• Antiques & Collectibles

• Art & Architecture

• Associations & Organizations

• Automobile & Small Engine Repair

• Biography

• Business & Investing

• Community Information

• Consumer Information

• eBooks & AudioBooks

• Education

• Encyclopedias

• Exams & Tests

• Genealogy

• Health

• History

• Jobs & Careers

• Languages

• Literature

• Magazines

• Newspapers

• Religion & Philosophy

• Science

• Travel

What is a database?  A database is a searchable collection of information from magazines, newspapers, and other resources that are available to you via the library's website at any time and from any place with Internet access.  The databases below are accessible at most BCPL computers and, unless otherwise noted, are accessible via your home computer. You simply have to have a valid library card registered at the Baltimore County Public Library to use them.  You can apply for a BCPL card online if you don't have one and want to use these resources.

In early December, we will be upgrading to a new computer system. The upgrade will take several days.  Tentatively, from December 4 through December, 9 our catalog and circulation system will be offline.  We apologize for the inconvenience.  We are working to make the transition as smooth as possible for you. 

Troubleshooting Databases                           Databases A to Z

  Antiques and Collectibles

• Antiques Reference
  Information from leading regional auction houses located throughout the United States plus other selected specialist auctions, and can be used to estimate the value of similar items for sale.(P4ALTD)

• Oxford Art Online
  Oxford Art Online provides web access to Grove Art Online, The Oxford Companion to Western Art, the Encyclopedia of Aesthetics and the Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art Terms.  It contains more than 45,000 articles on painting, sculpture, graphic arts, architecture, decorative arts and photography - from prehistory to the present day. Topics include: biographies, criticism and philosophy of art, cultures and civilizations of the world, artistic styles and movements. (Oxford)

• Associations Unlimited
  IRS information on more than 456,000 organizations. Also contains association materials such as brochures, logos and membership applications.  (Gale Cengage)
• Gale Directory of Publications and Broadcast Media
  Thousands of listings for print, radio, television, and cable companies. Provides address; phone, fax numbers, e-mail addresses; key personnel, and more.  (Gale Cengage)

• Auto Repair Reference Center
  Automotive repair, recall, and wiring  information on most major manufacturers of domestic and imported vehicles, including most vintage makes starting as far back as 1945.  (Sailor) (Ebsco)
• Small Engine Repair Reference Center
  Contains the full set of Clymer small engine repair manuals, which includes thousands of concise step-by-step maintenance and repair instructions for hundreds of small engines and their components. Routine maintenance, such as tune-ups and brake service, as well as more extensive repairs are covered. Engines types include: motorcycles, ATVs, personal water craft, snowmobiles, lawn mowers, tractors, snow blowers, generators, and more. (Ebsco)

• Biography Resource Center
  A comprehensive database of biographical information on more than 200,000 people throughout history, around the world, and across all disciplines and subject areas.  (Gale Cengage)

• LitFinder

  Formerly Poem/Story/Essay Finder,  this resource puts complete works — and additional information sources such as biographies, essays and explanations — into the hands and minds of students and researchers for further study, evaluation and enjoyment.  (NOT accessible outside of BCPL branches)

• Oxford Art Online
  Oxford Art Online provides web access to Grove Art Online, The Oxford Companion to Western Art, the Encyclopedia of Aesthetics and the Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art Terms.  It contains more than 45,000 articles on painting, sculpture, graphic arts, architecture, decorative arts and photography - from prehistory to the present day. Topics include: biographies, criticism and philosophy of art, cultures and civilizations of the world, artistic styles and movements. (Oxford)

• Student Resource Center Bronze
  Offers easy access to award-winning content based on national curriculum standards. Covering the major subject areas, including history, literature, science, social studies and more, this tool provides a premium selection of reference, thousands of full-text periodicals and newspapers, primary documents, creative works, and multimedia, including hours of video and audio clips and podcasts. (Gale Cengage)

• Associations Unlimited
  IRS information on more than 456,000 organizations. Also contains association materials such as brochures, logos and membership applications.  (Gale Cengage)
• Business Source Premier
  Provides full text for nearly 2,800 titles and indexing and abstracts for 3,350 journals and offers information on business including management, finance, international business, and more.  Includes Harvard Business Review. (Ebsco)
• Hoover's
  Now available in all BCPL branches.  Hoover’s, known as the Business Information Authority, provides company details such as description, contact information, competitors, and key personnel.  This information can be used to prepare for client meetings, sales presentations, vendor and partner negotiations, and other business opportunities.  News from the business world and scheduled Initial Public Offerings (IPO’s) also included. (Dun and Bradstreet)
• Reference USA
  Database of over 11 million company profiles including address and phone number, SIC codes, number of employees, sales volume, product lines and corporate structure. Also includes residential directory. (InfoUSA)
• Small Business Resource Center
  Covers all major areas of starting and operating a business including financing, management, marketing, human resources, franchising, accounting and taxes. Startup and established businesses alike can find the answers they're looking for from an easy-to-use interface that includes a "How To" menu that tackles the most-frequently asked new business questions -- including "How to start a small business."  (Sailor) (Gale Cengage)
• Standard & Poor's NetAdvantage
  S&P's NetAdvantage is a comprehensive source of business and investment information. It provides full text access for the following S&P publications: Bond Guide; Corporation Records; Dividend Record; Earnings Guide; Industry Surveys; Mutual Fund Reports; The Outlook; Register of Corporations, Directors and Executives; Security Dealers of North America; Stock Guide; and StockReports. (Standard and Poors).  Note:  Click here if you are in a BCPL branch and want access to Standard & Poor's NetAdvantage Industry Surveys.
• Value Line Investment Survey Online(NOT accessible outside of BCPL branches).  Comprehensive source of information and advice on approximately 1,700 stocks, more than 90 industries, the stock market, and the economy.  Accurate and independently created research information. (Value Line)

• Community Information Database
  Searchable database of community organizations, government agencies, non-profits and social groups that serve Baltimore County residents. Provides links to web sites. (BCPL)
• Legacy Web
  Expanding, annotated, searchable archive of local historic photos. Also includes digitized collection of Baltimore Magazine (1917-1928). (BCPL)

• Consumer Reports
  An online and enhanced version of the popular periodical resource which compares and rates products such as cars, appliances, and more.  Content includes all information from the periodicals as well as video clips and enhanced buying considerations.  Please note that basic Consumer Reports content is also included in the magazine database “Masterfile Premier." (BCPL)

eBooks & AudioBooks

• MyiLibrary Audio
  These downloadable audiobooks cover a wide range of fictional and non-fictional topics for kids and adults, and run on easy-to-use free software available from the Ingram Digital MyiLibrary website. All titles are downloadable and playable via PCs, Macs, iPod and iPhone, in addition to hundreds of MP3 devices. Please note:  In order to borrow and use a specific format of digital media, you must download and install the proper software from the MyiLibrary website on your first use. 
• OverDrive  
  These downloadable ebooks and audio books from Maryland's Digital eLibrary Consortium, cover a wide range of fictional and non-fictional topics for adults and children, and run on easy-to-use free software available from the OverDrive website. They can be accessed on your Mac or PC as well as on many portable listening and reading devices now including the iPod and iPhone. Please note:  In order to borrow and use a specific format of digital media, you must download and install the proper software from the Overdrive website on your first use.
• Virtual Reference eBooks
  Over fifty eReference Books that you can search, read and print online. These books do not have to be checked out or downloaded and are always available for use either in the library or from home. Topics covered in include Biography, Cultures, Religion, and more. Jointly provided by Baltimore County Public Library and the Maryland State Library/Sailor. (Gale Cengage)  (Sailor)

• ERIC (Educational Resource Information Center
  Journals include the Current Index of Journals in Education and Resources in Education Index. Full text of more than 2,200 digests along with references for additional information and citations and abstracts from educational and education-related journals. (Ebsco)
• Testing and Education Reference Center
  Features interactive online practice tests including GED, SAT, ACT, Praxis, NCLEX, postal exams, law enforcement, occupational tests, certification and licensing tests, and more. Also includes scholarship and financial aid information, plus detailed information on private high schools, undergraduate and graduate programs, executive education programs, and technical and specialty schools. (Gale Cengage)

• America the Beautiful
  Information on the geography, plants, animals, history, economy, religions, culture, sports, art, and people of each state with maps and photographs.    (Sailor) (Grolier)
• Discovering Collection
  Allows students to place people, places, events and primary documents in context. (Gale Cengage)   (Sailor)
• Kids InfoBit
  Provides young students (K-5) with simple, quick access to curriculum-related information on current events, arts, sciences, health, people, government, sports, history and more.    (Sailor) (Gale Cengage)
• Lands and Peoples
  An encyclopedia of countries, cultures, and current events with the latest information on every country in the world. Describes the country's land, people, economy, history, and government, as well as statistics, a full-color map and photographs. (elementary - adult.)  Click on the words Lands and Peoples on the Grolier Online page. (Grolier)
• Student Resource Center Bronze
  Offers easy access to award-winning content based on national curriculum standards. Covering the major subject areas, including history, literature, science, social studies and more, this tool provides a premium selection of reference, thousands of full-text periodicals and newspapers, primary documents, creative works, and multimedia, including hours of video and audio clips and podcasts. (Gale Cengage) 
• World Book Online Reference Center
  Features the content of The World Book Encyclopedia, plus 16 additional databases, which include an online atlas, Spanish-language encyclopedia, teacher resources, World Book Kids, images and sounds, current events, and an online version of the World Book Dictionary.   (Sailor) (World Book)

• Testing and Education Reference Center
  Features interactive online practice tests including GED, SAT, ACT, Praxis, NCLEX, postal exams, law enforcement, occupational tests, certification and licensing tests, and more. Also includes scholarship and financial aid information, plus detailed information on private high schools, undergraduate and graduate programs, executive education programs, and technical and specialty schools. (Gale Cengage)

• Ancestry - Library Edition  (NOT accessible outside of BCPL branches)
  Genealogy resource including more than 2 billion names and 3,000 resources including passenger and immigration lists and census data from 1790 through 1930.  (ProQuest)
• HeritageQuest
  The HeritageQuest Collection includes federal census records, source documents, and indexes. Rich with demographic and genealogical detail, the collection contains personal data such as education, place of birth, language, occupation, veteran status.  Includes images.   (Sailor) (ProQuest)

• Health  and  Wellness Resource Center with Alternative Health
  Includes full-text journals, the new Disease Profiler and the Alternative Health Module. Provides quick and accurate access for all levels.  (Sailor)  (Gale Cengage)
• Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition
  Provides nearly 600 scholarly full text journals covering many medical disciplines with an emphasis on nursing and allied health.  Indexing and abstracting for an additional 50 journals is also featured. (Ebsco)
• MedLinePlus
  Health information from the National Library of Medicine includes information on over 500 diseases and conditions. Lists of hospitals and physicians, a medical encyclopedia and dictionaries, health information in Spanish, extensive information on prescription and nonprescription drugs, health information from the media, and links to thousands of clinical trials. (Medline)

• Discovering Collection
  Allows students to place people, places, events and primary documents in context. (Gale Cengage)   (Sailor)
• Historical Newspapers
  Digital reproductions of: Baltimore Sun Papers  (1837-1985), Christian Science Monitor (1908-1991), New York Times: (1851-2001)Wall Street Journal (1889-1987). and the Washington Post (1877-1988)  (ProQuest)
• History Resource Centers: United States / World
  Provides a complete overview of U.S. and World history covering the most studied events, issues and current information. Selected by expert history advisors for its relevance in the undergraduate curriculum.  (Sailor)  (Gale Cengage)
• Lands and Peoples
  An encyclopedia of countries, cultures, and current events with the latest information on every country in the world. Describes the country's land, people, economy, history, and government, as well as statistics, a full-color map and photographs. (elementary - adult.)  Click on the words Lands and Peoples on the Grolier Online page. (Grolier)
• Legacy Web
  Expanding, annotated, searchable archive of local historic photos. Also includes digitized collection of Baltimore Magazine (1917-1928). (BCPL)
• Student Resource Center Bronze
  Offers easy access to award-winning content based on national curriculum standards. Covering the major subject areas, including history, literature, science, social studies and more, this tool provides a premium selection of reference, thousands of full-text periodicals and newspapers, primary documents, creative works, and multimedia, including hours of video and audio clips and podcasts. (Gale Cengage)

• Testing and Education Reference Center
  Features interactive online practice tests including GED, SAT, ACT, Praxis, NCLEX, postal exams, law enforcement, occupational tests, certification and licensing tests, and more. Also includes scholarship and financial aid information, plus detailed information on private high schools, undergraduate and graduate programs, executive education programs, and technical and specialty schools. (Gale Cengage)

• Mango
  Mango is an online language-learning system that teaches conversation skills for twelve different languages including English as a Second Language. (Mango)

• Books  and  Authors
  This resource offers ways to explore the endless possibilities and combinations of books, authors and topics.  An "if you like" search connects readers to themes and genres that may have otherwise gone unnoticed.   (Sailor) (Gale Cengage)
• Literary Index: Quick Lookup
  A quick look-up of titles or authors; search by author, title, or customize your search by name, birth date, death date, or nationality.  Results tell which volume of Gale's Literary Criticism series contains commentary on the title or author. (Gale Cengage)
• Literature Resource Center
  A full text database that provides critical analysis, biographies, and bibliographies of 90,000 novelists, poets and essayists from Contemporary Authors, Contemporary Literary Criticism and other literary sources. Searchable by author, title, time period and literary themes. (Gale Cengage)

• LitFinder

  Formerly Poem/Story/Essay Finder,  this resource puts complete works — and additional information sources such as biographies, essays and explanations — into the hands and minds of students and researchers for further study, evaluation and enjoyment.  (NOT accessible outside of BCPL branches)

• NoveList Plus K-8
  Includes picture books, children's chapter books and young adult titles. Browse book lists, or search search by instructional unit, theme or topic. Find stories that are set in a particular country, or about different cultures. Full-text book reviews from sources such as Booklist and School Library Journal. Reviews often identify the instructional uses of titles, as well. (Ebsco) 
• NoveList Plus
  NoveList Plus is a complete resource for fiction and nonfiction pleasure reading. NoveList Plus offers bibliographic information on more than 200,000 titles, including over 50,000 nonfiction titles selected for their appeal to the general reader. (Ebsco)

• Academic Access Expanded
  From arts and the humanities to social sciences, science and technology, this database meets research needs across all academic disciplines. Access scholarly journals, news magazines, and newspapers - many with full text and images.   (Sailor) (Gale Cengage)
• General Reference Center Gold A general interest database that integrates a variety of sources - newspapers, reference books, magazines, and trade publications. Find articles on current events, popular culture, business and industry trends, the arts and sciences, sports, hobbies, and more.    (Sailor) (Gale Cengage)
• MasterFILE Premier
  Provides full text for over 1,900 general periodicals covering nearly all subjects including general reference, business, health, education, general science, multi-cultural issues and more. Total coverage includes over 4 million articles. (Ebsco)
• One File
  A comprehensive periodical resource of more than 60 million articles including over 11,000 titles and backfile coverage from 1980 in mainstream to specialized sources.  (Sailor) (Gale Cengage)
• Opposing Viewpoints
  Full text periodicals, newspapers, journals, pamphlets, primary source documents and other sources of information on controversial topics.  Arranged by topic. (middle/high school - adult).  (Gale Cengage)
• Primary Search
  Contains full text for more than 70 popular, elementary school magazines. All full text articles are assigned a reading/Lexile level indicator. (Ebsco)
• Religion and Philosophy Collection
  Extensive coverage of such topics as world religions, major denominations, biblical studies, religious history, epistemology, political philosophy, philosophy of language, moral philosophy and the history of philosophy. Religion and Philosophy Collection offers more than 300 full text journals, including more than 250 peer-reviewed titles. (Ebsco)
• Student Resource Center Bronze
  Offers easy access to award-winning content based on national curriculum standards. Covering the major subject areas, including history, literature, science, social studies and more, this tool provides a premium selection of reference, thousands of full-text periodicals and newspapers, primary documents, creative works, and multimedia, including hours of video and audio clips and podcasts. (Gale Cengage)

• Afro-American Newspaper 
  The Baltimore Afro-American (1893-1988) offers full page and article images with searchable full text. The collection includes digital reproductions providing access to every page from every available issue.  This paper was the most widely circulated black newspaper on the Atlantic coast. It was the first black newspaper to have correspondents reporting on World War II, foreign correspondents, and female sports correspondents.

• Baltimore Sun:  1837 - 1985 (PDF Format)
                          1990 - Current (Text Format)

  Please note that the 1837-1995 collection is still being compiled and will be missing issues (including post 1945) until completed.  The Baltimore Sun Papers from 1960 -2008 is also available on microfilm at the Catonsville and the Towson branches.  No online indexing exists for the Sun between 1985 and 1990 at this time. (ProQuest)

• Historical Newspapers
  Full page and article images with searchable full text back to the first issue. The collection includes digital reproductions providing access to every page from every available issue. Digital reproductions of: Baltimore Sun Papers (1837-1985), Christian Science Monitor (1908-1991), New York Times: (1851-2001)Wall Street Journal (1889-1987). and the Washington Post (1877-1988)  (ProQuest)

• InfoTrac Newstand
  Dates of coverage vary. Updated daily. Provides full-text access to over 100 newspapers, including titles of local interest like the Austin-American Stateman and the Houston Chronicle. Search articles by title, headline, date, author or section. (Sailor) (Gale Cengage)

• National Newspapers
  Contains full text articles from the Baltimore Sun (1990 - present), Christian Science Monitor (1990-present), New York Times (1999-present), Wall Street Journal (1984-present) and the Washington Post (1987-present).  (ProQuest)

• Religion and Philosophy Collection (Ebsco)
  Extensive coverage of such topics as world religions, major denominations, biblical studies, religious history, epistemology, political philosophy, philosophy of language, moral philosophy and the history of philosophy. Religion and Philosophy Collection offers more than 300 full text journals, including more than 250 peer-reviewed titles. (Ebsco)

• New Book of Popular Science
  Leading science encyclopedia for students with 400 articles and numerous images, charts, and tables. Includes science projects, games, scientist biographies, news articles and star gazing updates. Complete source for science information including teacher lesson plans, careers in science, and Nobel Prize winners. (Grolier)
• Science Resource Center (for K12 and public libraries)
  In-depth, curriculum-oriented science resource for Earth Science, History of Science, Life Science, Physical Science, Science and Technology, Science as Inquiry, Space Science and more. Reference titles, periodicals, science glossary, web links.  (Sailor) (Gale Cengage)

• America the Beautiful       
  Information on the geography, plants, animals, history, economy, religions, culture, sports, art, and people of each state with maps and photographs.    (Sailor) (Grolier)

• Lands and Peoples
  An encyclopedia of countries, cultures, and current events with the latest information on every country in the world. Describes the country's land, people, economy, history, and government, as well as statistics, a full-color map and photographs. (elementary - adult.)  Click on the words Lands and Peoples on the Grolier Online page. (Grolier)