby and craft magazines.

Home Improvement Reference Center

Collection of comprehensive full-text content, this database provides users with detailed, user-friendly how-to information covering a variety of home-improvement and repair projects.
Genealogy   

African American Heritage

This collection was created to develop a comprehensive mix of resources, records, and tools specifically pertaining to African Americans.

Heritage Quest

Comprehensive treasury of American genealogical sources—rich in unique primary sources, local and family histories, convenient research guides, interactive census maps, and more.

Ancestry - Library Edition

U. S. Census records; military records; court, land and probate records; vital and church records; directories; petitions for naturalization; passenger lists and more. IN LIBRARY ONLY

Fold3

Access to military records, including the stories, photos, and personal documents of men and women who served.

Defiance County Veterans Directory

A collection of Defiance County veterans who served in local militias, state National Guard units, federal branches of service, active duty or reserve.

Ohio Obituary Index

An index of more than 3,500,000 obituaries, death & marriage notices & other sources from Ohio from the 1810s to the present day. Actual obits may be ordered from more than 60 partner libraries.
Health   

Alt HealthWatch

Focuses on the many perspectives of healthcare and wellness. Full-text articles for more than 180 international, and often peer-reviewed journals and reports.

Consumer Health Complete

Research tool searches articles in popular magazines, journals, and online publications. Search for current health-related topics.

MEDLINE

MEDLINE provides authoritative medical information on medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, the health care system, pre-clinical sciences, and much more.

Health Source - Consumer Edition

Consumer health information on many health topics including the medical sciences, food sciences and nutrition, childcare, sports medicine and general health.
History and Geography   

Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps

Search through more than 40,000 detailed historical maps of Ohio cities. These grayscale maps were drawn by Sanborn between 1882 and 1962.

Religion and Philosophy Collection

Topics include religions, biblical studies, religious history, epistemology, political philosophy, philosophy of language, moral philosophy, and more.

Biography Reference Bank

Offers a breadth and depth of information you'll find in no other biography database. It covers more than 500,000 people and includes more than 36,000 images!
Homework Help   

MAS Ultra - School Edition

Full text for nearly 500 popular high school magazines, plus full-text reference books, biographies, documents, and an image collection.

World Book: Early World of Learning

An online resource for preschoolers and children in early primary. Developed with experts of early childhood education, designed for integration into the classroom curriculum.

Explora

Includes information on thousands of magazine articles, book chapters, biographies, source documents, images, videos, and more.

Gale in Context: Elementary

Educational product for today's young learners. Easy-to-use digital resource featuring age-appropriate, reliable, curriculum-related content covering a broad range of educational topics.

Explora Secondary Schools

Designed for grades 6-12, includes information on thousands of magazine articles, book chapters, biographies, primary source documents, images, videos...

Explora Primary Schools

Designed for grades K-5, includes information on thousands of magazine articles, book chapters, biographies, primary source documents, images, videos...

World Book

Presentation app includes Arts, Literature, Notable People, Parts of the World, Science & Technology, Society & Culture, Sports, and World History

World Book Infofinder

Enabling users to search numerous resources from one place with a modern interface that also includes ways to explore info from several categories.

World Book Timelines

Designed for young readers, these richly illustrated books feature graphical timelines and curious facts following developments in communication, medicine, space research, and much more.

Middle Search Plus

Full-text magazines, biographies, primary source documents, and historical essays. Includes a School Image Collection of photos, maps, and flags.

WorldBook Kids

Focusing on late elementary school learning. This site include activities, games, projects, images, videos, and research vital to answering research questions.

World Book Student

Contains numerous tools to engage users in 21st-Century education and blended-learning practices for student researchers.

L'Encyclopedie Decouverte

A full-featured, beginner-level reference source, Découverte provides users with a database written at basic French reading levels.

Enciclopedia Estudiantil Hallazgos

Comprehensive Spanish-language encyclopedia written from a Latin American perspective. Content is updated monthly. Includes maps, timelines, videos, images, and interactive activities.

World Book Advanced

Engage advanced students and adults with thousands of articles, primary sources, and online books designed to support personalized learning and enhance digital citizenship.
Journal and Magazine Articles   

Academic Search Premier

Provides full text for more than 4,600 journals. PDF backfiles are available for more than one hundred journals, and searchable cited references are provided for more than 1,000 titles.

MasterFILE Premier

Database provides full text for periodicals, reference books, and primary source documents, as well as, an image collection of photos, maps & flags.

Business Source Premier

Journals and peer-reviewed titles covering all disciplines of business, including marketing, management, MIS, POM, accounting, finance and economics.

ERIC

Provides access to information from journal articles, research reports, curriculum and teaching guides, conference papers, dissertations and theses, and books dating back to 1966.

Oxford Research Encyclopedias

Oxford Research Encyclopedias are comprehensive collections of in-depth, peer-reviewed summaries on an ever-growing range of topics.

Newspaper Source

20 national & international newspapers and selected full text for more than 230 regional newspapers. TV and radio news transcripts – updated daily.

Professional Development Collection

Designed for professional educators, this database provides a highly specialized collection of education journals, including peer-reviewed titles.

Points of View Reference Center

Essays on controversial subjects, including categories such as politics, culture, censorship, crime & punishment, health & medicine, and more.

Small Business Reference Center

Full-text small business reference books, as well as tools to address topics, including business videos, a help and advice section and details on how to create business plans.

Vocational and Career Collection

Designed for high schools, community colleges, and the general public. This collection provides full-text coverage for trade and industry-related periodicals.

Very Short Introductions

Offers concise and original introductions to a wide range of subjects--from Islam to sociology, politics to classics, and literary theory to history. Not simply a textbook of definitions

Regional Business News

Incorporates coverage of more than 80 regional business publications covering all metropolitan and rural areas within the United States.
Language and Literature   

Literary Reference Center

Full-text database that combines information from major respected reference works, books, literary journals as well as original content from EBSCO Publishing.

about:books

Search for information about books by title, author, subject, and more. Access to book is, normally, limited to previews.

Transparent Language

Combining extensive courses and supplemental resources for over 100 languages, including English, Transparent Language Online is the most complete language-learning system.

American & English Literature

Browse African-American poetry, American poetry, English poetry, American drama, English prose drama, English verse dramas, early American fiction…
Local Resources   

Explore Ohio

Ohio History Connection's evolving, dynamic online encyclopedia that includes information about Ohio's natural history, prehistory, and history.

Find an Ohio Library

Search for Ohio public libraries using an interactive map or by zip code. Includes links to websites, driving directions, and contact information.

What's That Snake?

Interactive guide to identify Ohio snakes. Guide includes information on appearance, lifestyle, and location.

What tree is it?

Guide to Ohio tree identification. Search resource using interactive interface by leaf, fruit or name.

What's the point?

Interactive guide to identifying flint artifacts from Ohio.
Science and Technology   

Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition

Full-text journals focusing on many medical disciplines, including 1,300 generic drug patient education sheets with more than 4,700 brand names.

Computer Source

Searches provide latest information and current trends in high technology from 300 publications and indexing and abstracts for 450 publications.

Sociological Collection

Sociology information, including social behavior, human tendencies, interaction, relationships, community development, culture and social structure.

Science Reference Center

Research biology, chemistry, earth & space , the environment, health & medicine, history of science, life science, physics, technology and wildlife.