Research Databases

AtoZ World Food contains traditional recipes for 174 countries of the world in all course categories: appetizers, soups, salads, breads, main courses, side dishes, desserts, and beverages. It also covers food culture for 174 countries of the world in six categories: National Cuisine, Regional Cuisine, Daily Meals, Dining Etiquette, Special Occasion Foods, and Food Trivia. 

You must have a Washington County Public Library card to use this resource.

ConsumerReports.org provides Web-based access through EBSCOhost to the most current Consumer Reports ratings available. In addition to the popular side-by-side product rankings and ratings, ConsumerReports.org also offers links to its own blogs, forums and videos to help consumers make better purchasing decisions on all the products they are shopping for. Additionally, ConsumerReports.org provides access to "Cars Best Deal Plus" a tool that offers dealer pricing info so you can negotiate the best car price possible.  Also provides research, ratings and recommendations on a wide range of health topics, such as exercise equipment, fitness products, medical equipment, hospitals, treatments and natural medicines.

You must have a Washington County Public Library card to use this resource.

Creativebug.com has more than 1,000 award-winning art & craft video classes taught by recognized design experts and artists.
You must have a Washington County Public Library card to use this resource.

Explora is a colorful, mobile-friendly interface to selected EBSCO information databases that provides not only a simple search box, but easy-to-browse categories.

Gale In Context: Elementary delivers trusted, age-appropriate digital content. Through newspaper and magazine articles, videos, images, and graphics, elementary students can learn about everything from animals and outer space to famous artists and favorite athletes. The database is visual and intuitive, and rewards students’ efforts by developing comprehension and research skills to prepare them for middle school—and a lifetime of learning.

Hobbies and Crafts Reference Center offers detailed "how-to" instructions and creative ideas to meet the interests of virtually every hobby enthusiast. Full text is provided from leading hobby and craft magazines.

Content Includes:

• Full text for nearly 2,000 magazines and books
• More than 720 videos
• More than 180 hobby profiles
• More than 10,000 recipes

Lynda.com has more than 6,600 courses, ranging from computer programming to project management including instruction on various computer software, programming languages, and business topics. Learning paths are step-by-step structured courses, supported with quizzes, practice, and learning reminders to encourage you and support you as you make progress towards your goal. Examples of learning paths include how to become a web developer, manager, bookkeeper, project manager, small business owner, digital marketer, or digital illustrator.

Thousands of Courses Available

With a public library card, you can access free training in: 3D, Animation, Audio, Business, Creative Inspirations, Design, Developer, Home Computing, Photography, Video, Web & Interactive, and more!

How to Access Lynda.com’s Continuous Learning Resources

To access resources through Lynda.com, you will need a library card from an Ohio public library. Once you have logged into Lynda.com with your library barcode you must create a personalized account by entering your name and email address. This account can help you manage your course history, playlists, bookmarks, and Certificates of Completion. Many courses also feature files for you to practice your skills with, so that if you're watching a tutorial about Microsoft Excel you can follow the activity with downloadable, pre-populated Excel spreadsheet files.

Find government services and information for residents, businesses, visitors, and state employees. Reach the website of any Ohio government agency.

The Oxford Research Encyclopedias offer long-form overview articles written, peer-reviewed, and edited by leading scholars. Each of the twenty-five distinct encyclopedias cover both foundational and cutting-edge topics in order to develop, over time, an anchoring knowledge base for major areas of research across the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Oxford Classical Dictionary and  Encyclopedia of Social Work are two of those encyclopedias.

Points of View Reference Center contains many topics, each with an overview (objective background/description), point (argument) and counterpoint (opposing argument). Providing a balance of materials from all viewpoints, it also includes over 1,300 main essays, leading political magazines from all sides of the political spectrum, newspapers, radio & TV news transcripts, primary source documents and reference books. It also offers guides for writing position papers, developing arguments and debating. 

Provides extensive coverage of such topics as world religions, major denominations, biblical studies, religious history, epistemology, political philosophy, philosophy of language, moral philosophy and the history of philosophy. With more than 300 full text journals, the Religion & Philosophy Collection is an essential tool for researchers and students of theology and philosophical studies.

Very Short Introductions provide intelligent and serious introductions to a huge range of subjects. In this digital resource, hundreds of titles can be searched at once, opening up new pathways across subjects. Students can use Very Short Introductions to con sider study options, embark on a new module, topic, or essay, or revise a particular subject.  Teachers and other educators can assign chapters, or whole books to students. Adult learners can also gain new insights through an introduction to a topic.

Resources include encyclopedic content, e-books, multimedia, a vast collection of primary source documents, and a wealth of research tools that allow students to customize and save their work.