Reference / Research

Databases to help with research and to answer reference questions on general information, debate topics, antiques & collectibles, and local & Missouri history.

Ebsco Discovery Service
Access multiple resources with one search (results include materials in the library collection, magazine/journal articles, and information from electronic resources).

Academic Search Elite
Provides a core resource of scholarly information for academic Institutions containing full text for more than 2,100 journals and over 1,700 peer-reviewed, full-text journals.

Antiques Reference (P4A Antiques Reference)
Descriptive information and values for antiques, fine art, and collectibles from over 190 U.S. and regional auction houses.

AtoZ The USA
A to Z the USA provides comprehensive articles about the USA plus the 50 states, the 5 US territories, and the District of Columbia. This resource will help students and researchers find information about the country’s people, history, economy, geography, symbols, and culture.

AtoZ World Food
Explore food culture and recipes from 174 countries; includes traditional recipes, dining etiquette, beverages, ingredients, spices, and much more.

Business Source Complete
Premium business content, including articles from thousands of journals, SWOT analyses, company profiles, industry information and more. Content includes Associated Press videos and Harvard Faculty Seminar Series videos.

Gale in Context: Biography
Learn about the challenges, motivations, successes, and failures of more than 500,000 of history’s most notable people. Biographies are from authoritative sources and some include multimedia.

Book Collection Nonfiction – High School Edition
A research database for students containing searchable full text for more than 2,450 popular nonfiction books including high interest titles on careers, health, life skills, ethnicity, disabilities, adventure, sports, technology, biographies, music, science, history, civics and more.

Book Collection Nonfiction – Middle School Edition
A research database for students containing searchable full text for more than 3,100 popular nonfiction books. The database includes high interest titles on careers, health, life skills, ethnicity, disabilities, adventure, sports, technology, biographies, history, science, women, civics and more.

Book Collection Nonfiction – Elementary Edition
A research database for students containing searchable full text for more than 1,300 popular nonfiction books. The database includes high interest titles on animals, weather, holidays, adventure, sports, Native Americans, United States, Canada, biographies, nature, civics and more.

Digital Literacy
Resource designed to give the knowledge and skill set needed to safely and effectively navigate the digital world. Topics include communication basics, cyberbullying, social media, privacy, research skills, and gaming.

Ebsco eBook Collection

eBooks are digital editions of 50,000+ printed books for all ages including many fiction, general interest, reference, technical, and how-to titles. They can be viewed on any device connected to the Internet or downloaded to a computer or device.

ERIC
The Education Resource Information Center provides citations to education literature and resources.

Explora
General Research and eBooks – An easy to use search pulling information from magazines, reference books, primary source documents, and Associated Press videos.

Exploring Race in Society
Designed for high school and undergraduate students, this free EBSCO research database offers essays, articles, reports, and other reliable sources covering important issues related to race in society today. An in-depth look at the history of race providing critical context for learning more about topics associated with race, ethnicity, diversity and inclusiveness.

Financial Literacy
With something for everyone, this economics and personal finance resource promotes digital literacy. Designed for grades 7-12, it has articles, financial calculators, and activities such as creating a podcast or a multimedia presentation.

Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia
General interest encyclopedia containing over 25,000 articles on various subjects.

Gale Directory Library
Gale Directory of Publications and Broadcast Media: newspapers, magazines, television and radio stations, and other media around the world.
Encyclopedia of Associations: National Organizations of the U.S.: organizations in the U.S.
American Wholesalers and Distributors Directory: wholesalers and distributors in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.
Scholarships, Fellowships and Loans: education-related financial aid.

Gale Virtual Reference Library
Full digital access to over 700 nonfiction eBooks covering a variety of subjects including biographies, health, science, business plans, authors, and much more. Many titles specifically for teens are included.

Global Road Warrior
Information on 175 nations and territories including geography, demographics, culture, society, and religion. The database also contains information business travelers would need such as money, security, health, technical & electrical connections, internet, women in business, and essential terms.

Legal GPS

Like “Turbotax” but for the law, this interactive platform gives business owners step-by-step, customized directions to complete 50+ legal essentials and saves owners 60+ hours and $4500 in legal fees.

Mango
Language learning software for over 70 languages with ESL courses for more than 20 languages. Learn the most asked for languages such as Spanish, French and German as well as Hungarian, Yiddish and how to talk like a pirate.

MAS Ultra – School Edition
Specifically designed for high school students includes full text for nearly 500 popular high school magazines, 85,670 biographies, over 107,000 primary source documents, more than 360 reference books, and an Image Collection of over 592,000 photos, maps & flags, color PDFs.

MasterFILE Premier
Designed for public libraries, MasterFILE Premier contains full text for nearly 1,700 periodicals covering general reference, business, health, education, general science, multicultural issues and much more; full text for more than 500 reference books; over 107,000 primary source documents; and an Image Collection of over 510,000 photos, maps & flags.

Middle Search Plus
Middle Search Plus contains full text for more than 140 popular middle school magazines, primary source documents, reference books, and thousands of relevant photos, maps and flags.

New York Times (1980-Present)
This ProQuest database offers searchable access to full-text articles from The New York Times, The New York Times Book Review, The New York Times Magazine, and The Daily (podcast).

Newspaper Archive
Online access to digital copies of select newspapers from the central region of the United States. The Joplin newspapers are covered with some gaps in coverage. This database can only be accessed on computers in the Joplin Public Library.

Newspaper Source
Provides cover-to-cover full text for more than 40 national (U.S.) and international newspapers, selective full text for more than 370 regional (U.S.) newspapers, and full-text television & radio news.

Primary Search
Primary Search designed specifically for elementary school students contains full text for more than 80 popular elementary school magazines, the Encyclopedia of Animals, Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia, the American Heritage Children’s Dictionary, and thousands of relevant photos, maps and flags.

Professional Development Collection
Professional Development Collection; includes full text for nearly 520 high-quality education journals.

Read It!
Designed for middle and high school students and adults who have a basic foundation in English grammar and reading but need adapted reading material for a variety of subjects. It offers resources to help build background knowledge, conduct research and improve study skills.

Salem Press Online
Digital access to the full content of the Health, History, Science, and Literature Salem Press titles owned by the library. Titles include Magill’s Encyclopedia of Medicine, Great Events, Great Lives, and Defining Documents of History, the Solar System, Masterplots and many more.

Value Line
Investment research, data, expert analysis, and unbiased commentary on ~3500 stocks covered in The Value Line Investment Survey and Value Line Investment Survey–Small and Mid-Cap. Limited to 3 users at one time; if you cannot get in, please try again later.

Websites

Bartleby.com: Great Books Online
Provides students, researchers, and the intellectually curious with unlimited access to books and information on literature, reference, and poetry.

Digital Public Library of America
This digital library is a network of comprehensive online resources that draw on the nation’s living heritage from libraries, universities, archives, and museums in order to educate, inform, and empower everyone in current and future ¬generations.

Missouri Census Data Center
Resources and information on the United States census and other statistical resources.

Online Encyclopedias
A collection of online encyclopedias including general and subject encyclopedias.

YourDictionary
A collection of dictionaries and thesauri on English and other languages offering definitions, spelling, pronunciation, and etymology.