Search digital resources and databases available through the Alabama Virtual Library, the Public Libraries of Jefferson County and the Hoover Public Library.
General Research
Academic Search Premier
A great first stop, if you're not sure where to look. Academic Search Premier is a leading multidisciplinary research database. It includes acclaimed full-text journals, magazines, Ahead of Print content for relevant titles from key publishers, and other valuable resources. This scholarly collection offers information in nearly every area of academic study including: computer sciences, engineering, physics, chemistry, language and linguistics, arts & literature, medical sciences, ethnic studies, and many more. Provided via EBSCOhost.
Alabama Virtual Library
The Alabama Virtual Library provides all students, teachers and residents of the State of Alabama with 24/7 online access to premier library and information resources free of charge. Includes many, if not all, databases on our list.
Consumer Reports
Provides reliable ratings and reviews for thousands of products.
Book Collection: Nonfiction
Need a "book source" but can't come to the library? This rich research database for schools and public libraries contains informative abstracts and searchable full text for more than 4,100 popular nonfiction books. The database includes full text entries on core subject areas, as well as information on careers, health, sports, adventure, technology, life skills and more. Provided via EBSCOhost.
Britannica School Elementary
A colorful, simple and easy-to-use database containing topics elementary students are learning about and interested in. A fun, online encyclopedia.
Gale In Context: Elementary
Introduce elementary students to database searching with resources featuring age-appropriate, curriculum-related content.
Gale In Context: Middle School
Explore the most-studied middle school topics including cultures, government, people, history, literature and more.
Gale PowerSearch
Provides millions of articles from over 17,000 scholarly journals and other authoritative sources—including thousands of podcasts and transcripts from NPR and CNN as well as videos from BBC Worldwide Learning. With extensive coverage in key subject areas such as, biology, chemistry, criminal justice, economics, environmental science, history, marketing, political science, and psychology, researchers are able to find accurate information and articles in both PDF and HTML formats with ease.
Gale OneFile: High School Edition
A scholarly resource designed for middle- and high-school students and provides access to age-appropriate, authoritative digital content for classroom assignments. Learners can research magazines, journals, newspapers, and reference books covering a wide range of subjects, from science, history, and literature to political science, sports, and environmental studies.
MASTERfile Premier
Designed specifically for public libraries, this multidisciplinary database provides full text for nearly 1,700 periodicals with full-text information dating as far back as 1975. Covering virtually every subject area of general interest, MasterFILE Premier also contains full text for nearly 500 reference books and over 164,400 primary source documents, as well as an Image Collection of over 592,000 photos, maps & flags. This database is updated daily via EBSCOhost.
MAS Ultra - School Edition
Designed specifically for high school libraries, this database contains full text for nearly 500 popular, high school magazines. MAS Ultra – School Edition also provides more than 360 full text reference books, 85,670 biographies, over 107,000 primary source documents, and an Image Collection of over 510,000 photos, maps & flags, color PDFs and expanded full text backfiles (back to 1975) for key magazines. All full text articles are assigned a reading level indicator (Lexiles). Provided via EBSCOhost.
Oxford Reference Online Premium
Oxford Reference is the premier online reference product, spanning 25 different subject areas, bringing together 2 million digitized entries across Oxford University Press’s Dictionaries, Companions and Encyclopedias.
Pebble Go (K - 3rd Grade)
A simple, safe and fun way to research that will develop a lifelong thirst for knowledge in young students. Choose from up to 5 subject areas covering animals, health, science, social studies and biographies to help guide your students' exploration.
Proceedings First
An index of every worldwide conference and symposium proceedings from 1993 to present as received by the British Library, specialists in indexing this material. Each record containes a list of the papers presented at each conference. For an index of papers presented, see PapersFirst. Provided via OCLC.
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DATABASE HUBS
EBSCOhost
The gateway to all EBSCOhost resources available through our library. Find full-text journals and peer-reviewed titles in the following sources: Academic Search Premier, Alt HealthWatch, Biography Reference Bank (H.W. Wilson), Book Collection: Nonfiction, Business Source Premier, ERIC, GreenFILE, Health Source - Consumer Edition, Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition, History Reference Center, Lexi-PALS Drug Guide, MAS Ultra - School Edition, MasterFILE Premier, Military & Government Collection, Newspaper Source, Professional Development Collection, Regional Business News, Vocational and Career Collection.
Gale
The gateway to all Gale resources available through our library. Find full-text journals and peer-reviewed titles in the following sources: Gale General OneFile, Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints.
Salem Press
The gateway to all resources available through Salem Press including Grey House titles, Magill's medical and curated links about current events and more.
Alabama Resources
Alabama Legal Forms
A library of legal forms relevant to citizens of Alabama. Includes forms related to wills and estates, divorce, paternity, power of attorney, sample letters and more. Provided via Gale.
Alabama Mosaic
Alabama Mosaic is a repository of digital materials on Alabama's history, culture, places, and people. Its purpose is to make unique historical treasures from Alabama's archives, libraries, museums, and other repositories electronically accessible to Alabama residents and to students, researchers, and the general public in other states and countries.
America's News National Collection - Alabama Newspapers
Explore and stay informed on local and state topics, people and events in areas such as business, health, education, jobs and careers, political and social issues and more. Features a wide variety of credible, vetted news sources from Alabama. Provided via NewsBank.
Bhamwiki
Bhamwiki is an encyclopedic resource built on the wikipedia model. It has more than 15,300 individual entries about Birmingham, Alabama and the surrounding area.
Birmingham Public Library Digital Collection
BPL's Digital Collections were created to preserve and make available the local history of Birmingham and the surrounding area. These resources may help students, teachers, genealogists, historians and interested citizens learn more about the history of Birmingham.
The Birmingham News
Explore Birmingham history through local news, events and people with Birmingham News Collection. Search current and archived issues with full-color newspaper pages, full-text articles and content only published online. Also available remotely 24/7 on any device. Full text articles of the Birmingham News in an electronic edition of the record of publication from April 27, 1993 to Current. Provided via NewsBank.
Digital Collections at UAB
Digitized collections from the University of Alabama at Birmingham including materials relating to the history of medicine, the Civil War, ethnographic films produced by UAB students, Medieval and Renaissance manuscripts, the StoryCorps archive featuring stories from local residents, and many other interesting items of local and historical interest.
Encyclopedia of Alabama
The Encyclopedia of Alabama is an online resource on Alabama history, culture, geography, and natural environment. This site offers articles on Alabama's famous people, historic events, sports, art, literature, industry, government, plant and animal life, agriculture, recreation, and so much more.
Homework Alabama
Free Tutoring - Math - Science - Social Studies - English Grades K3-12, College Intro, and Adult Learners. Available Sunday through Thursday from 3p.m. until 10 p.m. Provided via Tutor.com.
Business, Legal & Government
Alabama Legal Forms
A library of legal forms relevant to citizens of Alabama. Includes forms related to wills and estates, divorce, paternity, power of attorney, sample letters and more. Provided via Gale.
Business Insights: Essentials
Company and industry intelligence. Detailed company and industry profiles including SWOT reports, market share reports, and financial reports. Thousands of company histories and industry essays from Gale's core business collection.Deep research coverage with scholarly journals, business news, and more. Provided via Gale.
Business Plans Handbook
A business plans ebook compiled by, and aimed at, entrepreneurs seeking funding for small businesses. Presents sample plans taken from businesses in the manufacturing, retail and service industries which serve as examples of how to approach, structure and compose business plans. Provided via Gale.
Business Source Premier
Most popular business research database, providing full text for more than 2,300 journals, including full text for more than 1,100 peer-reviewed titles. This database provides full text back to 1886, and searchable cited references back to 1998. Provides full text coverage in all disciplines of business, including marketing, management, MIS, POM, accounting, finance and economics. This database is updated daily. Provided via EBSCOhost.
Gale OneFile: Business
A comprehensive business resource for the undergraduate researcher seeking company news, the public library patron making personal investment decisions, or the high school student looking to major in business administration, Gale OneFile: Business provides full-text coverage of all business disciplines including accounting, economics, finance, marketing, management, and strategy, as well as business theory and practice. Users will understand the activities of companies and industries worldwide through nearly 4,000 leading business and trade publications, updated daily.
GPO Monthly Catalog
Provides access to U.S. government documents created 1976 - present such as Congressional reports, hearings, debates, and records; judiciary materials; and documents issued by executive departments (Defense, State, Labor, Office of the President, etc.)
GrantStation
(In Library Access Only) GrantStation.com, Inc. offers nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and government agencies the opportunity to identify potential funding sources for their programs or projects as well as resources to mentor these organizations through the grantseeking process.
Military & Government Collection
Offers current news pertaining to all branches of the military and government. Provides cover-to-cover full text articles for nearly 300 academic journals and periodicals and indexing and abstracts for more than 400 titles. Provided via EBSCOhost.
Regional Business News
Provides comprehensive full text coverage for regional business publications. Regional Business News incorporates coverage of more than 80 regional business publications covering all metropolitan and rural areas within the United States. Provided via EBSCOhost.
Reference Solutions
Comprehensive directory of residential, consumer and business information. Formerly ReferenceUSA.
Education, Test Prep & Career
TUTORING, TEST PREP AND CAREER EXPLORATION
Homework Alabama
Free Tutoring - Math - Science - Social Studies - English Grades K3-12, College Intro, and Adult Learners. Available Sunday through Thursday from 3p.m. until 10 p.m. Provided via Tutor.com.
LearningExpress Library
One of the best resources for online test prep! Great for all ages of students and a variety of careers. Includes prep for ACT, SAT, AP exams, GED, MAT, GMAT, GRE, ASVAB and many more. Also includes other materials like ebooks and skill builders to help you meet your educational and career goals.
Tuition Funding Sources
Tuition Funding Sources is a private website designed to help students find scholarships, college and career information. Offering $41 Billion in scholarship awards along with a career personality test and detailed college and career information.
Vocational and Career Collection
Designed for vocational and technical libraries servicing high schools, community colleges, trade institutions and the general public. This collection provides full text coverage for nearly 340 trade and industry-related periodicals. Provided via EBSCOhost.
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SCHOLARLY SOURCES FOR TEACHERS, EDUCATION MAJORS AND OTHER EDUCATION PROFESSIONALS
ERIC
ERIC, the Education Resource Information Center, is one of the most popular resources providing access to education literature and research. The database provides access to information from journals included in the Current Index of Journals in Education and Resources in Education Index. Content includes journal articles, research reports, curriculum and teaching guides, conference papers, dissertations and theses, and books dating back to 1966. Provided via EBSCOhost.
Professional Development Collection
Designed for professional educators, this database provides a highly specialized collection of nearly 520 high quality education journals, including more than 350 peer-reviewed titles. This database also contains more than 200 educational reports. Professional Development Collection is the most comprehensive collection of full text education journals in the world.
Teacher Reference Center
Provides indexing and abstracts for 280 of the most popular teacher and administrator journals and magazines to assist professional educators. Provided via EBSCOhost.
Foreign Language
Our Language Learning Resources
Find information about all of the resources the library offers, including a link to our free online language learning service, Mango.
EBSCO Deutsch (EBSCOHost translated to German)
ERIC, das Education Resource Information Center enthält über 1.300.000 Datensätze und Links zu mehr als 323.000 Volltext-Dokumenten bis zurück in das Jahr 1966.
EBSCO Espanol (EBSCOHost translated to Spanish)
ERIC, el Centro de Información de Recursos Educativos, contiene más de 1.300.000 registros y enlaces a más de 323.000 documentos de texto completo que datan de 1966.
EBSCO Français (EBSCOHost translated to French)
ERIC (Educational Resource Information Center) contient plus de 1 300 000 entrées, ainsi que des liens vers plus de 323 000 documents en texte intégral remontant à 1966.
Gale OneFile: Informe Académico
Busque en revistas académicas en español y portugués en texto completo de y sobre América Latina.
Search full-text academic journals in Spanish and Portuguese from and about Latin America.
Pronunciator
Pronunciator is a fun and free way to learn any of 163 languages with Personalized Courses, movies, music, and more. Includes new COVID-19 language course in 101 languages. Learn online, either on your desktop computer or mobile device.
Genealogy
Ancestry Library Edition
In Library Use Only - Use Ancestry Library Edition to to explore your family's history by accessing census records, court documents, military records, photographs, immigration records, directories and more.
Heritage Quest Online
Heritage Quest Online for genealogical research. Contains: Census images for decades 1790-1930, Books with family and local histories, Index of over 2.3 million genealogy and local history articles, Revolutionary War records, Freedman's Bank records from 1865-1874 and US Congress records including memorials, petitions and private relief actions.
Health & Medical
Alt Health Watch
Provides in-depth coverage across the full spectrum of subject areas covered by complementary, holistic and alternative medicine. Full text articles for more than 180 international, and often peer-reviewed journals and reports. In addition, there are hundreds of pamphlets, booklets, special reports, original research and book excerpts. Indexing and abstracts from 1984 and full-text content from 1990. Provided via EBSCHOhost.
Health Source: Consumer Edition
A rich collection of consumer health information, providing information on many health topics including the medical sciences, food sciences and nutrition, childcare, sports medicine and general health. Full-tect content from nearly 80 consumer health magazines such as Fit Pregnancy, Harvard Health Letter, Men's Health, Muscle & Fitness, Prevention, Vegetarian Times and more. Provided via EBSCOhost.
Health Source: Nursing/Academic
Provides nearly 550 scholarly full-text journals focusing on many medical disciplines and abstracts and indexing for nearly 850 journals. Coverage of nursing and allied health is particularly strong, including full text from Creative Nursing, Issues in Comprehensive Pediatric Nursing, Issues in Mental Health Nursing, Journal of Advanced Nursing, Journal of Child & Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, Journal of Clinical Nursing, Journal of Community Health Nursing, Journal of Nursing Management, Nursing Ethics, Nursing Forum, Nursing Inquiry and many more. Provided via EBSCOhost.
Magill's Medical Guide, 8th Edition
Since 1995, Magill's Medical Guide has had a reputation for providing general readers with the most authoritative yet accessible reference source that helps bridge the gap between medical encyclopedias and dictionaries for professionals and popular self-help guides. The Guide is a staple in high school, college, public and medical school libraries.
Medline Plus
A free service of the National Library of Medicine (NLM), the world's largest medical library, which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Their mission is to present high-quality, relevant health and wellness information that is trusted, easy to understand and free of advertising, in both English and Spanish. Anywhere, anytime, on any device—for free.
PubMED
An essential resource to medical professionals and researchers all over the world. PubMed comprises more than 33 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals and online books. Citations may include links to full text content from PubMed Central and publisher web sites.
Literature, Writing and Debate
Encyclopedia of African American Writing
A timely survey of an important sector of American letters, this resource covers the role and influence of African-American cultural leaders, from all walks of life, from the 17th century to the present. Readers will explore what inspired various African- American writers to create poems, plays, short stories, novels, essays, opinion pieces and numerous other works, and how those writings contributed to American culture. Provided via Salem Press.
Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints
An excellent resource for debaters. Covers today's most controversial social 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.
Gale Literature
Find up-to-date biographical information, overviews, full-text literary criticism and reviews on more than 130,000 writers in all disciplines, from all time periods and from around the world, supplemented by the scholarly materials of the Scribner Writers Series and Twayne's World, U.S., and English Authors Series.
Gale Literature: Lit Finder
Covering world literature and authors throughout history, LitFinder contains a wealth of literary works including over 150,000 full-text poems and 800,000+ poetry citations, as well as short stories, speeches, and plays. For students or patrons seeking a deeper view into literature, LitFinder also includes secondary materials like biographies, images, and more! From Shakespeare's sonnets to poems by Donald Hall or short stories from Edgar Allan Poe to works by Annie Proulx, LitFinder has you covered.
Opinions Throughout History
Offers a wide range of insights into long-standing issues that Americans are most concerned about, and those that have encouraged vigorous debate among politicians and citizens at large. Using carefully chosen original documents that cover a wide time span, Opinions Throughout History weaves a thoughtful and easy-to-understand analysis of how public opinion is formed and evolves, starting the discussion at an historical, seminal moment, and ending with where we stand today. Provided via Salem Press.
Oxford English Dictionary
Oxford English Dictionary (OED), a guide to the meaning, history, and pronunciation of 600,000 words— past and present—from across the English-speaking world. OED, updated every three months.
Points of View Reference Center
Designed to assist student and researchers in understanding the full scope of controversial subjects. High school and undergraduate students can use Points of View as a guide to debate, developing arguments, writing position papers, and for development of critical thinking skills. Each Points of View Essay includes a series of questions and additional material to generate further thought. Also included are thousands of supporting articles from the world’s top political and societal publications.
Gale Literature: Twayne's Author Series
Features the content of more than 600 books that comprise three series - United States Authors, English Authors and World Authors.
Newspapers
America's News National Collection - Alabama Newspapers
Explore and stay informed on local and state topics, people and events in areas such as business, health, education, jobs and careers, political and social issues and more. Features a wide variety of credible, vetted news sources from Alabama. Provided via NewsBank.
The Birmingham News
Explore Birmingham history through local news, events and people with Birmingham News Collection. Search current and archived issues with full-color newspaper pages, full-text articles and content only published online. Also available remotely 24/7 on any device. Full text articles of the Birmingham News in an electronic edition of the record of publication from April 27, 1993 to Current. Provided via NewsBank.
Newspaper Source
Newspaper Source provides cover-to-cover full text for more than 40 (U.S.) & international newspapers. The database also contains selective full text for 389 regional (U.S.) newspapers. In addition, full text television & radio news transcripts are also provided. Provided via EBSCOhost.
Other Popular Resources
Chilton Library (Auto Repair)
Get the detailed information you need to tackle vehicle maintenance and repairs. There are thousands of year, make and model combinations covering the most popular vehicles of the past 30 years, plus additional coverage of specialty models. Provided via Gale.
Drama for Students (Theater Arts)
Writing a research paper about a play? Volumes 1 - 29 of the popular series featuring essays and criticisms related to the dramatic arts are provided here in ebook format. Provided via Gale.
Green File (Environmental Issues)
GreenFILE offers well-researched information covering all aspects of human impact to the environment. Its collection of scholarly, government and general-interest titles includes content on global warming, green building, pollution, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, recycling, and more. The database provides indexing and abstracts for more than 1,000,000 records, as well as Open Access full text for more than 15,000 records. Provided via EBSCOhost.
History Reference Center (History)
Offers full text from more than 1,620 reference books, encyclopedias and non-fiction books, cover to cover full text for more than 150 leading history periodicals, nearly 57,000 historical documents, more than 78,000 biographies of historical figures, more than 113,000 historical photos and maps, and more than 80 hours of historical video. Provided via EBSCOhost.
Nations of the World (Social Studies)
Offers insight into current living conditions and social, political, and economic climates of 235 nations. Every country profile has been reviewed and updated with thoughtful, comprehensive country essays from contributors worldwide. These international correspondents, true experts in their fields, have previously contributed to some of the most influential books, periodicals, and news sources in the world. Provided via Salem Press.
Principles of Science (Science)
Provides high school students and undergraduates with a solid foundation to the study of several popular fields of science. Readers can use these entries as a solid starting off point to develop a thorough understanding of this complex subject matter. Provided via Salem Press.
Search Libraries Outside of the Jefferson County Library Cooperative
STARS The Alabama Group Catalog
Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) FirstSearch catalog of items in libraries around the state of Alabama. Basically, this is the same as WorldCat but limited to Alabama libraries.
WorldCat
Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) catalog of items in libraries around the world. WorldCat contains over 179 million records from OCLC member libraries and covers dates prior to 1000 BC to the present. Materials/Subjects included are books, manuscripts, websites, and, internet, resources, maps, computer programs, musical scores, films and slides, newspapers, journals and magazines, sound, recordings, articles, chapters, papers, videotapes. Updated Daily.