Databases:

FactCite: Trial Access expires 4/17/2017. Includes Defining Moments in U. S. History. Use the generic comosr username/password.

ABC CLIO: Links to 5 excellent ABC CLIO databases: World Geography, Issues: Controversy & Society, American History, World History: Modern Era, World at War: Conflict & Society. Expires 4/17/2017.

Elm Databases A to Z (from HOME):  ELM databases such as Britanniaca, Student Research Center, EBSCO, Gale, Infotrac and more from home. If it asks for a user/password use elm4you for both.

Ask Minnesota: An online service for information and reserach help available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. AskMN is a cooperative service of Minnesota libraries. You will be connected to a real librarian with the expertise to provide answers to questions, research guidance and help navigating the internet.

Britannica Academic Edition: Provides articles written by Nobel laureates, historians, curators, professors and other distinguished contributors. Grades 9-12.

Britannica School Edition:   Geared for school related research topics, this group of encyclopedias includes 3 levels: elementary, middle or high school.

Digital History: Digital History, which is housed out of the University of Houston, primarily focuses on events and sources concerning U.S. history, from the 1400s to the present. It offers an up-to-date textbook and a broad range of essays on film, the arts, science and technology.

EBSCOhost:  Links to several EBSCO websites:  EBSCOhost Web, Consumer Health, Science Reference, Business Searching Interface, Explora, eBooks and Job and Career.

EBSCO EBooks:  Contains thousands of cross searchable reference books including: Colonial America, Encyclopedia of the Guilded Age and Progressive Era, Encyclopedia of the Jazz Age, Postwar America, Encyclopedia of American Folklife, Encyclopedia of American Social Movements, American Presidential Campaigns and Elections 1788-2008, Social Issues in America, Conflicts sine World War II and Global Issues, Conflicts Since WWII, Global Social Issues. 

Tumble Book Cloud: Provides a collection of read-along books, ebooks, graphic novels, audio books, and educational videos for

EBSCO Explora: Teens: This EBSCO database allows students to pre-determine which content sources (e.g., Magazines, Newspapers, Biographies, Country Reports, Film & Video) will be included with their search. They can also search by topic heading, make use of an online dictionary and encyclopedia and even limit their search according to appropriate Lexile reading levels.

ELM Learning Express: tutorials for writing college entrance essays, tutorials and prep tests for ACT, SAT, and AP exams and guidance for finding a college. Also useful for writing resumes, cover letters, and learning about technology.

Electronic Library for Minnesota (ELM):  Search ELM for magazine, newspaper and journal articles, e-Books, and information from reference sources. If it asks for a user/password, use elm4you for both. This will work!!!

Expanded Academic ASAP:  From arts and the humanities to social sciences, science and technology, this Gale database meets research needs across all academic disciplines. Access scholarly journals, news magazines, and newspapers - many with full text and images!

Gale Group:  Provided by ELM, this group of databases includes reference books, full-text magazine and newspaper articles, photos, audio and video clips for students of all ages as well as professional materials for teachers.  Titles:  Educator’s Reference Complete, Expanded Academic ASAP, General Science, Informe, Kids InfoBits, Professional Collection, Student Edition and Student Resources in Context.If you select Gale Group Power Search, you are able to search all of these databases at once.

Gale Tutorial: How to Highlight and Take Notes in Gale Databases

Gale Research in Context: This Gale database is designed for middle school student research and covers topics in literature (including literary criticism), biography, geography, history, social issues and science.

Gale Student Resources in Context: This Gale database is designed for high school student research and covers topics in literature (including literary criticism), biography, geography, history, social issues and science. Hint "click" on images for topics to appear.

Gale Virtual Reference Library: Search reference ebooks! (Hint: use the search box)

InfoTrac Student Edition:  This periodical database is designed for high-school students with access to a variety of indexed and full-text magazines, newspapers, podcasts, and reference books for information on current events, the arts, science, popular culture, health, people, government, history, sports and more.

InfoTrac Informe:  This Gale database is designed for high-school Spanish speaking students and provides access to a variety of indexed and full-text magazines, newspapers on current events, the arts, science, popular culture, health, people, government, history, sports and more.

LibGuides: LibGuides are created by your librarian, often in collaboration with your teacher, to organize resources for a specific project. There are LibGuides for The Research Process, History Day and other projects.

Library of Congress: A digital library featuring reproductions of selected primary source materials, including several in-house collections. This includes books, pamphlets, motion pictures, manuscripts and second recordings. The Digital Library includes collections of cities and towns, American History, African American History, Native American History, the Performing Arts and Music and fascinating work on several other topics. In addition, the website offers online exhibits and well as online librarians.

LibraryGo: Access to the St Paul Public Library's databases, homework help, subject guides, and ebooks. You must use your SPPL E-Card or library card to access.

Literature Resource Center:  Covers novelists, poets, essayists, journalists, writers, and criticism of their works. Includes Contemporary Authors, Contemporary Literary Criticism, and the Dictionary of Literary Biography. Owned by the Saint Paul Public Library. You must use your SPPL E-Card or library card to access.

Contemporary Authors:  Profiles of authors' lives and their works.Owned by the Saint Paul Public Library. You must use your SPPL E-Card or library card to access.

LitFinder:  Search poems, essays, speeches, stories, and plays. Many (but not all) of the citations include the full text of the items indexed.Owned by the Saint Paul Public Library. You must use your SPPL E-Card or library card to access.

Biography Resource Center:  Biographical information on more than 250,000 people, as well as access to a million brief biographies from Who's Who. Owned by the Saint Paul Public Library. You must use your SPPL E-Card or library card to access.

Minnesota Historical Society Newpaper Collection: A collection of digitalized newspapers from 1849 to present.

Minnesota Reflections:  Over 10,000 Minnesota-related primary source documents and images from Minnesota historical societies, special archives and librarians around the state.

Points of View Reference Center: Good for topic ideas, this EBSCO full-text database of essays presents multiple sides of a current issue. It provides 200 topics, each with an overview (objective background/description), point (affirmative argument), and counterpoint (opposing arguments)

ProCon.org:  This is a nonprofit organization with the expressed purpose to "provide resources for critical thinking and to educate without bias." The organization accomplishes its mission by researching and presenting a balanced, comprehensive, straightforward and primarily pro-con format on controversial and important issues.

Proquest Minneapolis Star Tribune:  Contains issues from 1986 to the present.  Tip: Check box "full text."

Proquest Newspapers:  World-wide database holding thousands of newspapers, magazines and scholarly journals.  Tip: Check box "full text."

Chronicling America: Search America's historic newspapers pages from 1836-1922 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present. Chronicling America is sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress.

St. Paul Public Library Databases: Contains all of  the ELM databases and many, many more.  You must use your SPPL E-Card or library card to access.

Salem Press :  Searchable eBooks, full of primary documents covering the following subjects:

• Health:  Magill's medical Guide and more...
• American History, World History, World Religion, Social Movements:Milestone Documents and Defining Documents (primary sources), Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Events, Inventors & Inventions, Weapons & Warfare, Great Athletes, Musicians & Composers of the 20th Century and many others.
• Literature: The Critical Survey of Long Fiction, The Critical Survey of World Mythology, Magill's Literary Annual and many volumes of Critical Insights.
• Science: Encyclopedia of Global Warming , Forensic Science and The Solar System.

Science Reference Center: This EBSCO database contains full text science-oriented content.  Topics covered include: biology, chemistry, earth & space science, environmental science, health & medicine, history of science, life science, physics, science & society, science as inquiry, scientists, technology and wildlife. Tip:  Check box "full text."

Tumble Book Cloud: Provides a collection of read-along books, ebooks, graphic novels, audio books, and educational videos for middle and high school students. Works without password in school. Use AD credentials from home.

World Digital Library: Primary sources from countries and cultures around the world.

Reliable Resources for EL Learners

The Center: SPPS site for Teacher Resources and Data

Elementary Tumble Book Cloud:  Provides a collection of read-along books, ebooks, graphic novels, audio books, and educational videos for elementary students.  Works without password in school.  Use AD credentials from home.

DK Find Out!:  A great research tool for ELL students. Uses simple text, pictures, videos, etc. No password needed from school or home.

PebbleGO: A great research tool for EL learners. Uses simple text, pictures, videos, etc. Has a "read to" component and an embedded dictionary. You need the comosr user name and password to access.

Reliable Results Search Engines

 Reliable Websites

 African American Registry: A calendar-based series of accomplishments achieved by Black Americans in history. This registry includes audio and video clips, links to poetry and lyrics of Black culture.

American Memory: An internet-based archive for public domain images, as well as audio, video and archived Web content, it is an excellent website for primary sources and is published by the Library of Congress.

Answers.com: Search by asking a question.  Using a variety of reference sources it generates an organized page of relevant information about your search query without requiring you to click on any further Web links.  Caution: Answers.com uses Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia which accepts information from anyone, so search results must be carefully evaluated.

Bartleby.com:  The leading internet publisher of literature, quotations, reference and verse. Search by subject or select individual resources.

Best of History Websites: (EdTech Teacher) Features links to authorative web sites on historical topics.

CIA World Factbook:  An annual publication by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency with basic almanac-style information about the various countries of the world. It gives a two- to three-page summary of the demographics, location, government, industry, military capa-    bility, etc, of all US-recognized countries and territories in the world. 

CNN Student News:  Contains several topical articles on a variety of subjects.

Fedstats.sites.usa.gov: Provides statistics for states and U.S. government agencies.

Findarticles.com:  Free online source for many magazine and newspaper articles.

Google News:  Available in many languages, Google News provides up-to-the-minute as well as historical news articles from over 4,500 websites.  Once a topic is entered in the search bar, several sorting options are provided in the left column.

Google Scholar:  Enables specific searches of scholarly literature, including peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, pre-prints, abstracts, and technical reports.

Infoplease.com: Information Please Almanac.  Provides information on many topics including history, statistics, holidays, biographies, timelines, careers, college information, perpetual calendar, Day in History,

conversion tables, periodic table and others.

ipl2:  A merger of the Internet Public Library and the Librarians’ Internet Index.  Good for generating topic ideas.  It provides pathways (clustering) for broad topics. 

Life Magazine Archives :  Google e-Books has scanned nearly 1,900 issues of Life Magazines from 1936 to 1972.

MagPortal.com:  Free online source for many magazine articles.

National Geographic Magazine:

ProCon.org:   Pros and Cons of Cotroversial Issues.

Primary Sources LibGuide By Joyce Valenza:  An exhaustive list of primary source materials as well as other helpful research resources.

Statistical Abstract.com:  Provides statistics for states and U.S. departments. 

Wolfram/Alpha.com :  Provides a variety of data on a multitude of topics. Set up in a question/answer format, it provides answers to such questions as:  How many calories in a slice of Swiss cheese?  What is the longitude of St. Paul?  How far is it from Rome, Italy to St. Paul, Minnesota?  What are the basic facts about China?