Online Information Services
Swindon Libraries provides an outstanding selection of world class online information resources to its members. It is available not only from every Swindon library, but also from your own PC, 24/7. The range of topics covered is huge:
- News
- Travel
- Science
- Dictionaries, including foreign languages
- Medicine
- Business
- Politics
- Biography
- Family History
- Literature
- Arts
- Education
And many more.
Use these quick links, or scroll down for a more detailed description of each resource and login details. You will need your Swindon library card number if you are not using a computer located in a Swindon library.
Ancestry
The leading online resource for family history research, this vast genealogical database includes:
- The England and Wales censuses from 1841 to 1901
- Birth marriage and death indexes
- UK and Ireland parish and probate records from the 1500s to the 1800s
This is just a small fraction of the huge amount of information available, and it is being added to constantly. This really is an invaluable resource for anyone researching their family history. You can access Ancestry, free, from computers located in Swindon Libraries. If you are reading this while using a computer located in a Swindon library visit Ancestry to find out more.
Marketline
MarketLine offers a comprehensive collection of company, industry, financial, product and country information extending across every major marketplace and industry.
Information on:
- 50000+ companies
- 215 countries
- 2000+ industries
- live news feeds
- 500 new comment and news articles per week
You can access MarketLine, free, from computers located in Swindon Libraries. If you are reading this while using a computer located in a Swindon library visit Marketline to find out more.
Who's Who
The current edition of one of the world’s most recognised and respected works of reference, as well as Who Was Who? from 1898.
Visit Who's Who? and find out more about it. If you are using a computer located in a Swindon library the link takes you straight to the search page. Otherwise the link will take you to a login page. You will then need to type in your Swindon library card number, preceded by the letters SWI.
McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology
The online version is based on the full content of the 10th edition of this world famous resource, but there is so much more than you will find in the 20 volumes of the print edition: it is continuously updated, with a multimedia section, thousands of illustrations and graphics, and research updates from the McGraw-Hill Yearbooks of Science & Technology. Over 5000 researchers contributed to this database, including 36 Nobel Prize-winners. Amongst the numerous topics covered are:
- Forestry
- Engineering
- Conservation
- Information Technology
- Medicine
- Psychology
Visit AccessScience and find out more. If you are using a computer located in a Swindon library the link takes you straight to the search page. Otherwise this link will take you to a login page. You will then need to type in your Swindon library card number.
KnowUK
KnowUK is an online service providing UK reference information. It includes over 100 reference publications, including Who’s Who?, Whitaker’s Almanack, The Municipal Yearbook and the Which? Guide to Money. An ideal resource both for in-depth research and quick information, suitable for:
- Researching college assignments
- Answering quiz questions
- Completing homework
- Planning trips to places in the UK
- Finding funding for University courses
There is also extensive local information as well as a series of guides to major milestone events such as marriage, going to university and retirement.
Visit KnowUK and find out more. If you are using a computer located in a Swindon library the link takes you straight to the search page. Otherwise the link will take you to a login page. You will then need to type in your Swindon library card number.
NewsUK
As the sister resource to KnowUK, NewsUK provides an easily searchable database of 45 UK newspapers and periodicals, some going back to 1992. All the major daily and Sunday national papers are represented, as well as extensive regional titles, including the Bristol Evening Post and the Western Daily Press. There is also extensive news coverage from important weekly titles like the Economist, the New Statesman and the Spectator. These can be searched in many different ways:
- Keyword search all titles simultaneously
- Search a selection of titles over a specific period
- Look at one title on a specific day
- Browse a Topic Guide containing an introduction to an important issue (such as homelessness) and a collection of relevant news stories
- Cross-search NewsUK and KnowUK simultaneously
Visit NewsUK and find out more. If you are using a computer located in a Swindon library the link takes you straight to the search page. Otherwise the link will take you to a login page. You will then need to type in your Swindon library card number.
The Times
The Times Digital Archive provides researchers with an unparalleled opportunity to search and view the best-known and most cited newspaper in the world online in its original published context. Every complete page of every issue of The Times from 1785 to 1985.
Every:
- Headline
- Article
- Image
- Front page
- Editorial
- Birth, marriage and death notice
- Advertisement
- Classified ad
that appeared within the pages of The Times is easily accessible in what is a complete virtual chronicle of history for this period.
Visit The Times Digital Archive and find out more. If you are using a computer located in a Swindon library the link takes you straight to the search page. Otherwise the link will take you to a login page. You will then need to type in your Swindon library card number.
Oxford Reference Online Premium
This superb resource includes over 100 OUP reference books from the standard Oxford Reference Online (comprising dictionary, language reference and subject reference works), plus a range of key titles from the world-renowned “Oxford Companions” series, as well as the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations. The whole package is fully indexed and cross-searchable, providing straightforward access to an invaluable array of information sources.
Some key subject areas:
- Art & Architecture
- Bilingual Dictionaries
- Computing
- Economics & Business
- Medicine
- History
- Science
Visit OROP and find out more. If you are using a computer located in a Swindon library the link takes you straight to the search page. Otherwise the link will take you to a login page. You will then need to type in your Swindon library card number, preceded by the letters SWI.
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
Originally issued in 1900, this famous biographical reference resource has been radically expanded and is continually updated.
The new version includes:
- Over 50,000 biographies of the men and women who have shaped British history.
- 60,000,000 words.
- The equivalent of 60 huge volumes of print.
- Mind-boggling cross-referencing of the whole text.
- Numerous search options, from the basic to the most complex combinations.
- Over 10,000 images, searchable separately, also cross-referenced and including copyright information.
- Links to external web resources next to each article.
Visit ODNB and find out more. If you are using a computer located in a Swindon library the link takes you straight to the search page. Otherwise the link will take you to a login page. You will then need to type in your Swindon library card number. preceded by the letters SWI.
Oxford English Dictionary
The most famous dictionary in the world, and the accepted authority on the evolution of the English Language. An unsurpassed guide to the meaning, history and pronunciation of over half a million words, both present and past. This extraordinary resource provides access to the full 20 volume print edition, and is updated quarterly with at least 1000 new and revised entries.
Visit OED and find out more. If you are using a computer located in a Swindon library the link takes you straight to the search page. Otherwise this link will take you to a login page. You will then need to type in your Swindon library card number preceded by the letters SWI.
Oxford Art Online
This simply magnificent resource provides web access to the entire text of The Grove Dictionary of Art, (published in 1996 in 34 volumes) The Oxford Companion to Western Art, (2001).and the 4 volume Encyclopedia of Aesthetics (1998)
Over 6,600 scholars have contributed 41,000 articles to “The Dictionary of Art”.
- Simple keyword searching provides full text access to all articles.
- Over 1,500 art images and line drawings.
- Fully cross-referenced.
- Updated monthly with new and revised material.
Visit OAO and find out more. If you are using a computer located in a Swindon library the link takes you straight to the search page. Otherwise the link will take you to a login page. You will then need to type in your Swindon library card number, preceded by the letters SWI.
Oxford Music Online
Now updated with new content and a new interface, the world's leading musical reference source includes The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (2001, 29 volumes), The New Grove Dictionary of Opera (1992), The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz (2001). You can now also search the outstanding 10 volume Encyclopedia of Popular Music.
An invaluable tool for music lovers of all genres, features include:
- Regular updates with both additions and revisions.
- Search by article title or full text.
- Separate search options for biographies.
- Over 3000 links to related sites, including sound archives and illustrations.
Visit OMO and find out more. If you are using a computer located in a Swindon library the link takes you straight to the search page. Otherwise the link will take you to a login page. You will then need to type in your Swindon library card number, preceded by the letters SWI.
The Encyclopædia Britannica
The world's most famous and respected multi-volume encyclopaedia and the oldest continuously published reference work in the English language. The library version of Britannica Online includes access to:
- Britannica Student Encyclopaedia, designed for middle and secondary school students.
- Britannica Junior, designed for primary school students.
- A wide selection of full-text magazines and journals.
- Links to over 200,000 web-sites carefully selected by the EB editorial team.
Visit BOL and find out more. If you are using a computer located in a Swindon library the link takes you straight to the search page. Otherwise the link will take you to a login page. You will then need to type in your Swindon library card number.
For ages 5-11 click here.
For ages 12-18 click here.
For ages 18+ click here
How can you be sure the website you are looking at is accurate and reliable? cyberLibrary is a comprehensive index of links to hundreds of websites chosen, described and organised by librarians from public library services across south-west England. All of the sites listed here have been evaluated and assessed by information professionals so you can be confident of their quality.
Visit cyberLibrary and find out more.This resource is hosted by Plymouth Libraries, so the link will take you to a section of Plymouth City Council's website.
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