Databases By Subject

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Use the links below to search a number of library resources. A current Santa Clara City Library card is required to access some of these resources from home or office (see Getting a Card).

Search the Databases

Find an A-Z list of all our databases

Articles, Magazines, and Newspapers

Academic Search Premier - Ebsco

You can use Academic Search Premier to find university scholarly journal and magazine articles. Many of the articles are available in full-text. The database contains over 4,700 journals in full-text and more than 13,600 journals which are indexed and abstracted.

Explora for Public Libraries - Ebsco

Get information on all topics by searching popular magazines (Consumer Reports, Time, People and Money), newspapers, biographies, primary source documents, over 1 million images, AP videos, and references books.

Flipster - Ebsco

View full digital copies of your favorite magazines. Read magazines online using the web browser of your computer or mobile device. To view magazines offline use the Flipster app for iOS devices, Android devices or Kindle Fire tablets.

Video tutorial is available on Santa Clara City Library YouTube channel.

Click here for the basics on how to use Flipster.

MasterFILE Premier - Ebsco

This is a good place to look for general interest magazine articles. Within MasterFILE Premier you will find full-text articles from nearly 1,700 magazines including Consumer Reports, Foreign Affairs, Saturday Evening Post, and more.

New York Times Online

In Library Access | Home Access

Instructions for using the New York Times Online. Read articles from the New York Times Online website. From within the library, you have unlimited access. From home or beyond the library, you can redeem a code for 72 hours of access.

Video tutorial is available on Santa Clara City Library YouTube channel.

RBdigital Magazines

Access full digital copies of popular magazines. Read online or download to your device. RBdigital Magazines contains over 3,000 magazines including magazines in Chinese, Spanish, Russian and several other world languages. RBdigital Magazines help and user guide.

Video tutorial is available on Santa Clara City Library's YouTube channel.

San Jose Mercury and Evening News Historical Archives, 1884–1922

Newsbank provides access to fully digitized San Jose newspapers from 1884-1922. This is a great tool for researching Santa Clara county local history.

San Jose Mercury News, (1985 - current)

Find full-text articles on local news, issues, events, people and more from current and archived issues of the San Jose Mercury News. Updated daily, it includes obituaries, editorials, announcements, sports, real estate and other sections.

Video tutorial is available on Santa Clara City Library YouTube channel.

Automotive

Auto Repair Source - Ebsco

Automobile service and repair information for most domestic and imported vehicles.

Driving-Test.org

This site includes multiple car, motorcycle, and commercial driver's license practice tests as well as an extensive DMV FAQ. Preguntas disponibles en español.

Books and Reading

eBooks

Here you can access our collections of eBooks and eAudiobooks.

Library Services for People with Print Disabilities

California’s Library Services for People with Print Disabilities, in association with the Library of Congress, provides free Braille and audio books, magazines and playback equipment to all eligible Californians unable to read standard print. Follow the link to find your local braille and talking book library and sign up for free library service.

Literary Reference Center Plus - Ebsco

This full-text database provides relevant information on thousands of authors and their works across literary disciplines and timeframes - to give students, professors, and researchers a complete foundation of literary reference works to meet their research needs.

NoveList K-8 Plus - Ebsco

Use NoveList K-8 Plus to find a good book to read. This resource contains recommended fiction and non-fiction books for children and young adults.

Video tutorial is available on Santa Clara City Library YouTube channel.

Business and Investing

Business Source Complete - Ebsco

This is a good resource for researching companies, industries, and business topics. The database contains full-text articles from over 1,800 general business magazines and trade journals and more than 2,400 peer-reviewed journals. The database also includes market research reports, industry reports, company profiles, and additional material.

Lynda.com

Use Lynda.com to learn new business, software, technology, and creative skills to achieve your personal and professional goals. Choose from thousands of online instructional videos taught by recognized industry experts. To reset your password, fill out the Lynda.com Customer Service contact form at www.linkedin.com/help/lynda/ask

Video tutorial is available on Santa Clara City Library YouTube channel.

Morningstar Investment Research Center

This resource includes approximately 2,100 mutual fund reports, 1,900 stock analyst reports, and 150 exchange-traded fund (ETF) reports. The Help & Education section offers courses on investing and training in the use of the Morningstar Investment Research Center. There is a limit of three simultaneous users.

Video tutorial is available on Santa Clara City Library YouTube channel.

ReferenceUSA

ReferenceUSA indexes the contents of telephone white and yellow pages in the United States. The Business section is useful for locating businesses, associations, schools, and government agencies; it can be searched and sorted by name, type of business, city, business size, SIC code, etc. The Residential section searches individual names, and may be used as a "reverse directory" to locate people by address and phone number.

Video tutorial is available on Santa Clara City Library YouTube channel.

Small Business Reference Center - Ebsco

This database offers a variety of information on small business and entrepreneurial subjects, common business types, a help and advice section, and provides information on creating business plans that lead to successful funding. Also included are many full-text Nolo Press books covering areas of interest to small businesses.

Video tutorial is available on Santa Clara City Library YouTube channel.

Value Line Research Center

The Research Center provides online access to Value Line's publications covering: stocks, mutual funds, options, and convertible securities.

Video tutorial is available on Santa Clara City Library YouTube channel.

Computers and Technology

Lynda.com

Use Lynda.com to learn new business, software, technology, and creative skills to achieve your personal and professional goals. Choose from thousands of online instructional videos taught by recognized industry experts. To reset your password, fill out the Lynda.com Customer Service Department contact form here.

Video tutorial is available on Santa Clara City Library YouTube channel.

Safari Books Online - ProQuest

Safari contains technical and business eBooks from publishers such as O’Reilly, Peachpit Press, and Que.

Video tutorial is available on Santa Clara City Library YouTube channel.

Consumer Information

Bay Area Consumers’ Checkbook

This resource rates local service businesses. It is published by an independent non-profit organization.

Consumer Reports Magazine - Ebsco

Consumer Reports magazine contains expert, unbiased ratings and recommendations to help you find the best products and services for your budget.

Video tutorial is available on Santa Clara City Library YouTube channel.

ESL

BookFlix

Scholastic BookFlix is an online literacy resource that pairs classic video storybooks from Weston Woods with related nonfiction eBooks from Scholastic to build a love of reading and learning. The engaging way to link fact and fiction, BookFlix reinforces early reading skills and introduces children to a world of knowledge and exploration. BookFlix is for children in pre-kindergarten through 3rd grade.

Video tutorial is available on Santa Clara City Library YouTube channel.

Learning Express Library

Learning Express Library is a collection of online practice exams and test preparation material. Among the exams available are the G.E.D., ACT, S.A.T., C.B.E.S.T., G.R.E., Police Officer, Postal Worker, and U.S. Citizenship.

Video tutorial is available on Santa Clara City Library YouTube channel.

Mango Languages

Learn to speak a language via the Web. You can learn English as a Second Language, Brazilian Portuguese, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Russian, and Spanish with Mango Languages. The latest version of Adobe Flash Player is required.

Video tutorial is available on Santa Clara City Library YouTube channel.

TumbleBooks: e-Books for e-Kids

An online collection of animated, talking picture books which teach young children the joys of reading in a format they love.

Genealogy and Local History

American Ancestors

Available at SCCL locations ONLY

Patrons at SCCL locations have access to all areas of the American Ancestors Website, except The Great Migration Newsletter Online. Users can access over 110 million names in 2,000 databases. Patrons may view the most popular databases or select from an A-Z list of all the databases.

Ancestry Library Edition – ProQuest

Temporarily available via remote access*

Ancestry Library Edition includes the following databases the U.S. Census Collection; Census Collections for the U.K., Australia, Canada and Germany, Birth, Marriage and Death Records; the Immigration & Travel Collection; the Military Collection; Family and Local History Records; Court, Land and Probate Records; and Trees and Message Boards. *Access to Ancestry Library Edition has been temporarily expanded to library cardholders working remotely, courtesy of ProQuest and its partner Ancestry. Remote access will be available until the end of July and will be re-evaluated monthly as needed.

Findmypast

Available at Santa Clara City Central Park Library ONLY

Findmypast contains over 2 billion historical records from around the world, including the largest online collection of Irish records and UK parish records, a comprehensive archive of British military records, U.S. censuses from as far back as 1790, and U.S. military records from the Revolutionary War up to World War II. The Findmypast for libraries subscription does not include access to the newspaper collections.

Heritage Quest Online - ProQuest

Heritage Quest Online has all U.S. Census records and an extensive map collection which is very helpful for identifying changing geographical boundaries. 28,000 full text history and genealogy books are included; an index to genealogy and history newsletters and periodicals from 1847 to 2009; selected Revolutionary War pension records and bounty land warrants; Freedman’s Bank records, and the U.S. Serial Set.

San Jose Mercury and Evening News Historical Archives, 1884–1922

Newsbank provides access to fully digitized San Jose newspapers from 1884-1922. This is a great tool for researching Santa Clara county local history.

Video tutorial is available on Santa Clara City Library YouTube channel.

Health and Medicine

Consumer Health Complete - Ebsco

Consumer Health Complete supports the information needs of patients and fosters an overall understanding of health-related topics. It provides content covering all areas of health and wellness from mainstream medicine to the many perspectives of complementary, holistic, and integrated medicine.

Video tutorial is available on Santa Clara City Library YouTube channel.

Covered California™

A website available via the Internet

Covered California is California's new health insurance exchange, where individuals, families and small businesses can find affordable health insurance.

MedlinePlus

A website available via the Internet

MedlinePlus is the National Institutes of Health's Web site for patients and their families and friends. Produced by the National Library of Medicine, it brings you information about diseases, conditions, and wellness issues in language you can understand. MedlinePlus offers reliable, up-to-date health information, anytime, anywhere, for free.

Salud en Español - Ebsco

Este recurso provee reportes de especificos temas cubriendo todos los aspectos de salud y bienestar sobre enfermedades, condiciones medicas, procedimientos y varios tratamientos. Salud en Español es el recurso inmediato para tener reportes basados en evidencias y paginas completas de hechos que estaran en Español.

Video tutorial is available on Santa Clara City Library YouTube channel.

Jobs

Job Exam Test Prep: CBEST, NCLEX, ASVAB and more - LEL

Take a practice test to prepare for a job exam using Learning Express Library.

Video tutorial is available on Santa Clara City Library YouTube channel.

Job Search Skills: Interviewing, Resumes and more - LEL

Improve your job search, interviewing and resume writing skills using Learning Express Library.

Video tutorial is available on Santa Clara City Library YouTube channel.

Lynda.com

Use Lynda.com to learn new business, software, technology, and creative skills to achieve your personal and professional goals. Choose from thousands of online instructional videos taught by recognized industry experts.To reset your password, fill out the Lynda.com Customer Service Department contact form here.

Video tutorial is available on Santa Clara City Library YouTube channel.

ReferenceUSA

ReferenceUSA indexes the contents of telephone white and yellow pages in the United States. The Business section is useful for locating businesses, associations, schools, and government agencies; it can be searched and sorted by name, type of business, city, business size, SIC code, etc. The Residential section searches individual names, and may be used as a "reverse directory" to locate people by address and phone number.

Video tutorial is available on Santa Clara City Library YouTube channel.

Language Learning

Mango Languages

Learn to speak a language via the Web. You can learn English as a Second Language, Brazilian Portuguese, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Russian, and Spanish with Mango Languages. The latest version of Adobe Flash Player is required.

Video tutorial is available on Santa Clara City Library YouTube channel.

Legal

Legal Information Reference Center - Ebsco

Search full-text legal self-help reference books and print free legal forms. Many of the books and forms are from Nolo Press. Topics covered include business law, financial planning, family law, property & real estate and rights & disputes.

Video tutorial is available on Santa Clara City Library YouTube channel.

Movies and Music

Hoopla

eBooks, eAudiobooks, comic books, streaming movies, music, and more. Always available on your computer or mobile devices.

Video tutorial is available on Santa Clara City Library YouTube channel.

Research and Students

Biography Reference Center - Ebsco

Biography Reference Center™ offers a collection of more than 461,000 full-text biographies. In addition to keyword searching, users can also locate biographies of interest by browsing more than 30 genre categories, including actors, authors, composers, explorers, figures relevant to U.S. & world history, inventors, musicians, Presidents of the United States, current world leaders and others.

Explora for Elementary School Students (Grades K-5) - Ebsco

Find what you need for your school assignments. Search by keyword or by topic to find magazines, reference books, photos, videos, images, flags, and Common Core content.

Video tutorial is available for all grades on Santa Clara City Library YouTube channel.

Explora for Middle School Students (Grades 6-8) - Ebsco

Search full text for dozens of popular middle school magazines as well as thousands of biographies and historical essays.

Explora for High School Students (Grades 9-12) - Ebsco

Designed specifically for high school students, search full text for hundreds of popular high school magazines covering a wide-range of subject areas including history, science, careers, and more.

History Reference Center - Ebsco

History Reference Center is designed for use by high school and undergraduate college students. It contains historical documents, biographies of historical figures, full-text reference books, encyclopedias, non-fiction books, and historical photos and maps.

Learning Express Library

Learning Express Library is a collection of online practice exams and test preparation material. Among the exams available are the G.E.D., ACT, S.A.T., C.B.E.S.T., G.R.E., Police Officer, Postal Worker, and U.S. Citizenship.

Video tutorial is available on Santa Clara City Library YouTube channel.

Literary Reference Center Plus - Ebsco

This full-text database provides relevant information on thousands of authors and their works across literary disciplines and timeframes - to give students, professors, and researchers a complete foundation of literary reference works to meet their research needs.

Points of View Reference Center - Ebsco

Essays, articles, and news items presenting multiple sides of over 250 current or controversial issues.

Science Reference Center - Ebsco

Science Reference Center is a comprehensive research database that provides easy access to a multitude of full-text, science-oriented content. It is designed to meet the needs of student researchers. It contains full-text for hundreds of science encyclopedias, reference books, periodicals, and other sources.

Skill Building in English, Math and more - LEL

Elementary, middle and high school students can improve their English, math and other academic skills using Learning Express Library.

Video tutorial is available on Santa Clara City Library YouTube channel.

Tuition Funding Sources

Tuition Funding Sources (TFS) is a database of college scholarships. Use it to find scholarships and financial aid to help pay for your college education. To search the database you will need to register. To register click on the Tuition Funding Sources link above. Then click on the “login” button on the TFS home page.

Video tutorial is available on Santa Clara City Library YouTube channel.

Tutor.com

Live one-to-one homework help from 4 pm to 11 pm PST daily, test preparation, essay writing assistance and job hunting and resume writing help.

Video tutorial is available on Santa Clara City Library YouTube channel.

Test Preparation

SAT, ACT and more - LEL

Take SAT and ACT practice tests using Learning Express Library.

Video tutorial is available on Santa Clara City Library YouTube channel.

AP Exams - LEL

Take AP practice tests using Learning Express Library.

Video tutorial is available on Santa Clara City Library YouTube channel.

GRE, GMAT, MCAT, LSAT and more - LEL

Take GRE, GMAT, MCAT, LSAT and more graduate school admissions practice exams using Learning Express Library.

Video tutorial is available on Santa Clara City Library YouTube channel.

GED and HiSET - LEL

Take GED or HiSET high school equivalency practice exams using Learning Express Library.

Video tutorial is available on Santa Clara City Library YouTube channel.