Research - Start Here

Click on a subject to see a list of available resources. A library card is required for most resources when used outside the Library. Funding is provided in part through a generous donation from the Friends of the Palo Alto Library.

*  Check the A to Z list of online products the Library offers. 
*  Use E-Journal to find out if we have a magazine in print or electronically. 
*  Looking for eBooks? Start here.
*  Having trouble logging into a database? Contact us.

• NEW!  Current issues of popular magazines now available on iPads for in-house use at all library locations.  Read all about it.

The Arts	Foreign Language & ESL	Music
Automotive Repair	Genealogy & Local History	Newspapers
Business & Co. Reports	Health & Medicine	People & Biography
Careers & Job Assistance	History	Science
Citizenship	Homework Help	Statistics
Computer Books & Training	Legal Resources	Teachers &Teaching
Consumer Information	Literature & Reading	Test Taking - Practice Tests
eBooks & eAudiobooks	Magazines & Journals
Encyclopedias & Reference	Museum Passes

Not sure where to start? Try one of the search tools below.

The Arts: Arts and the Humanities Through the Eras Discover & Go - online service through the library providing free and discount passes to a wide variety of Bay Area museums and other cultural destinations! [more info] Freegal Music Service - Download free songs to your computer or mobile device [more info] Fashion, Costume and Culture Palo Alto Art Center

Automotive Repair: Auto Repair Reference Center [Help]

Business and Company Reports: AtoZdatabases Provides details on nearly every business and household within the U.S.  Find out more. Morningstar Investment Research Center  [help and education]

Careers and Job Assistance  AtoZdatabases Use the "Find a Job" section to locate potential employers by zip code, city or state, get tips on interviewing, and locate a resume template.   Find out more. Career Transitions   [tip sheet - pdf] Learning Express - includes help with job search and workplace skills and civil service exams. FAQs. Looking for a Job? - local resources that can help. Citizenship Learning Express - practice taking the Citizenship test online.  FAQs. U.S. Immigration website Computer Books & Training Learning Express - includes online software tutorials for Microsoft Office products and both Mac and PC operating systems.   FAQs. Safari eBooks - from beginner to pro full text books online. Consumer Information Bay Area Consumers' Checkbook - Only available in the Library.  Produced by an nonprofit consumer organization, this is a Bay Area specific product. Find out more.

eBooks and eAudiobooks: See the A-Z list for descriptions of the various products the Library offers. You can search the Library Catalog to locate the majority of titles. Learn the basics to get started with eBooks & audiobooks from OverDrive's Northern California Digital Library and Axis 360.

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Encyclopedias and Reference Resources:  CREDO Reference - full text reference books [help with Credo] EBSCO Master File Complete - Covers all topics in thousands of magazines, many full text. A great place to start! Encyclopedia Britannica  [help with Encyclopedia Britannica]  Gale Directory Library  Full text of the Encyclopedia of Associations and the National Directory of Nonprofit Organizations. Find out more. Gale Virtual Reference Collection  [tip sheet - pdf] Full text of reference books, including Grzimek's Animal Encyclopedia, Encyclopedia of World Cultures, and books on fashion, immigration, the Middle Ages and more. General One File from Gale - A one-stop source for news and periodical articles on a wide range of topics. World Book Encyclopedia [more info]

Foreign Language & ESL: Mango Languages  - interactive online instruction requires one time account creation. [more info] ESL - English as a second language.

Genealogy and Local History: Ancestry.com (Library Edition)  Only available in the library.  A family history site with over 4 billion names in worldwide historical records, family tree services and genealogy learning materials. Find out What's New. Heritage Quest [more info] Museum of American Heritage  Newsbank - Full text of local, state and national newspapers, including: The Daily News (Palo Alto) - 09/14/06 to present The Daily Post (Palo Alto) - 12/18/06 to present The San Jose Mercury News - 06/01/85 to present The San Francisco Chronicle - 01/01/85 to present. Palo Alto Historical Association (PAHA) [more info]                                         Image Database                                         Newspaper Index                                         Obituary Database "Lasting Memories" - An online directory of mid-peninsula obituaries from Palo Alto Online. Sutro Library

Health and Medicine: AtoZdatabases Search a listing of 1.1 million physicians by speciality, state of license, geography, and more.  Find out more. Health and Wellness Center [search tips - pdf] Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine

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History: U.S. History in Context [search tips - pdf] American Revolution Reference Library Middle Ages Reference Library The New York Times 1851 - 2009 [more info] Problems accessing The New York Times 1851-2009? Click here.

Homework Help: Kindergarten through 5th grade California Mission Books - full text! [more info]  This resource is experiencing some problems.  You will need to log on using the following: USERNAME = missions PASSWORD = missions Encyclopedia Britannica for Kids [more info] Kids InfoBits [more info] Learning Express - Practice, lessons and study help for elementary grades. FAQs. World Book Encyclopedia for Kids Middle School, High School and Beyond Academic One File - Academic OneFile is the premier source for peer-reviewed, full-text articles from the world's leading journals and reference sources. Biography in Context -  [search tips - pdf]  CREDO Reference - full text reference books [help with Credo] Encyclopedia Britannica  [help with Encyclopedia Britannica] Gale Virtual Reference [tip sheet - pdf] - Contains the full text of reference books, including Grzimek's Animal Encyclopedia, Encyclopedia of World Cultures, and books on fashion, immigration, the Middle Ages and more.    General One File from Gale - search any topic. [more info] Learning Express - Subject specific practice tests for all subjects.  Covers PSAT, SAT and GRE among others.  Includes career planning and help with college entrance requirements. FAQs. Masterfile Complete from Ebsco - search any topic. Opposing Viewpoints in Context  [search tips - pdf] Science in Context  [find out more] Student Resources in Context [search tips - pdf] U.S. History in Context [search tips - pdf] World Book Encyclopedia [more info]

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Legal Resources: Legal Information Reference Center - Includes Nolo Press titles with forms. [Help with LIRC] West's Encyclopedia of American Law Legal Aid Society of Santa Clara County California Superior Court - Santa Clara County -  Self-Help Literature and Reading: For all ages Author Alerts - get notified when the library gets a book by your favorite author.  [more info] Bestsellers and Lists of New Materials BookLetters - browse award winners, sign up for custom book lists   Digital Books and Music from Overdrive [more info] eBooks and audio books - A-Z list Library Catalog - search our catalog for books, ebooks, dvds and cds. Literature Resource Center [more info] Novelist - use to find read-a-likes, explore by subjects [more info] Just for kids BookFlix - ebooks to watch and read! [more info] California Mission Books - full text! [more info] Novelist K-8 - use to find good reads for kids [more info] Tumblebook Library - ebooks just for kids!

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Magazines and Journals: (use for searching broad topics)   Academic One File - Academic OneFile is the premier source for peer-reviewed, full-text articles from the world's leading journals and reference sources. EJournal - Find out if the library owns a magazine title or offers access to full text. General One File from Gale [more info] Informe! - en Espanol [more info] Masterfile Complete from Ebsco

Museum Passes: Discover & Go - online service through the library providing free and discount passes to a wide variety of Bay Area museums and other cultural destinations! [more info]

Music: Freegal Music Service - Download free songs to your computer or mobile device [more info]

Newspapers: Library Press Display - Today's national and international newspapers full text! [more info] The New York Times 1851-2009 [more info] Problems accessing The New York Times 1851-2009? Click here.  Newsbank - Full text of local, state and national newspapers, including: The Daily News (Palo Alto) - 09/14/06 to present The Daily Post (Palo Alto) - 12/18/06 to present The San Jose Mercury News - 06/01/85 to present The San Francisco Chronicle - 01/01/85 to present. Palo Alto Newspaper Index [more info]

People and Biography: Biography in Context  [search tips - pdf] Encyclopedia Britannica Online [more info] The New York Times 1851-2009 [more info] U.S. History in Context [search tips - pdf] World Book Encyclopedia [more info]

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Science: Academic One File Endangered Species Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia Science in Context  [find out more]

Statistics: Federal Statistics from over 100 agencies Rand (California Statistics) [more info] Statistical Abstracts of the United States U.S. Census Data

Teachers and Teaching Resources: Learning Express - CBEST practice tests and more.  FAQs.

Test Taking and Practice Tests: Learning Express - Practice tests on a wide variety of subjects, including civil service, college entrance, subjects in grades K-12, and many more.  FAQs.

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