Library Catalogs & Electronic Databases

Library Catalogs & Other Library Resources

Internet Access	Springfield Library Catalog Contains entries for books, videos, CD-ROMS, DVDs, audiobooks, music recordings and other materials in the Springfield City Library System and other libraries in western Massachusetts. Access your library record and renew and/or request books online. If you need assistance, ask at the reference desk, call us at 263-6828 x213, or use our Askalibrarian email service.
Internet Access	C/WMARS Union Catalog C/W MARS is a network of over 150 public, academic, school, regional, and special libraries in Central and Western Massachusetts. Members share an online computer system and have combined collections of more than 6 million items.
Internet Access	Massachusetts Virtual Catalog (via C/WMARS) The Virtual Catalog allows you to find books and other materials in multiple library catalogs with a single search. Library catalogs will continue to be added to the Virtual Catalog over the next two to three years until the majority of the online catalogs in Massachusetts is included. Choose your region (Western or Central) from the drop-down menu, enter your library card number (found on the back of your card) and choose a library for your pickup location from the menu. You may then enter the Virtual Catalog and request materials from libraries throughout Massachusetts. If you need assistance, see a librarian. Please note: the Virtual Catalog should be used only when materials are not available in Western or Central Massachusetts through the C/WMARS catalogs.
Internet Access	netLibrary® eBooks Electronic books (e-books) on business, home-buying, careers, health, law, psychology, sports, computer, study guides, travel, 'complete idiot' guides & classics. Books are read online, and require no software downloads. Full-text searching is available. Note: C/WMars library card holders do not need to create an account - log in with your library card via "Remote Access."
Internet Access	C/WMARS Digital Catalog: Audiobooks, eBooks & Video Patrons from C/WMARS member libraries can browse and search hundreds of great titles and download them to computers, transfer them to portable devices, or burn them onto CDs for reading and listening anywhere, anytime. A new subscription includes 284 PBS videos in the 'always available' collection. Note: OverDrive Media Console for Mac software now available!

Note: Authentication by geolocation for statewide electronic resource remote access is now available. Anyone living and working in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts now has access to the full suite of Gale databases, as well as the Proquest group of newspapers (excluding the Springfield Republican) by clicking on the 'remote access' links below. If you have any difficulties with remote access please email askalibrarian@springfieldlibrary.org or call the Reference Desk at 413-263-6828 x213.

General Resources: Magazines, Journals & Reference Sources from Gale InfoTrac

Library Use Remote Access	Academic OneFile Use this comprehensive periodical resource of full-text peer-reviewed content for over 10,000 manually indexed journals and reference works covering all subjects, including the full-text of The New York Times back to 1995 and NPR, CNN & CBC transcripts and podcasts.
Library Use Remote Access	Expanded Academic ASAP Articles from scholarly, trade and general-interest publications. Topics include arts, humanities, social sciences, sciences, technologies, and other academic disciplines. Full-text, abstracts, and citations to articles from 1980 - present.
Library Use Remote Access	General Reference Center Gold Articles from magazines, journals, and reference books of general interest, including current events, business, consumer help, and popular culture. Full-text, abstracts, and citations from 1980 - present, updated daily.
Library Use Remote Access	InfoTrac OneFile Use this comprehensive periodical resource for any subject. Coverage goes back to 1980- with over 9,200 titles (5,156 full-text).
Library Use Remote Access	Educator's Reference Complete Use this mainly full-text collection of over 1100 periodicals and 200 reports for educational research from preschool to college. Every educational specialty can be found here including technology, health and bilingual education, testing, and issues in administration, funding and policy.
Library Use Remote Access	Massachusetts History Online Contains full-text articles gathered from almost 50 sources that directly relate to Massachusetts history, both past and present, including people, places, historical events and more.
Library Use Remote Access	New York Times Backfile Search the full text of The New York Times (starting in 1995).
Library Use Remote Access	Virtual Reference Library A mix of more than 20 full-text reference books covering the arts, biography, business, the environment, history, literature, medicine, multicultural studies, geography, and science.

Newspapers

Each local newspaper provides unique coverage of local and regional news, including companies, politics, sports, industries, cultural activities, and people in the community. Paid ads are excluded.

Library Use Remote Access	Springfield Republican, Springfield MA (via Newsbank) (1988 - current) Available to library cardholders from Western Mass. only.
Library Use Remote Access	Massachusetts Newsstand Full-text coverage of the 12 Massachusetts newspapers listed below.
Library Use Remote Access	Berkshire Eagle Full-text coverage for Pittsfield, MA, Berkshire County, and 4 nearby New York communities from 2005.
Library Use Remote Access	Boston Globe Full-text coverage from 1980
Library Use Remote Access	Boston Herald Full-text coverage from from 1991
Library Use Remote Access	BusinessWest (Chicopee) Full-text bi-weekly business journal for western MA from 1992
Library Use Remote Access	North Adams Transcript Full-text news, commentary, obituaries, classified and information on the northern Berkshire region from 2005.
Library Use Remote Access	Patriot Ledger (Quincy) Full-text coverage from 1991.
Library Use Remote Access	Plymouth County Business Review Full-text business news for Plymouth County & southeastern MA from 1991.
Library Use Remote Access	Sentinel & Enterprise (Fitchburg) Full-text coverage of news for Fitchburg from 2005.
Library Use Remote Access	The Sun (Lowell) Full-text coverage of news from Lowell, MA & the Merrimack Valley from 2004.
Library Use Remote Access	Telegram & Gazette (Worcester) Full-text coverage of Worcester and Central Massachusetts news from1989.
Library Use Remote Access	Gazette (Haverhill) 12/31/92 to 8/9/97 only
Library Use Remote Access	Standard Times (New Bedford) 1/4/92 to 8/19/97 only

Consumer & Education Resources

Library Use

Remote Access

Chilton's Auto Repair
ChiltonLibrary.com provides quick online access to repair, maintenance and service information on the most popular cars, trucks, vans and SUVs on the road today. Ford, Chrysler, GM. Honda, Toyota and numerous other makes are well-represented. Step-by-step instructions, which include helpful diagrams, are provided for work on the engine, chassis, electrical, drive train, suspension, and more. Wiring diagrams, maintenance schedules, and recall and service bulletins are included. Requires a Springfield City Library card. Note: Not Mac-compatible.

Library Use

Remote Access

Learning Express (Learn-A-Test)
Practice for such tests as the GED, SAT and AP, ASVAB, Civil Service, TOEFL, and many others in the privacy of your home. Recently updated to include practice tests on the new SAT 2005. Register with your library card number and a password of your choice. Requires a Springfield City Library card.

Dictionaries & Biographies

Library Use
(Central Library only)

BGMI (Biography & Genealogy Master Index)
Citations to reference books and other publications containing biographical material on persons, both living and deceased, including authors, scientists, athletes, fashion designers, musicians, etc. Entries contain names, birth/death years and citations to published articles. Results indicate which items include portraits. Contains 4 million+ names and points to 1,000+ publications. Please consult a librarian for assistance in locating reference materials.

Library Use

Remote Access

Biography Resource Center (Gale InfoTrac)
Thousands of online full-text biographies from Gale reference books. Includes Encyclopedia of World Biography, Who's Who Among African-Americans, Maclean's, Contemporary Authors, and many more important biographical reference sources. Search by name, occupation, ethnicity, and more. Includes portraits where available, and links to thumbnail bios and online periodical articles from other InfoTrac databases where appropriate.

Library Use

Merriam-Webster Unabridged
Access to the full-text of Merriam-Webster's flagship dictionary, plus the Collegiate Dictionary, Collegiate Thesaurus, and Merriam-Webster Atlas. Courtesy of the Merriam-Webster Company.

History

Library Use (Central Library only)	BGMI (Biography & Genealogy Master Index) Citations to reference books and other publications containing biographical material on persons, both living and deceased, including authors, scientists, athletes, fashion designers, musicians, etc. Entries contain names, birth/death years and citations to published articles. Results indicate which items include portraits. Contains 4 million+ names and points to 1,000+ publications. Please consult a librarian for assistance in locating reference materials.
Library Use Remote Access	Biography Resource Center (Gale InfoTrac) Thousands of online full-text biographies from Gale reference books. Includes Encyclopedia of World Biography, Who's Who Among African-Americans, Maclean's, Contemporary Authors, and many more important biographical reference sources. Search by name, occupation, ethnicity, and more. Includes portraits where available, and links to thumbnail bios and online periodical articles from other InfoTrac databases where appropriate.
Library Access Remote Access	African-American History Online (Facts on File) Provides expansive and in-depth information on the people, events, and topics important to the study of African-American history.
Library Access Remote Access	American History Online (Facts on File) Spans more than 500 years of political, military, social, and cultural history, highlighting the important people and events of the American experience.
Library Access Remote Access	American Women's History Online (Facts on File) Covers the important people, events, legislation, and issues relevant to the study of women's history in the United States.
Library Use Remote Access	Massachusetts History Online Contains full-text articles gathered from almost 50 sources that directly relate to Massachusetts history, both past and present, including people, places, historical events and more.

Literature and Art

Library Use Remote Access	Biography Resource Center (Gale InfoTrac) Thousands of online full-text biographies from Gale reference books. Includes Contemporary Authors and many more important biographical reference sources. Search by name, occupation, ethnicity, and more. Includes portraits where available, and links to thumbnail bios and online periodical articles from other InfoTrac databases where appropriate.
Library Use Remote Access	Contemporary Literary Criticism Select (Gale InfoTrac) An extensive collection of more than 11,000 critical essays on contemporary authors. Each CLC--Select entry contains a biographical/critical introduction, a list of principal works, critical essays, and sources for further study. Allows users to search by author name, title of work, nationality, subject/genre, ethnicity, critic name, and more.
Library Use Remote Access	NoveList Need some ideas on what novels to read? This reader's advisory tool will help. Search award and prize booklists by genre; search by plot, title, or author to find similar books; browse books by subject; explore fiction through genres and subcategories; read reviews, descriptions and articles; etc. Records from your search are linked to Springfield City Library catalog searches by title or author.
Library Use Remote Access	Grove Art Online Grove Art Online provides web access to the entire text of The Dictionary of Art , ed. Jane Turner (1996, 34 vols.) and The Oxford Companion to Western Art , ed. Hugh Brigstocke (2001). Offers ongoing additions of new and updated articles, over 2,500 thumbnail art images and line drawings displayed in the text of articles, extensive image links, and sophisticated search and navigation tools.

Health and Science

Library Access

Remote Access

Health Reference Center Academic (Gale InfoTrac)
Articles on fitness, pregnancy, medicine, nutrition, diseases, public health, occupational health & safety, substance abuse, HMOs, etc. Plus medical directories, pamphlets, and a dictionary. Materials in this database are intended for informational purposes only. Full-text, abstracts, citations from 1980 to the present, updated daily.

Library Access

Remote Access

Science Online (Facts on File)
Contains extensive information on a broad range of scientific disciplines. Includes biographies, essays on cutting-edge science issues, science experiments, diagrams and a searchable timeline of scientific and medical discoveries. Note: use capital "D" when entering library card number.

Business & Nonprofits

Library Access (Central Library only)	Foundation Directory Online A searchable database of 80,000+ U.S. foundations, grantmaking public charities, and corporate givers, including sponsoring company information. Additional program information and expanded application guidelines for larger funders. Links to over 7,400 grantmaker and corporate Web sites. Links to IRS 990-PF and 990 returns. See a librarian for assistance.
Library Access (Central Library only)	Foundation Grants to Individuals Online A searchable online database of more than 6,200 foundation and public charity programs that fund students, artists, researchers, and other individual grantseekers. See a librarian for assistance.
Library Access Remote Access	General BusinessFile ASAP (Gale InfoTrac) Analyze company performance and activity, industry events and trends as well as the latest in management, economics and politics. Articles on business and management; directory of 150,000+ companies; investment analysts' reports on major companies and industries. Use advanced search for Company profiles, SIC descriptions, and Investext Select (investment reports & forecasts). Full-text and citations from 1980 to the present.
Library & Remote Access	Reference USA Search for company information by name, location, sales volume, size, or line of business. Entries include company directory data, SIC numbers, and 800 numbers and websites where available. Results can be downloaded to disk for use in Excel spreadsheets. Residential database includes ability to do reverse searches by address and telephone number. Remote access is now available! Click on the link and enter your library card number when prompted. For Springfield City Library cardholders only.
Library Access (See librarian for assistance)	Value Line Information on the economy, the stock market, stocks and industries. Users can freely access feature articles, stock quotes, company reports, and an education section with portfolio suggestions and investing guides. The Investment Surveys, including the Expanded Edition, and the Mutual Fund Survey require passwords from a librarian.

Kids & Teens

Library Use Remote Access	Kids InfoBits (Gale InfoTrac) Meets the research needs of students in Kindergarten through Grade 5. It features a developmentally appropriate, visually graphic interface, a subject-based topic tree search and full-text, age-appropriate, curriculum-related magazine, newspaper and reference content for information on current events, the arts, science, health, people, government, history, sports and more.
Library Use Remote Access	InfoTrac K-12 Junior Edition This periodical database is designed for students in junior high and middle school with access to a variety of indexed and full-text magazines, newspapers and reference books for information on current events, the arts, science, popular culture, health, people, government, history, sports and more.
Library Use Remote Access	InfoTrac K-12 Student Edition This periodical database is designed for high-school students with access to a variety of indexed and full-text magazines, newspapers and reference books for information on current events, the arts, science, popular culture, health, people, government, history, sports and more.
Library Use Remote Access	Learning Express (Learn-A-Test) Practice for such tests as the GED, SAT and AP, ASVAB, Civil Service, TOEFL, and many others in the privacy of your home. Recently updated to include practice tests on the new SAT 2005. Register with your library card number and a password of your choice.

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updated : August 3, 2010