Research > Homework Center > Databases

Trusted Online Research Tools for Students

"Help! I can't use Wikipedia!" The resources listed below come from trusted sources that you and your teachers can cite with confidence. All you need to access these resources from school or home is a Multnomah County library card number and PIN (usually the last four digits of your home telephone number).

Grolier's Encyclopedia portal: Access all the Grolier's encyclopedias with one click, or visit them individually as described below.

Grolier's Multimedia Encyclopedia: Encyclopedia and magazine articles augmented by digital media (images, maps, and timelines).
Encyclopedia Americana: A reliable source of current information on almost any topic for middle- and high-school students.
The New Book of Knowledge: Encyclopedia geared to elementary school students.
La Nueva Enciclopedia Cumbre: Una enciclopedia general en español para estudiantes de sexto grado en adelante.
The New Book of Popular Science: An encyclopedia of science and technology, plus science in the news.
Lands and Peoples: An encyclopedia of countries, cultures and current events.

Magazines, newspapers, radio and television (Electric Library): Articles and transcripts of news shows from 1995 on with an emphasis on current events. Electric Library includes a comprehensive map and picture file. Algunos artículos de medios de comunicación están disponibles en español.
Magazine articles: The full text of articles published from 1990 on in nearly 2,000 magazines, a more comprehensive list than Electric Library.
The Oregonian and other newspapers: The full text of articles published from 1988 on in five Oregon newspapers and those from major U.S. cities. The New York Times is available as well.
Current events (Facts.com): Articles from Facts on File on current world events and recent history (1940 on).
News photographs, charts, graphs and tables: A collection of over 750,000 photographs and other images from the Associated Press.
Social issues (Opposing Viewpoints): Arguments and analysis of more than 1,000 controversial topics.
Biographies: In-depth information on the lives of more than 220,000 people, and brief "thumbnail" biographies of nearly one million individuals.
Writing and literature: A collection of biographies, bibliographies, critical essays, work overviews, author-related websites, and timeline events for more than 120,000 current and historical literary figures.
Careers: Information about different occupations and what type of education/training is necessary for each is available from the Career Information Service at the University of Oregon. It includes information on scholarships.
Need help from a person right now?: Tutors at Live Homework Help can assist you with your Math, Science, Social Studies and English homework every day from 2 to 10 p.m.; Los tutores de Live Homework Help (ayuda en vivo con las tareas) pueden ayudarte con tus tareas de Matemáticas y Ciencias Naturales todos los días de 2 a 10 p.m.; Chat with librarians at L-net 24/7. They will direct you to resources you can explore on your own. You don't need your library card number to use L-net.