Your Access to Online Reference

Here you will find listed an exceptional collection of  resources to assist you in your research.  All of these resources are free of charge; however, some will require a library card number for access.  Check here periodically for new and updated online resources. Staff is always willing to assist you in your research; if you have questions, e-mail one of our reference librarians, or call your local branch.

Ebsco/NoveList Database:

Ebsco is designed specifically for public libraries and provides full text artices from reference books, newspapers, and magazines dating as far back as 1975.  NoveList is a fiction database that allows readers to use a favourite author or title as a template to locate other authors or titles of interest.

World Book Online:

This familiar print reference set is now available online. It includes an atlas, dictionary and encyclopeida, as well as features such as "Explore Canada", "Explore Ontario", "Today in History" and "Surf the Ages".

NetLibrary:

The Ebook Collection at NetLibrary currently includes approximately 3,000 titles: complete texts of online books.  Users can browse the ebook collection, or check out an ebook for a specified time period.  Also, there are an additional 5,000 titles that are classic works of literature, which can be browsed at any time.

First time users of NetLibrary, have your library card validated here.

To create a free NetLibrary account, click "Create Free Account" which you will find in the top right hand corner of the NetLibrary page. You will need this user name and password to access NetLibrary materials in the future.

Search Portfolio:

Pre-screened, top-quality web sites.  The opening web page is organized into folders, each of which has several links of similar type, with a brief description of each. Serach Portfolio can help guide users to the best search tools, and use them properly for optimum findings.

Britannica Online:

The online version of the popular Britannica Encyclopedia.  It includes integrated searching of over 120,000 Britannica articles, Merriam-Webster dictionary and thesaurus entries.

Knowledge Ontario:

Gale online databases are available free of charge to all Ontarians through a province-wide initiative supported by the Government of Ontario.  Resource Ontario is the project of Knowledge Ontario that is focused in providing online resources.  Resource Ontario provides: electronic resources and materials that go far beyond what is available on the Internet; online licensed databaases including full-text of newspapers, magazines, reference books, Canadian newswires and more. To access, click on the link provided and enter the password, "trillium".

Service Ontario:

The Government of Ontario site is now making it easy for you to access the information, services and resources you need, when and how you need them.  Whether you're getting married, starting a business, renewing your vehicle registration, changing your address or reserving a campsite, it's all here.

Service Canada:

The Government of Canada site is helping Canadians access a wide range of government services and benefits, quickly and easily.  Service Canada offers single window access to a wide range of Government of Canada programs and services for citizens through more than 595 points of service located across the country, call centres, and the Internet. The website provides one-stop, personalized service.

Ancestry Library Edition:

The institutional version of the world's leading genealogical portal with access to searchable databases from around the world.  This includes census, birth, marriage, death and immigration recordes for Ontario and Canada. To access the library edition of Ancestry.com, please visit one of our local branches to use one of our online public access computers.

HeritageQuest, Online:

A genealogical resource for records pertaining to the United States. To access the library edition of HeritageQuest, please visit one of our local branches to use on of our online public access computers.