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Digital Resources

Digital Resources & Databases

Whether you're writing a research paper, looking for articles on current events, or interested in learning a new skill, our digital resources and databases can help with curated, reliably sourced content. 

How to Find a Digital Resource or Database

Browse through our full list of digital resources and databases on this page. To search by name, click on the first letter in the menu below and then click on "Apply." Use the dropdown filter to search by subject. 

You can also visit the library catalogue online to search through academic databases. Simply type in your search term, and filter by the Articles & More tab near the top of the page to produce results.

Has taxonomy terms (with depth)

Academic OneFile Logo

Academic OneFile

Academic OneFile contains full-text articles from peer-reviewed journals and reference sources. Areas of focus include physical sciences, technology, medicine, social sciences, the arts, theology, and literature. Includes full-text coverage of the New York Times back to 1995.


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Academic OneFile Select

Gale Academic OneFile Select covers everything from art and literature to economics and the sciences. This resource for academic research integrates the full text of publications from across the disciplines and now includes vocational/technical titles used by community college students, filling a specific need for curriculum-oriented collections. Gale Academic OneFile Select provides indexing for more than 5,000 periodicals, more than 2,800 in full text without any embargo. The combination of full text for scholarly journals and selected general interest titles for smaller academic libraries is ideal.


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Agriculture

With broad coverage of agriculture and its related fields, Agriculture Collection provides a comprehensive view of a growing body of knowledge. Researchers will have access to current and authoritative periodical content that spans the industry—from practical aspects of farming to cutting-edge scientific research in horticulture. With strong emphasis on titles covered in the Agricola database, this collection of more than 600 journal titles is focused on agriculture-related fields. In addition, more than 30 Delmar titles provide in-depth coverage on a variety of agriculture-related topics.


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Ancestry Library Edition

Ancestry Library includes genealogical information from over 1,000 international databases. In-Library use only; not accessible remotely


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BookFlix

BookFlix is an engaging way to link fact and fiction. By pairing interactive, fictional storybooks with related non-fiction eBooks, BookFlix reinforces early reading skills and introduces children to a world of knowledge and exploration. Recommended for preschoolers through Grade 3, available on any device through an up-to-date browser.


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BrainFuse

Homework help has never been easier. Brainfuse offers live-tutoring to students (K-12) between 2-11 pm in math, science, reading, social studies, history, geography and language arts. Other services include writing labs, diagnostic testing and individualized flash card creation for studying.


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Britannica Library

Britannica Library helps users conduct research, complete homework assignments, or work on special projects at home or in the library. Research sources include three databases, thousands of curated articles and magazines, images, videos, audio clips, primary sources, maps, research tools, and recommended websites, along with a pop-up Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary and Thesaurus. Content updated daily. 


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Business

Business Collection 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. Includes a selection of international, U.S., and regional news publications.


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Canadiana

Canadiana holds the most complete set of full-text historical content about Canada, including books, magazines and government documents. Content spans 21 languages, including French, English, Latin, Greek, and many First Nations languages.


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CANSIM

CANSIM is Statistics Canada's key socioeconomic database. Updated daily, CANSIM provides fast and easy access to a large range of the latest statistics available in Canada.


Cantook Station

Cantook Station

From science fiction to biography, choose from hundreds of popular and classic French-language eBooks and audiobooks for kids, teens and adults. Titles can be accessed on any internet-enabled device, and can also be downloaded for offline use. De la science-fiction à la biographie, choisissez parmi des centaines de livres électroniques et de livres audio populaires et classiques en français pour enfants, adolescents et adultes. Les titres sont accessibles sur n'importe quel appareil connecté à l'Internet et peuvent également être téléchargés pour une utilisation hors ligne.


CBC Corner

CBC Corner

Discover the best Canadian shows, stories & more. This one-of-a-kind digital portal allows you to access a wide variety of content including trusted news, local stories, entertaining TV and radio shows, award-winning podcasts, educational kids content, innovative podcasts, a free English and French language learning app, news in foreign languages and much more!


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Communications and Mass Media

Communications & Mass Media brings together information found in more than 400 journals. Nearly 3 million articles on all aspects of the communications field, including advertising, public relations, linguistics, and literature, meet the needs of researchers. Exclusive features, including Topic Finder, InterLink, and a mobile-optimized interface, support and enhance the search experience.


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Computer Science

Computer Science provides access to leading business and technical publications in the computer, telecommunications, and electronics industries. The database includes computer-related product introductions, news and reviews in areas such as hardware, software, electronics, engineering, communications, and the application of technology.


Consumer Reports Logo

Consumer Reports

Get unbiased ratings and reviews for 9000+ products and services from Consumer Reports, plus trusted advice and in-depth reporting on what matters most. Your RHPL card provides you with reviews of products including technology, appliances, cars and more.


Creative Bug

Creative Bug

Creativebug is your go-to resource for on-demand, on-trend arts and crafts instructional videos. Enjoy award-winning HD instructional videos on drawing, painting, sewing, knitting, crochet, quilting, baking and more. All classes are taught by experts, with new classes added daily.


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Criminal Justice

Criminal Justice informs the research process for researchers who are studying law, law enforcement, or terrorism, training for paralegal service, preparing for a career in homeland security, delving into forensic science, investigating crime scenes, developing policy, going to court, writing sociological reports, and much more. The Criminal Justice Collection makes research easy by bringing together information from more than 250 journals. Exclusive features, including Topic Finder, InterLink, and a mobile-optimized interface, support and enhance the search experience.


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Culinary Arts

Culinary Arts includes 150 of the major cooking and nutrition magazines. Coverage includes thousands of searchable recipes, restaurant reviews, and industry information.


https://www.thereferencegroup.com

Data-Axle Reference Solutions

Find accurate phone-verified information on every company in Canada in this database of 1.9 million businesses. Additionally, files are processed monthly against the National Change of Address Program.


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Diversity Studies

Diversity Studies explores cultural differences, contributions and influences in the global community. This database includes more than 2.7 million articles from 150 journals, updated daily.


Proquest

EBook Central (Proquest)

EBook Central (Proquest) provides authoritative, full-text e-books in a wide range of subject areas along with powerful tools to find, use, and manage the information. Subject coverage: Business & economics, Computers & IT, Education, Engineering & technology, History & political science, Humanities, Interdisciplinary & area studies, Language, literature & linguistics, Law, international relations & public policy, Life sciences, Medical, Nursing & allied health, Physical sciences, Psychology & social work, Religion, philosophy & classics, Sociology & anthropology


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EBSCOHost

Through this interface, you can search all the EBSCO resources. This includes Middle Search Plus, Middle Search Reference eBook Collection, EBSCO eBook Collection and the EBSCO eBook Publicly Accessible Collection.


EBSCOhost eBook Collection

EBSCOhost eBook Collection

EBSCOhost eBook Collection is a collection of over 8,000 eBook titles. This collection is a mix of fiction and non-fiction with a broad range of topics. There is a collection of fiction and non-fiction books for children and teens.


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Economics and Theory

Economics & Theory offers instant access to full-text academic journals and magazines—with a strong emphasis on titles covered in the EconLit bibliographic index. Powered by InfoTrac, it includes more than 1,800 titles. Content is useful for starting a business, marketing a product, developing policy, analyzing trends, constructing economic models, investing for the future, researching rates, and more. Exclusive features, including Topic Finder, InterLink, and a mobile-optimized interface, support and enhance the search experience.


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Educator's Reference Complete

Educator's Reference Complete provides access to academic journals, reports, and many premier reference sources in the field of education. The database includes content in key subject areas including administration, bilingual education, child development and psychology, funding, health education, technology, and testing. The majority of the full-text titles included are also found in the ERIC database.


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Elementary

Elementary meets the research needs of students in Kindergarten through Grade 5. It features a developmentally appropriate, visually graphic interface, a subject-based topic tree search and full-text, age-appropriate, curriculum-related magazine, newspaper and reference content for information on current events, the arts, science, health, people, government, history, sports and more.


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Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship is ideal for business owners and students. It is updated daily and provides insights, tips, strategies, and success stories from the world of small business and entrepreneurship studies. Users will find more than 500 subject-appropriate, active, full-text periodicals, which includes: Beverage Industry, Black Enterprise, Economist, Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice, HR Magazine, Real Estate Weekly, Restaurant Business, Tea & Coffee Trade Journal, and more.


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Environmental Studies and Policy

Environmental Studies & Policy is a digital resource that answers inquiries about environmental concerns with coverage of more than 5.4 million articles from more than 300 journals and book reference content from Delmar, including Soil, Science, and Management; Introduction to Agronomy; Food, Crops, & Environment; Fundamental Soil Science; and more.


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Explora Canada Student Search 6-12

Explora Canada Student Search 6-12 makes it easy for students in grades 6-12 to browse by topic or to search by keyword to find content from AP videos, magazines, encyclopedias and more. Results can be easily sorted by source type—magazines, reference books, news, photos, biographies, and primary source documents.


explora primary search K-5 button

Explora Primary Search K-5

Explora Primary Search K-5 is designed for children in primary and junior grades. Explora contains complete articles from dozens of the most popular elementary school magazines. All complete articles are assigned reading-level indicators (Lexiles®), and many articles are available in color PDF. You’ll also find easy-to-read encyclopedia entries written specifically for kids and more than one million images of photos, maps and flags!


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Explora Primary – Canada

Explora Primary - Canada (formerly Primary Search) is a new interface that is easy to browse by topic and provides .full text coverage of nearly 70 popular magazines for elementary school research. All full text articles included in the database are assigned a reading level indicator


Fine Arts logo

Fine Arts

Fine Arts places 10.4 million articles at the fingertips of serious students of drama, music, art history, and filmmaking. More than 250 journals covered in databases such as the Wilson Art Index and the Répertoire International de Littérature Musicale (RILM) index are available in full text. Exclusive features, including Topic Finder, InterLink, and a mobile-optimized interface, support and enhance the search experience.


freegal music

Freegal Music

Freegal offers access to nearly 15 million songs, including Sony Music’s catalogue of legendary artists, as well as over 40,000 music videos. Stream music and create your own playlist from over 40,000 labels with music that originates in over 100 countries.


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Frontier Life

The settling of vast areas of the world by Europeans has left a particular and lasting influence on history. This collection of digitized primary source documents sheds light on the many dynamics of frontier existence and its lasting influence.


G1 Driver’s License Test

G1 Driver’s License Test

Take the first step to becoming a new driver in Ontario. Learn the rules of the road and traffic signs and prepare for your G1 license test with G1.ca, which offers 15 practice tests and a G1 Test Simulator. Note: G1.ca is not affiliated with Drive Test and the Ministry of Transportation.


 Gale Business Plan Builder

Gale Business Plan Builder

Gale Business: Plan Builder is a step-by-step online planning tool for starting, managing and optimizing a business or non-profit organization. It walks users through the five essential steps of business planning and explains what each activity is, why it’s important in the overall process, and how to get started.


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Gardening and Horticulture

Gardening and Horticulture provides access to academic journals and magazines focused on both the practical aspects as well as the scientific theory of horticulture studies. The database offers biotechnologists, farmers, hobbyists, and landscape architects alike access to important content relevant to their pursuits.


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Gender Studies

This collection of journals aims to provide balanced coverage of this significant aspect of our culture, covering such topics as gender studies, family and marital issues, health aspects, and many more.


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Globe and Mail: Canada’s Heritage from 1844

Canada's Heritage from 1844. Online searchable articles and pictures from Canada's national newspaper. 1844-2019.


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Home Improvement

Home Improvement provides access to titles covering topics including architectural techniques, tool and material selection, zoning requirements, and others. The database offers content that meets the needs of hobbyists and professionals alike.


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Hoopla

hoopla offers an enormous selection of movies, TV shows, music, audiobooks, eBooks and comics. Download content immediately with no wait times or holds and access it on your browser, phone, tablet or TV product.


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Hospitality and Tourism

Hospitality and Tourism provides access to scholarly journals, magazines, and trade publications that cover topics including the cultural and economic aspects of travel and tourism. The database offers current and relevant content that provides well-rounded coverage of both the historical and current state of affairs in the hospitality and tourism industries.


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Indigenous Peoples of North America

This digital collection comprehensively covers the history of North American Indigenous peoples and supporting organizations, spotlighting the culture and heritage of more than 70 tribes within the United States and Canada. Content is sourced from both American and Canadian institutions, as well as from newspapers from various tribes and Indigenous-related organizations. The collection also features Indigenous language materials, including dictionaries, bibles, and primers.


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Information Science

Information Science provides access to scholarly journals and trade publications essential for information professionals and other knowledge workers. The database offers coverage of topics including information infrastructure, metadata architecture, publishing, and more.


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Insurance and Liability

Insurance and Liability provides access to academic journals and trade publications covering the insurance industry and topics such as labor relations, mortgage banking, legal issues, and more. The database offers content of interest to individual property owners and multinational corporations alike.


kanopy

Kanopy

Kanopy is a video streaming service you can access with your library card to watch quality diverse television and film, documentaries, world cinema, and more. Explore a collection of over 30,000 films on your desktop, TV, or mobile device.


Kermode education

Kermode: Digital Literacy

Safely and smartly navigate the videos and websites you encounter. Made for parents and educators of school-age kids, Kermode is a digital literacy tool that helps children to build fundamental digital literacy and critical thinking skills.


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Leadership and Management

Leadership and Management provides access to authoritative periodical content covering such topics as 21st-century skills, organizational dynamics and leadership, adult learning and continuing education, and more. Updated daily, this library resource is useful for researchers or any professional interested in career development.


Libra Logo

Libra

Libra Collections is a digital resource that contains Persian ebooks, magazines, audiobooks and manuscripts. لیبرا کالکشن مجموعه‌ای است شامل کتاب‌های الکترونیک و صوتی، از مجلات و نسخ خطی فارسی. لیبرا تجربه‌ جستجو در ادبیات فارسی، تاریخ شرق و شرق شناسی، واقعیات فرهنگ ایرانی، مجلات نستالژی و قدیمی را برای شما فراهم می‌کند  


LifeSpeak

LifeSpeak

LifeSpeak is a digital wellness resource with online access to expert-led, curated content on physical and mental health. Learn about mental health stigmas, signs of digital addiction, understanding depression, and more.


LinkedIn Learning

LinkedIn Learning

Expert-led courses across a variety of online class topics for every step of your career. Courses available in a variety of languages and subjects, and include searchable transcripts that make it easy to find quick answers to questions. They also feature Certificates of Completion that can be uploaded to a LinkedIn profile. Access from home or at the library. Sign in with your library card. You'll be asked to enter your Library ID, which is rhpl. Enter in your library barcode and PIN.


little pim

Little Pim

Language learning for kids 0-6, this resource introduces children to foreign languages in a way they can understand and enjoy. Accessible and engaging for young children, the method incorporates words and themes that are relevant to the child’s daily life, and research shows that early language learning enhances verbal development, social and cognitive skills.


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Mango Languages

70+ languages and counting! Learn a new language online or through the Mango app. Mango teaches practical conversation and cultural awareness for the world’s most popular languages. Each lesson incorporates interactive tools and rich imagery that eliminates boredom and keeps you engaged.


Middle Search Plus

Middle Search Plus

Middle Search Plus is a full-text database providing popular middle school magazines, reference e-books, and thousands of primary source documents, including: photos, maps, and videos. Subjects include history, current events, science and sports.


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Military and Intelligence

Military and Intelligence provides access to scholarly journals, magazines, and reports covering all aspects of the past and current state of military affairs. The database offers content in key subject areas including governmental policies, the socioeconomic effects of war, the structure of the armed forces, and more.


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New York Times

New York Times offers high-quality reporting, a variety of perspectives and practical advice on countless topics – from the important issues shaping our world to the simple pleasures of everyday life.


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New York Times Cooking

New York Times Cooking offers a thorough and diverse recipe collection, as well as tips and techniques to help you become a better and more creative home cook.


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New York Times Games

Have fun and keep your mind sharp with New York Times Games, including the NYT Crossword and Spelling Bee.


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NFB Education

Access to the National Film Board of Canada's film archive is available within the library. Watch 5,200+ documentaries, animated films, interactive productions, and short films in English and French on a variety of topics. Note: In-Library use only; not accessible remotely


Niche Academy

Niche Academy

Niche Academy can get you started with helpful tutorials from popular RHPL digital resources, such as: OverDrive, Hoopla, PressReader and many more. You'll also find helpful tutorials on commonly asked questions, including: how to use Gmail, Facebook, Google Docs, and more.


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NoveList K-8 Plus

Like NoveList, this readers' advisory database provides articles and reviews of juvenile books and authors.


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NoveList Plus

This readers' advisory product locates works of fiction by title, author or by simply describing the book. Provides subject and keyword access to over 86,000 titles, with full-text reviews and descriptions for over 40,000 books.


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Nursing and Allied Health

Nursing and Allied Health provides access to academic journals and other reference content covering all aspects of the nursing profession, from direct patient care to health care administration. The database offers current and authoritative content for professionals already working in the field as well as students pursuing a nursing-focused curriculum.


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OverDrive

Browse, borrow and download popular eBooks and audiobooks for all ages through RHPL's digital collection by OverDrive. Access your titles online through our OverDrive webpage, or connect your RHPL card to OverDrive's app, Libby. Captivate your littlest reader through storybooks read out loud and early reader books, too!


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Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine

Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine provides access to academic journals and magazines covering the fields of fitness and sports. The database offers a wide spectrum of information, including proven treatment techniques, experimental research, and more.


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Pop Culture Studies

Pop Culture Studies provides access to scholarly journals and magazines that both analyze and contribute to popular culture. The database offers useful information for researchers in social science, history, art or liberal arts courses.


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Popular Magazines

Popular Magazines provides access to the most searched magazines across the InfoTrac products. All of the titles are selected based on actual publication searches performed by library patrons and the database includes many titles recommended by Bowker's "Magazines for Libraries".


PressReader

PressReader

Get access to more than 7,000 of the world's top publications as soon as they're available on shelves. PressReader features magazines and newspapers in over 60 languages from more than 120 countries, and is available through the PressReader app or website.


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ProQuest Coronavirus Research Database

Including coverage of the COVID-19 outbreak, this database curates openly available content related to coronaviruses. It includes thousands of open-access articles from the world’s leading publishers as well as current research from pre-print repositories such as arXiv and will continue to grow and evolve as more is learned about the pandemic.


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ProQuest eLibrary

ProQuest eLibrary is a massive, multidisciplinary database, designed for students and educators at high schools, community colleges, and four-year universities. Editorially created pages provide valuable context for both common and obscure research topics. The content, which is all full text, includes books, magazines, journals, newspapers, photographs, transcripts, and videos.


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ProQuest Publicly Available Content Database

Designed to complement other databases and collections, this database brings together or links to full text for publicly available scholarly content from a number of different sources from around the world. It includes content from major subject repositories such as arXiv as well as open access journals. Content includes journal articles, pre-prints, books, conference papers and reports.


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Psychology

Psychology provides access to authoritative periodical content supporting research in all fields of psychology— abnormal, biological, cognitive, comparative, developmental, personality, quantitative, social and all areas of applied psychology. Researchers, psychologists, counselors, and behavioral scientists will discover relevant information from the thoughts, views, discoveries, and reports found in this comprehensive collection.


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Religion and Philosophy

Religion and Philosophy provides access to scholarly journals and magazines of interest to both researchers and general users. Discover a comprehensive collection of periodical content covering topics across a wide range of philosophies and religions. Researchers will gain valuable insight about the impact religion has had on culture throughout history, including literature, arts, and language. Updated daily, this library resource supports a broad range of topics from theological approaches to social issues.


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RHPL Digital Archives

Find digitized copies of the York Herald, York Commonwealth and Richmond Hill Library. Search for photos, postcards, Tweedsmuir History, scrapbooks and more.


Road to IELTS

Road to IELTS

Are you learning English as a second language? Road to IELTS is the official preparation course for the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), one of the most popular ESL tests in Canada. You’ll find interactive activities, practice tests with answers, study guides and more to help you prepare for the IELTS Academic Test, which is meant for ESL learners applying for higher education or professional registration.


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Science

With Science, researchers can remain current with the latest scientific developments in particle physics, advanced mathematics, nanotechnology, geology, and hundreds of other areas. More than 350 full-text journals are covered. Updated daily, this collection includes more than 1.6 million articles to satisfy almost every scientific inquiry. Key subjects covered include the biological sciences, computing, engineering, and technology.


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ScienceFlix

With its emphasis on the latest STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) thinking and the Next Generation Science Standards, ScienceFlix provides grade-school children with a better understanding of science concepts and ideas through hands-on projects, videos, multiple text types, and so much more.


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Toronto Star: Pages of the Past

Pages of the Past includes high-quality digital images in the original page format of over 30,000 issues of The Toronto Star. It includes editorial and opinion pieces, advertisements, want ads, birth and death notices, in addition to the stories detailing the events of the day. 1894-2020.


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TumbleBookLibrary

TumbleBooks is a curated database of children’s e-books, with over 1100 titles for grades K-6, Tumblebooks includes unique animated, talking picture books, read-along chapter books, graphic novels, non fiction books and videos, curated playlists, as well as books in Spanish and French.


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U.S. History

U.S. History provides access to scholarly journals and magazines useful to both novice historians as well as advanced academic researchers. The database offers balanced coverage of events in U.S. history and scholarly work being established in the field.


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Virtual Author Talks

Watch virtual talks with popular writers and thought leaders every month. Ask questions in live interviews, or watch previous talks at your convenience. Ideal for adult readers of non-fiction or fiction titles. Presented in partnership with the Library Speakers Consortium.


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Vocations and Careers

Vocations and Careers provides access to journals and magazines that aid users in researching a vocation, finding an appropriate institution of learning, job searching, and maintaining a career. The database offers hundreds of current and applicable periodicals, from general career guides to highly specialized industry journals.


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War and Terrorism

Researchers accessing the more than 1.7 million articles in War and Terrorism will gain valuable insight into conflicts and their causes, impact, and perception on a global scale. This definitive collection for analysts, risk management professionals, and students of military science, history, and social science is comprised of more than 200 subject-appropriate, full-text periodicals that are updated daily.


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World History

World History provides access to scholarly journals and magazines useful to both novice historians as well as advanced academic researchers. The database offers balanced coverage of events in world history and scholarly work being established in the field.