Lifelong Learning

Search Multiple Library eSources

Academic Resources

  • Gale Academic OneFile: Quickly access articles from a database of scholarly journals and other trusted periodicals. Best for academic research.

Auto Repair

  • ChiltonLibrary.com: ChiltonLibrary.com represents the most authoritative automotive repair information available to car owners. There are thousands of year, make and model combinations covering the most popular vehicles of the past 30 years, plus additional coverage of specialty models.
  • AAA Car Maintenance Guide: Most of us rely on service technicians to perform service on our vehicles. However, simple checks and inspections can alert you to a potential problem or the need for service. AAA has assembled information and useful tips on selected maintenance areas of your vehicle.
  • AAA Consumer Repair Guide: You can rely on AAA to be there for you when your vehicle requires critical repairs from certified technicians. We take the guesswork out of searching for a qualified car repair shop that meets and maintains high professional standards.
  • Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Taking the Scare Out of Auto Repair: The best way to avoid auto repair rip-offs is to be prepared. Knowing how your vehicle works and how to identify common car problems is a good beginning. It's also important to know how to choose a good mechanic, the kinds of questions to ask, and your consumer rights. This kind of information may help you keep a lid on mechanical mistakes.

Biography

  • Biography.com: Since the 1960s when Biography premiered as a television show, the Biography name has been synonymous with intriguing life stories. Launched in 1996, Biography.com covers the people you know through stories you don’t. In addition to the fascinating, highly credible profiles we are known for, our daily news operation reports on all facets of pop culture, true crime, and power dynamics. Our scope includes current and historical figures, as well as athletes, actors, musicians, scientists, and innovators from every discipline. 

Computers & Technology

Continuing Education

  • Canvas.net: Free online courses. Self-paced courses provide participants with the opportunity to explore, assess, and document learning mastered through a variety of life experiences.
  • Code Academy: Learn to code via interactive courses on how to program. Courses are created by community and cover CSS, Java, HTML. Please note: You must create a free account and log in to use this resource.
  • Coursera.org: Take free online non-credit classes from 115+ top universities and educational organizations.
  • GFCGlobal.org: From Microsoft Office and email, to reading, math, and more—GCFGlobal.org offers more than 300 topics, including more than 6,000 lessons, more than 2,000 videos, and more than 50 interactives and games, completely free.

Financial Aid for College

  • FAFSA: The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (known as the FAFSA) is a form that all students interested in financial aid for college will need to complete.
  • Federal Student Aid: Information about federal student aid provided by the Office of the US. Department of Education.
  • Financial Aid Resources: Department of Education's Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA)  website is for anyone who helps students with the financial aid process.  The Toolkit consolidates resources into a searchable online database of financial aid information. 

GED Resources

General Reference - Adults

  • Gale Academic OneFile: Quickly access articles from a database of scholarly journals and other trusted periodicals. Best for academic research.
  • Gale General OneFile: Access general interest magazines and key serials in a single resource. Best for general research.
  • Gale eBooks: Explore this database of encyclopedias and reference sources within the Gale eBooks platform. For multidisciplinary research.
  • Bartleby.com: Publishes the most up-to-date collection of reference works, as well as classic works of reference, fiction, nonfiction and verse—all free of charge. Features a searchable database containing over 370,000 web pages, including the largest database of quotations ever published (over 86,000 quotations), as well as the largest freely available verse database (over 10,000 poems).
  • FindArticles: Gives you free access to millions of articles from thousands of top publications, including leading academic, industry and general interest publications organized by major categories.
  • Google Scholar: Provides a simple way to broadly search across many disciplines and sources to identify scholarly articles, government and museum websites, and book reviews. This site is run by Google.com so you can use a traditional keyword search. However, Google Scholar is not influenced by advertising.
  • Guinness World Records Online: A selection of records chosen from the GWR database of over 40,000 records!! You'll find information on the Guinness World Records categories that you are familiar with as well as images of amazing superlative facts and feats.
  • MapQuest: Helps people find places, get there, and find places nearby. With over 40 million unique visitors each month, MapQuest.com is consistently ranked as the #1 mapping site and #1 directories site as well as a Top 10 US Web brand.
  • OnlineConversion.com: Convert just about anything to anything else. Over 5,000 units, and 50,000 conversions. Converts length, weight and mass, volume, and more!
  • Visual Dictionary: Uses images to explain objects, listing all their parts in English and French. Detailed views show all relevent details. Every image and term is fully defined.
  • World Factbook: Online version of the World Factbook, produced annually by the CIA. Has become the ultimate, authoritative source for information on all nations of the world. It provides current data for more than 250 countries and territories, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe.
  • YourDictionary: A free online dictionary and thesaurus with all of the English language features you really need: definitions, thesaurus, audio pronunciation and grammar usage. Maintains the most comprehensive and authoritative language portal on the web with more than 2500 dictionaries and grammars in over 300 languages.

History

  • Archives Unbound - Introduction to US History: The Civil War: This Gale resource consists of approximately 450 primary source documents selected for their relevancy to the study of the Civil War. The collection is an introductory overview of the entire topic: military history; diplomatic history; cultural history; legal history; and area specialities including Southern history; African American history; healthcare and medical history; the history of technology and more.
  • Gale OneFile - U.S. History: Search balanced coverage of events in U.S. history. Best for novice historians and academic researchers. Updated daily.
  • Gale OneFile - World History:Access balanced coverage of events in world history and scholarly work being established in the field.

Florida History

  • Florida Black Heritage Trail: The Florida legislature created the Study Commission on African-American History in Florida to increase public awareness of African Americans contributions to the state. The commission was asked to recommend methods to establish a "Heritage Trail" to identify sites, buildings and other points of interest in black history that should be preserved and promoted as tourist attractions.
  • Florida Division of Historical Resources: The Division is responsible for preserving and promoting Florida’s historical, archaeological and folk culture resources.
  • Florida Memory: The mission of Florida Memory is to provide online access to archival resources housed in the State Library and Archives that illustrate significant moments in the state's history, offer educational resources for students of all ages, and make available collections for historical research.
  • Florida Native American Heritage Trail: The 36-page Florida Native American Heritage Trail guidebook honors Florida's Native American cultures, both past and present, by providing in-depth information for residents and visitors. The Florida Native American Heritage Trail describes in text and images over 100 heritage tourist destinations throughout the state where ancient Florida Native Americans left evidence of their cultures and where contemporary Native Americans thrive and exhibit their cultures.
  • Florida Public Archaeology Network: FPAN's mission is to promote and facilitate the stewardship, public appreciation, and value of Florida’s archaeological heritage through regional centers, partnerships, and community engagement.
  • Florida Spanish Colonial Heritage Trail: The Florida Spanish Colonial Heritage Trail is a 64-page, full-color guidebook highlighting more than 50 Spanish heritage and historical sites dating from 1513 to 1821. While St. Augustine and Pensacola are landmark areas, Spanish explorations and legacies are reflected in museums, forts, parks, shipwrecks, memorials and churches throughout the state.
  • Museum of Florida History: As the State's History Museum, the Museum of Florida History focuses on artifacts and eras unique to Florida's development and on roles that Floridians have played in national and global events.Through exhibits, educational programs, research, and collections, the Museum reflects the ways that people have shaped and reacted to their cultural and natural environments. 
  • Publication of Archival, Library & Museum Materials (PALMM): Publication of Archival, Library, & Museum Materials (PALMM) is a cooperative initiative of the public universities and colleges of Florida to provide digital access to important source materials for research and scholarship.

Home & Garden

Homework Help & Test Preparation

  • FAST Practice Tests: The FAST is administered to students in grades VPK–2 and  3–10. Select the appropriate link to view sample test items for VPK–2 or to take a sample test for Grades 3–10.
  • Fact Monster: An ideal reference site for kids ages 8-14 that provides entertainment and educational resources. It combines the contents of an encyclopedia, a dictionary, an atlas, and several almanacs loaded with statistics, facts, and historical records. A single search engine allows you to search all these sources at once.
  • Florida History Fair Resources: Sponsored by the Museum of Florida History, the Florida History Fair (FHF) is an annual, statewide activity that enhances the teaching and learning of history at elementary and secondary levels. A Florida History Fair entry can address any person, event, or idea from any time or place in history, but it must also relate to the annual theme.
  • Gale In Context - Elementary: Introduce elementary students to database searching with resources featuring age-appropriate, curriculum-related content.
  • Gale In Context - Middle School: Explore the most-studied topics including cultures, government, people, history, literature, and more.
  • Gale OneFile - High School Edition: Search magazines, journals, newspapers, and reference on a range of topics. Best for middle- and high-school students.
  • LearningExpress Library (Library Resource): Offers the practice tests, exercises, skill-building courses, and information you need to achieve the results you want—at school, at work, or in life. When registering as a new user, use your library card number as your username.       

Language Learning

  • Signing Savvy (Library Resource): Signing Savvy is a sign language dictionary containing several thousand high resolution videos of American Sign Language (ASL) signs, fingerspelled words, and other common signs used within the United States and Canada. Signing Savvy is an ideal resource to use while you learn sign language. It includes the ability to view signs, build word lists and share them with others, create digital flash cards and quizzes, view ASL sentences, get tutoring, and more.
    To use Signing Savvy visit their website, click on the green "Membership" button, and enter the barcode from your library card.
  • Transparent Language Learning (Library Resource): Transparent Language is a powerful language learning system that uses flashcards to teach you a set of words or phrases. It is the fastest possible way to lock foreign words and phrases in your long term memory. After going to the site, you must register as a user by clicking on the tab that says, "Sign Up."

Local College Libraries

Science

Spanish Current Events