Free online information

The following resources are available at all of our libraries:

Ancestry.library edition
Ask about business
Britannica Online
Cobra World Book Online
Credo Reference
Dynamed
Greenfile
KnowUK
LISTA - Library, information science and technology abstracts
NewsUK
Oxford Reference Online
Teacher Reference Centre
Theory test pro
Which?
World Book

You may also access some of them for free from your PC at home, at any time of day or night. All you need is your Blackburn with Darwen library membership number. If you have any problems logging on, please ask a member of staff to check your ticket the next time you visit your local library.

Not a member? Why not join online?

Encyclopedias

Britannica online

Britannica's new original sources database contains more than 350,000 primary source documents and covers world history, science and maths, literature, philosophy and more. You can use the A-Z browse, the subject browse or the world atlas. You can also read a novel online - try 'Gateway to the classics', which holds over 220 works by influential authors.

Britannica online is available with three levels:

if you are between five and eleven years old, try Britannica junior
if you are in high school or college, you may find Britannica student more helpful
anyone over 18 may prefer the ‘library’ edition, which has a less academic feel.

World Book online

In November, World book updated its site and renamed the main interface World Book student. Now when you log on with your library membership number, you will see a new “super” homepage called World Book Web. This links to the homepages of all the World Book sites we subscribe to and gives a much clearer choice to search either World Book Kids, World Book Student, or the Spanish language encyclopaedia, Enciclopedia Estudiantil Hallazgos.

World Book Student will offer all of the most useful features of the Reference Centre plus many more, including:

Updated look and student-friendly design
A collection of research tools that includes a timeline builder, individual research accounts, and an educator- created “how to do research” feature
A Biography Centre that offers easy access to information on important people
Hundreds of new videos and thousands of new and updated pictures and illustrations

Reference books

All of the following can be accessed remotely 24/7:

Formerly called Xreferplus, this is a giant online reference library that includes encyclopaedias, dictionaries, thesauri and books of quotations. There are also subject-specific titles covering everything from art to accountancy and literature to law. It will even help you complete that tricky crossword puzzle!

Click here to access a wealth of information.

Search from over 100 reference publications in 15 categories, most of which are unique to Know UK and are not available elsewhere online. Many of these are updated more frequently than the equivalent print copy, so this is the place to search first.

As we also subscribe to NewsUK the same search can be made in this resource without logging out. So if you have a homework topic to research, for example, this will enable you to find a biography of Bob Geldof and then to find news articles about him.

Oxford reference online

The premium collection includes over one million entries across 25 subject areas - everything from architecture to zoology. It offers the very best in quick reference information together with authoritative, in-depth articles by world-famous authors. It also offers a wide range of additional material such as maps, illustrations and timelines.

Please add the letters BWD before your library membership number when logging on to this resource.

Business and health information

We are now working in partnership with Blackpool and nine Greater Manchester Libraries to provide you with wider access to information and advice. Alongside existing library resources, you can also access our dedicated Ask about business website.

Looking for a business opportunity? The Complete business reference adviser (Cobra) can help. Their database will give you information on how to start up a new business, market profiles, help with legal, financial and employment issues and much more. Available for you to access any time, any where.

This is the ideal tool to keep up-to-date with day-to-day information. Look through various regional and national newspapers to achieve an array of views and opinions on one story line or subject. Back issues are included and there is also magazine coverage from The Economist, New Statesman and The Spectator. You don't even have to leave your desk - log on now.

DynaMed

This is a clinical reference tool created by physicians for physicians and other health care professionals. Primarily aimed for use at the 'point-of-care', it includes clinically-organized summaries for nearly 3,000 topics. DynaMed is updated daily through a process of systematic literature surveillance, with the best available evidence integrated with existing content and overall conclusions changed as appropriate.

Click the DynaMed link under Resources, on the right of the Clinical knowledge summaries website to access 24/7.

Ancestry and more

Freely available at all Blackburn with Darwen public libraries, this is a special version of the popular Ancestry.com subscription website. It provides access to more than four billion names in over 4,000 collections. Highlights include:

1841 – 1901 England and Wales census details
birth, marriage and death records from 1837
UK parish and probate records
US passenger lists and immigration collection
18th and 19th century town and trade directories
downloadable charts and forms

We also provide training on how to use this resource. Check our course timetable for the nearest library to you. Please note before booking that some knowledge of PC use and mouse skills are essential.

So what are you waiting for? Come and meet the ancestors!

Which?

Which?'s reputation is based on the quality, accuracy and integrity of its research. Each year its reports cover audio visual, cars, computers, phones & internet, domestic appliances, food & health, home & family, legal advice, leisure and travel, money and shopping.

You can look up the full reports from the popular consumer advice magazine via a password. Ask staff to log you on when you go online at any of our libraries.

Theory test pro

Are you learning to drive? Whether it’s a car or motorcycle, we have a new resource to help you pass first time. This is a web-based driving theory test service which uses all of the official theory test questions from the Driving Standards Agency (DSA), including hazard perception video clips. It also includes an online version of the Highway Code.

You may be aware that the DSA revises its rules and updates the driving theory test every 18 months. Theory test pro automatically updates to the latest DSA question bank as soon as it takes effect, so by using this resource you’ll always have the most up-to-date practice information.

Simply book on to one of our PCs at any of our libraries and log in to Theory test pro.

Abstracts and indexes

We are pleased to bring you the following databases courtesy of EBSCO publishing. These are aimed at students, librarians, information professionals and teachers who are doing research on a particular topic, or just wish to keep up to date with current issues. They may also be of some benefit to those who have a general interest in environmental issues, library and information management and education. You can access them anytime and anywhere by logging on with your library membership number.

GreenFILE

Provides information for anyone concerned about the issues facing our planet, with topics ranging from global warming to recycling to alternate fuel sources and beyond. Includes scholarly and general interest titles, as well as government documents and reports, with abstracts and indexes for more than 600 titles, including comprehensive coverage for Bioscience, Conservation Biology, Journal of Ecology and Journal of Environmental Planning & Management.

Library, information science and technology abstracts (LISTA)

A world-class bibliographic database providing coverage on subjects such as librarianship, classification, cataloging, bibliometrics, online information retrieval, information management and more. LISTA indexes nearly 600 periodicals plus books, research reports, and proceedings. With coverage dating back to the mid-1960s, it is the oldest continuously produced database covering the field of information science.

Teacher reference centre

This index of over 260 titles, from the most popular teacher and administrator trade journals, periodicals and books, provides coverage on key education topics such as assessment, continuing education, curriculum development, instructional media, literacy standards and more, for K-12 teachers and librarians.